Conflict and Resolution is the basic structure of nearly all stories and a good guide for writing your short screenplays.
An ending that ends happily for the main protagonist is a upbeat ending and a HERO'S story.
An ending that results in the demise of the main protagonist is a downbeat ending and a TRADEGY.
Take any film you know and apply the formula. It works.
There are more complex formulas out there, but they are all versions of the same thing, and often they are written for features. This simple formula works well for shorts.
Check out how conflict resolution work in the Black Hole.
Or in Reach.
CREATIVITY
It takes real brains, hard work and determination, plus a spark of something like individual personality to turn such a simple, almost dumb structure like conflict and resolution into a viable SHORT FILMIC STORY.
It can be done very badly. If the conflict is not real enough, too cliche, someone else's idea but dressed up as one's own, too confusing, badly thought through, not part of a whole story, your filmic idea will sink.
Luckily though, the one thing that saves us from sinking is ourselves. That's why we PITCH everything to one another (looking at them in the eye) with our simple filmic ideas to see whether or not it gets a reaction. If it dies, or more likely, you can't actually explain it in a couple of basic sentences, then you probably don't know what the story or idea really is.
Often, in pitching, it can be easy to think that its everyone else who doesn't get it, but it isn't usually the case.
NOT A BAD STARTING POINT FOR THINKING IDEAS
Sir Arthur Quiller stated there are seven basic CONFLICTS.
Man against Man
Man against Nature
Man against Himself
Man against God
Man against Society
Man caught in the Middle
Man & Woman
Not a bad starting point for thinking about film ideas.
THE BEST WAY TO WRITE A SHORT FILM, IS TO WATCH LOADS OF THEM
This site used to be okay, but it has improved vastly and now has a store of fantastic shorts, many of which are award winners.
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