Short Film – Why You Should Make (at least) One

If you’re taking your first steps into filmmaking, you have probably heard some advice suggesting that you start with a short film. In fact, not just one, but several.

So why is this considered such a good idea, when most people you know watch feature length films? None of your friends or family ever talk about watching short films (unless they’re filmmakers themselves). Surely you should just make what people want to see, right?

The desire to make a full length movie is strong. One motivating factor is that you want to be taken seriously as a filmmaker. Shorts by their nature seem less epic in all departments. Making a feature, however, really puts you on the map.

But, you know, if that feature stinks through your lack of experience, you might find yourself on the wrong map. So that brings me to the first (and probably most obvious) reason for making a short film…

1. Practice

I’ve made one feature length film (and a web series I cut into a feature length TV pilot). It took me 3 years to make that feature – which I also wrote myself, so I include the script development part (7 months writing and 4 drafts).

Before that I had been involved in several short film projects. First as a general helper, sound recordist/runner, sound designer. Helping friends on their shorts. A collaboration. And also writing and shooting my own 10-12 page scripts. Most of them on very small budgets.

And boy did I learn so much from those projects. Especially from the inevitable failures and disasters. That knowledge eventually gave me the confidence to go and shoot my feature, almost without a crew or budget.

But even when I was shooting my feature, I was winging it, to a certain extent. The nature of my zero budget production strategy meant I was effectively shooting a series of shorts, over the course of a year, which would edit together into a feature (hopefully). I certainly got better and better as the year went on, learning more and more.

To truly learn how to make a film, you need to experience the process from beginning to end. In my opinion, your biggest lesson as a director comes when you edit the film. So it’s a good idea to get to that part of the process as quickly as possible.

Making a short film (I’d recommend 5 minutes or less for your first) means everything is more manageable. The script doesn’t have to be a multi-layered masterpiece. Feature scripts can take years to develop and often never make it out of the development process.

Don’t get stuck behind this typical filmmaker’s block. Write a $5 short and get shooting. Then make another one…

2. Proof of concept

These days, persuading film financiers to risk millions of $ on your speculative feature project is harder than ever. In fact, it’s almost impossible to persuade someone to spend money on a project that doesn’t have some kind of inherent value attached (eg: a best selling novel, a famous actor).

When Damien Chazelle was trying to get Whiplash made, he had the feature length script ready. Everyone loved the screenplay but they weren’t sure about it as a financial venture. They saw it as a character study about a jazz drummer, while Chazelle saw it as a gripping thriller.

“Ultimately, it was those producers’ idea that we give financiers a taste of what Whiplash would actually look, sound, and feel like onscreen,” Chazelle recalled. “Their proposal was this: We’d choose a scene from the script, shoot it, cut it, and present it.”

Jacob T. Swinney has cut together the feature and the short, shot by shot, to show how close they are to each other.

Of course, this isn’t the only example. There have been many shorts films which went on to become features. Our friends at Raindance have listed a few here.

Really, the thought process is the same as reason number 1: before you invest in a huge scale project, get some knowledge under your belt. Making a feature is usually a major investment of time, even if you are shooting micro budget. So, why not test the waters first.

The short film below, Glory At Sea, won 9 awards at festivals including the SXSW Film Festival. This project went on to become Beasts of the Southern Wild, by the same director, a feature film which was nominated for four Academy Awards at the 85th Academy Awards, in the categories Best Picture, Best Director (Benh Zeitlin), Best Adapted Screenplay (Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin), and Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis). The feature went on to win 92 awards, in total.

3. Calling card

Another common tip – your shorts become your “calling card”. In other words, they are samples to show prospective producers or employers what you can do. When starting out, it helps to build a reel containing short snippets, or “highlights” of your work so far.

Not just directors, but also cinematographers, editors, actors, make up artists, VFX artists, special effects artists, set designers, costume designers… the list goes on. Basically, if your job involves creating something visual, then a reel of your work can help to impress or reassure employers or investors.

Something like this…

4. Just because…

…why not? Why does your story have to be presented in the long form, anyway? With online distribution in the form of video on demand now taking precedent over more traditional methods, there is a growing market for films in a variety of lengths. So, maybe just make a short because that is actually the perfect length for the story you want to tell.

We no longer have to consider the 90+ minute long film as the only commercial option. Or even the only option which will be taken seriously.

Just think – that 2 hour movie script you’ve been slaving over for years – trying to get it right, trying to get it funded – what if you told that story in 10 or 15 minutes? Now everything looks a lot simpler, a lot easier – you can just get going. And this isn’t a practice – this is the real deal.

5. Networking

This business is all about getting to know people. You are far more likely to work with someone if you already worked with them before (or you worked with their friend) and they enjoyed the experience. But if you’re only working on features, these projects are slow and few and far between.

But if you get involved in making shorts, you could be shooting one a month. And each time you get to meet a new set of people. You’re really going to get to know a lot of filmmakers, much quicker. You’ll get to know the people you like working with, too. And if the feeling is mutual, you can build powerful filmmaking relationships for the future.

6. Festivals

Getting your film shown at a festival can be tough going. There’s just so much content out there, increasing every year, as the means to make films becomes more and more accessible.

However, it’s so much easier for a festival to program a short. At MoMo we receive hundreds of submissions each year. But if we get a feature film sent to us, the cost and commitment to screen that film means we have to be far more strict. The chances of us screening a feature length film (or even a film over 10 minutes) is much lower.

This is the same for all festivals. With a short, 5 minute film, it doesn’t have to blow a festival programmer’s mind to get selected. If there’s something the programmer likes about the short, you have a good chance of it getting chosen. Another thing – if a festival programmer likes your short, next time they might be more inclined to show your feature.

So – in conclusion – we really encourage you to think seriously about making a short film. Even if you are a seasoned professional with decades of experience. These days, the short form is as valid as any other form.

I’ll leave you with Zack Snyder’s short film Snow Steam Iron, which he shot with an iPhone…

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