how to tell a story in a few minutes

So one of the main difficulties of creating a short film is being able to put across an entire storyline in 5 minutes or less. This is clearly going to be tough as it means that things like mise en scene are going to be crucial as I'm going to have to focus a lot on putting the story across without dialogue but with actions and settings. The hardest part will be to create a character that can relate to the audience as if there is no empathy towards the character then the viewer will not really feel anything towards the piece and like the short film. Short Films use the same structure and story telling techniques as longer films, the difference is that turning points (the direction of the film takes a sudden turn) and elements such as rising and falling action are quicker. You also have to be certain your idea is worth doing, as you only have a certain amount of limited time to draw people into it, so it needs to be spot on, and worth sharing with other people. Dialogue is also a major factor in short films, as this can take up a considerable amount of time, so being selective with shots and speech parts is important if you don't want your film to drag on. I will need to take all this in to consideration when creating my short film and try to make it as exciting and engaging as possible.