How Short Is Too Short?

[Doreen]

Is there any rule of thumb when considering the length of a story in comparison to how much eventual film time is established? I realize a great many factors are in play; not the least of which is vision, perhaps even a collaborative skirmish..:)..but any vagueish thing, for example;
..."don't even consider under 3500 words"..."
...does a minimum of dialogue matter...?
Perhaps this is a foolish question, and the answer is a filmaker can turn a single page into an hour and reduce War and Peace to fit Super Bowl Sunday half-time...
SO! I admit absolute ignorance (and any tiny idea or input will be interesting and helpful).

[Bill Hamell]

Rule of thumb is a page a minute, as you mentioned this can vary widely

Bill

[Doreen]

So...an example of a simple difference is extended dialogue between two people perhaps takes more time than descriptions of settings, background stuff. I wanted a concept...that was helpful. Thanks!

[Bill Hamell]

Exactly, another way to judge is just to read the dialog out loud, time it and you will get an idea of how long it will be.