Short answer: a 5-minute short runs about 5 pages, a 10-minute short runs 9 to 11 pages, and a 15-minute short runs 14 to 16 pages, following the one-page-per-minute rule almost exactly. Short film is where that rule has the least slack of any format: a feature can drift 10 pages from its target without anyone blinking, but a short that runs 3 pages long is a short that runs noticeably over its stated length.
The precise answer, by length
Short film page counts track runtime more tightly than any other format, since programmers and labs schedule by the minute, not by the page.
| Intended runtime | Page count | Slack tolerance | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 4.5-5.5 pages | Under half a page | Common festival and challenge submission length |
| 10 minutes | 9-11 pages | About 1 page | The most common short film length submitted |
| 15 minutes | 14-16 pages | 1-2 pages | Upper edge before readers expect a "mid-length" |
| 20+ minutes | 18-22 pages | 2 pages | Some labs cap eligibility at 20 minutes exactly |
For how these numbers compare to feature and TV page counts, see How Long Should a Script Be?. For how short runtime affects which festivals and labs will even consider your film, how short film length affects festival routes covers the submission side in depth.
The nuance that changes the answer
Shorts have less slack than features for two concrete reasons, not just tradition.
There is no fat to trim at this length. A 110-page feature has room for a slow scene here and a quick cut there, and the total runtime absorbs it. A 10-page short has almost no scenes to spare, so a single overwritten page reads as a proportionally large overrun, the same page added to a feature would barely register.
Programmers time submissions with a stopwatch, not an estimate. Festival blocks are built to the minute so a full slate of shorts fits a single screening session. A film that runs 12 minutes when the entry form says 10 can bump another film out of the block, which is why programmers and lab readers check runtime far more literally for shorts than a feature reader checking page count against genre norms.
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Do not assume your short hits its target length because the page count looks close. Enter your exact page count into the free Script Time Calculator and get a runtime estimate that accounts for dialogue and action density, the two things that matter most at short-film scale.
Free tool: the Script Time Calculator estimates runtime from page count or pasted script text in seconds, no signup.
FAQ
How many pages is a 10-minute short film script?
About 9 to 11 pages, following the one-page-per-minute rule with very little slack. Most produced 10-minute shorts land within a page of that range on either side.
Can a 15-minute short run to 20 pages?
Not comfortably. Twenty pages reads closer to 18-20 minutes once produced, which pushes the film out of most "under 15" or "under 20" festival categories. Trim toward 14-16 pages if 15 minutes is the actual target.
Is there any room for slack in short film page count?
Very little, compared to features. A feature can run 10 pages over its genre's typical range without alarming a reader; a short running even 2-3 pages over its stated length changes which festival categories and screening blocks it qualifies for.
How do festivals measure short film length exactly?
Almost always by the actual runtime of the finished film, not the script's page count, since page count is only an estimate until the film is cut. Page count matters at the writing and budgeting stage precisely because it is the only runtime signal available before production.
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