Hop to it!
Condense a story into 30 seconds or less.
Re-enacted by Bunnies
Have you ever wondered how to distill the essence of a full-length movie or novel into just 30 seconds? Inspired by Jennifer Shiman's hilarious and genius 30-Second Bunnies Theatre, we’re going to explore adaptation, parody, and the art of condensing narratives. This post will guide you on how to trim complex stories down to their essentials while getting creative with the details. 30-Second Bunnies Theatre reimagines iconic films using bunnies to act out entire plots in about 30 seconds. Quick, absurd, and, most importantly, fun.
What the Bunnies do and say
The creators of 30-Second Bunnies Theatre often take creative liberties when re-enacting films. They tweak lines or scenes to fit the 30-second format or simply to add humor. The goal is always to capture the essence of the film, but they allow themselves some room to have fun with the details.
Find the re-enactment of your choosing here, I recommend Jaws (just because):
How to Start Condensing a Text
Story structure has been studied for quite some time. From Vladimir Propp to Joseph Campbell and many others, there are several useful narrative frameworks to explore. A simple 3-act structure is often a helpful starting point: Setup, Confrontation, and Resolution. One effective way to break down a story is by using the hero’s journey as your guide.
Bringing this into the classroom
Take a favorite film, novel, or historical event and tell its story in 30 seconds. The challenge is to condense a complex narrative into a punchy, engaging, and clear short film. Rely on genre codes, symbols, and the core essence of the story to make it work.
Filmmaking Challenge - A Text Condensed
This activity serves as a great opportunity to explore intertextuality, adaptation, and creative license. It encourages critical thinking about story structure and what makes a narrative unique while focusing on conveying ideas with humor and conciseness. Through this exercise, participants will dive into parody and discover how creative choices can refresh and reimagine familiar stories.
Choose a text: Select a film, novel, or key historical event that participants are familiar with or excited about.
Map the story: Use a narrative framework to outline the key parts of the story.
Script the adapted version: Condense the story into one page, which translates roughly to one minute of screen time.
Actors, locations, and props: Simplify for maximum effect.
Location scouting: Find places to film without interruptions.
Storyboard and shot list: Draw simple sketches to visualize each shot. Create a shot list detailing the angles, props, and movements.
Sound design: Use dialogue, soundscapes, and ambient noise to add depth to the short film.
Things to consider
What is essential?: What must stay in your adaptation for the audience to recognize the story? What can be omitted?
How to parody it?: Can you poke fun at the original, highlight tropes, or flip the script?
Formats to explore: These adaptations can be live-action or animated, simplicity is key.
This task challenges participants to focus on the essentials of storytelling. Condensing an entire plot into 30 seconds provides an opportunity to explore narrative economy, symbolism, and genre conventions. It’s also a playful way to experiment with creative license and see how changing the tone, medium, or details can impact a story.
Discussion and reflection points
How did condensing the story change the way you understood its core elements?
What did you choose to highlight, and why?
How did your creative choices (changes in lines, scenes, or characters) affect the tone or meaning of the original story?
If you were to adapt this again, what would you change?
And a special thank you to Jennifer Shiman, cartoonist, content developer, and creator of 30-Second Bunnies Theatre, for graciously endorsing this post. Her latest work, the graphic novel World’s End Detective Agency, can be followed on Instagram and supported via Patreon.
Happy reading!
Also - find the Bunnies archive here: