Sep
21
Shorts…Why Bother?
Amy

First off “Short” is a bit deceptive, as these films can be as long as 59 minutes; under an hour = short. I am speaking generally here, if you’re entering a festival or competition, make sure the entry is not longer than what is requested.

Now, why bother? In my humble opinion, the answer is the same whether you are a writer, actor, director or producer (etc.)

Exposure. That’s the short answer. ;)

Longer answer: Shorts are frequently taken to festivals in order to get funding to make a feature of that same concept or to attract attention to the people involved in the making of the project. Not always for both reasons, but always for the hope of future work and accolades.

Shorts are also used in mediums on the internet, in particular YouTube (click the link for a great example), to gain a following. So again we are talking about people seeing your work and spreading the word. One of the things I love about this type of film is how it allows you to hone your craft.

The danger is that you will not take it as seriously and thus produce garbage. This will gain you the fame for doing things no one wants to see. Treat shorts, even if you plan to never let anyone see them, as though you are making a “big budget” film and you’ll find that you are a better filmmaker, writer, actor etc. for your efforts.

What advice would you give to someone new to this concept?

Please share in the comments thread so that others may benefit from your experience. :D

As always, thanks for reading!

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  • brozogirl
    Amy,
    This sure helped me with my questions on shorts. The most important thing is to know things cannot be done alone. Teamwork is the key, because like they say "it takes a village". Thanks SAE SAE for the evaluation. Thanks Amy for taking the time to post it.

    XOXOXO
    Carrie
  • I am glad this was helpful to you! I hope it was helpful to others as well!

    Sae Sae is in fact...amazing. lol!

    Thanks for reading!
  • saesaenorris
    Many excellent points already mentioned here. Very good post, Amy! You definitely want to treat ANY project with as much TLC as you would if you had millions of dollars and A-List cast, because I've found that you attract that which you are. You'll build a rep in the community as a pro.

    Follow-up on all promises made. Ie., if you tell your caterer you'll send them a finished DVD of the short in exchange for free food, then do it. Put your helpers in the credits. Clean up after yourself -leave your locations in BETTER condition they were when you got there.

    My number one advice is this, though: Don't wear all the hats. Filmmaking -yes, real filmmaking, even 30-60 ads -is a team project. Writer/Director/Actor/Producer/Cameraman/Editor = amateur and control freak. Talented...probably. Able to do all those? Probably. Team player?...Doubt it.

    Get yourself a decent crew, even newbies have that magical energy that shows on a real set. Have assistants, grips, 1st and 2nd Ads (and actually know what it is they do). If you're producing the thing, stay the hell away from the crew when it comes time to shooting. Be that mysterious suit in the background the simply watches and let's the pros do their thing. Talk to the neighbors, press, cops, and kids that come to watch.

    That kind of organization will give you DECENT experience that will not only build your network and reputation, but most likely will give you a much better picture at the end of the day to sell/showcase.

    Teamwork=better quality. And helps you determine who's great to work with and who isn't. It allows you the choose the synergy of your project. And that synergy of all these people doing random things coming together to create this one picture...that's movie magic right there.

    Why shorts? It builds your moviemaking muscles, gets you a reputation, and most importantly, it builds your network. So that when you DO get the chance to shoot a feature, it's not a daunting monster you have to conquer -it's about time you and your team can do what you were born for.
  • Sae Sae,

    Can't thank you enough for that insight! It shows a very specific way in which Shorts can help fimmakers. Super appreciate you taking the time to read and weigh in!

    XoXo
    Amy
  • The short film industry almost exclusively creates content of 30 - 60 seconds, advertising a product or service.

    Don't merely take your short to a festival. Make your short so hot that the festival will come to you. Be remarkable.

    Shoot for the stars. You may not get one, but you'll come up with more than a handful of mud.

    (of course, words are the easy part ...)
  • Words are never the easy part ;-) (ha ha)

    Thanks so much Mike! I had someone ask me about shorts the other day and decided I would let everyone give her the answer rather than limit her to my knowledge. You gain so much more from talking with the film community than one person.

    Wonderful point to make! Thanks again!

  • Shorts are great for experience and exposure, for sure. One thing they will never be good for is making money, so nobody should expect that they're going to directly recoup anything they put in.
  • That's a great point to make. Thanks Brian, I was hoping you would share some wisdom on here :-)

    XoXo
    Amy
  • And regarding quality - find a way to become objective about your work. Like really, really objective.

    There's nothing wrong with doing crap if you learn something from it - just know you shouldn't necessarily show that to someone. lol
  • lol! Amen!

    My consultant always tells me to go back and look at what I have written as though I am my worst enemy. Critique how they would.

    Granted you can get carried away but it's an important point to make. Learning how to do better should be part of the process whatever the length.

    Keep sharing your wisdom as it comes to you Brian, your awesome.

    btw, GL with WSM?
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