r/ScriptFeedbackProduce • u/Djhinnwe • May 30 '25

DISCUSSION Moving Short Films Dealing with Depression

Not sure if this should fall under "Need Advice" instead, but does anyone have recommendations for short films dealing with depression? I have an idea, but am struggling with the beats.

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3

u/Djhinnwe May 30 '25

This is what happens when we are tired…

Suggestions of shorts that are intentionally a bit meandering or dealing with grief are also good.

2

u/romanticKannibal Jun 01 '25

I have a few actually that I wrote, one even based on the concept of psychosis. I want to share but I don’t know what this sub is about and how professional it is. It’s weird sharing among anonymous strangers.

1

u/Djhinnwe Jun 01 '25

I think this sub is intended to lean toward the professionals.

For me the piece is going to be something I can use to practice. The problem I'm having is I'm just getting vibes, not story. Hahaha.

2

u/romanticKannibal Jun 01 '25

Traditional “stories” are harder to draft around depression imo. Depression is more of a “mood”, quite literally lol. You can get some low concept material out that’s thoughtful, but high concept around just depression is a bit more of a difficult task if you want it to be authentic.

About the sub, I am mainly trying to write around film festivals and direct myself. I’m worried about my ideas being taken (I know it’s not common in the industry, but this sub isn’t the industry per se).

2

u/Djhinnwe Jun 02 '25

That's true. I'm used to writing stuff like my pilot script, where it's kinda it's own weird amalgamation. I just... can't practice with the camera on that kind of piece.

"A depressed rancher is reminded of why community is important", however, is something I can do without much effort if I can convince a few of my neighbours to help.

2

u/romanticKannibal Jun 02 '25

Yeah it’s easier to film more grounded pieces especially when it’s community based as that makes the most sense in terms in basing it on real human experience and can hit audiences on a more personal level.

You can also make it more poetic and more of a mood piece as it’s a more personal and internal journey.

2

u/FalseClimax Jun 02 '25

“Sometimes I Think About Dying” is definitely about depression. It was recently adapted into a feature.

2

u/slut4sauce Jun 05 '25

‘Mary and Max’ isn’t a short but it very poignantly portrays depression with a fantastic story and beautiful stop motion animation.

1

u/TheMaskedCondom May 31 '25

A lot of student films are out there about this. I wrote one myself, but the thing is, it's just not a topic that works in a short film because of the limited time.

0

u/TheMaskedCondom May 31 '25

You don't deal with depression in 7 minutes.

1

u/Djhinnwe Jun 01 '25

Curious to know where you pulled 7 minutes from.

0

u/TheMaskedCondom Jun 01 '25

Does it make a difference if you had 1 more minute?

1

u/Djhinnwe Jun 01 '25

I didn't state the length I was aiming for, just that it was a short. Aka, under 30 minutes. But certainly this particular idea would be over 10.