This document summarizes several articles about short films. It discusses reasons for making short films such as student projects or experimenting with new techniques. Short films allow filmmakers to gain experience and build skills. Key changes in the past decade include digital filmmaking reducing costs and the internet providing new distribution opportunities. Short films have strengths like low budgets but weaknesses like rarely being shown in commercial cinemas. Successful shorts focus intensely on visual and auditory elements and can spread virally. Audiences for shorts tend to be internet and technology users. The situation of short films in the UK has improved with new technologies making production and funding easier.

1. Katie Ranns
PART 1 -
CONTEXT

2. WHY DO PEOPLE MAKE SHORT
FILMS?
Some of the reasons as to why people go to the trouble of making a short film is largely
due to the fact that they were attending university and therefore this creation could
have been part of a project. Other reasons involve the experimentation of new
materials and tapping into the new possibilities of 21st
century filming.
On the other hand, artistic film makers see short films as their own art form and a way
of expressing their own artistic freedom. This applies to passionate participants of the
film industry who live and breathe film.
Shorts can help identify talented new film makers as well as help those new to the
industry gain experience and develop on a variety of skills, not only in film technicality
but also in time-management, budgeting and business decisions which can build upon
an industry profile. Also, shorts are not as long lasting as feature lengths, given that the
human attention span is decreasing and an increase in thirst for entertainment and
information, shorts have more of a chance to go viral and gain a much wider audience
which can not only add to your industry profile but is a much more effective way of
exhibiting your ideas to the world.

3. WHAT KEY CHANGES HAVE
THERE BEEN IN THE PAST
DECADE FOR THE SHORT
FORMAT?
The most important key change to note is the digitalisation of the film industry. A
rapid increase in technology has changed the traditional methods of film
production, exhibition, marketing, distribution etc. This has decreased the cost of
a production, making shorts, or even films, potentially free to make. With easy
access to production material, the barriers to becoming a film maker have been
eliminated.
Likewise, the internet has helped create boundless opportunities for film maker
and audience alike: it is extremely effective for exhibition and marketing, making
it easier for the audience to receive and discover the productions.
Furthermore, short film has also been reignited in the form of dramatised music
videos: many artists and musicians have indulged in the short format to display
their musical style in elongated videos, portraying stories within their songs.

4. THE STRENGTHS AND ADVANTAGES OF
THE SHORT FORMAT
A huge advantage of shorts is that you are able to produce them for almost
no-budget whilst still displaying your artistic ideas to your audience. Shorts
are also great because people tend to want quick fixes of entertainment
rather than sit through a 90 minute or so feature as they can be very time
consuming for todays demanding generation.
Shorts are easier to craft than a feature so you can gain a lot of practice
and experience in preparation for future productions.
As shorts are regarded as less than feature lengths by the big film industry
moguls, if you’re able to create your short for less than the estimated
budget, these moguls are likely to grant you better budgets for possible
feature lengths as you have displayed skills with money.
A strength of the short format is its power to condense so many ideas,
philosophies and artistic expression from its creators into such a small
amount of time – it can be inspiring.

5. THE WEAKNESSES AND LIMITATIONS OF
THE SHORT FORMAT
A large weakness of the short format is that short films are usually absent
from commercial cinema due to the popularity of longer lasting films.
However, some shorts feature in commercial cinemas only because they fit
between a certain time duration (e.g. 2-5 minutes), otherwise they would
not be able to be played before the film being screened.
Another point is that shorts are frequently dark and involved in its own
serious nature for audiences to enjoy and become a fan of the short
format.
Moreover, shorts require the condensing of character, setting and story into
a very small time frame in comparison to feature lengths, so is considered
much more difficult to be successful.

6. WHAT INGREDIENTS MAKE A REALLY
SUCCESSFUL SHORT FILM?
Successful shorts are said to be those bursting with visual and
auditory pleasure which have been victim to intense focus by the
film maker.
Other great qualities to consider are having a crisp yet sweet edge,
to be fresh and off beat with the ability to genuinely surprise.
Shorts don’t have to be gritty, dark and realistic to be taken
seriously, they can be sharp and comical.

7. WHO ARE THE AUDIENCES AND HOW DO
THEY CONSUME THE SHORT FORMAT?
The short format is likely to be consumed by internet and technology users
due to its compatibility and easy access via computer operators. Not only
this, but shorts are often known or discovered because of social media
and the fact that it has become a viral phenomenon, increasing the
likelihood of its audience or consumer being familiar with technology.

8. THE SITUATION OF SHORT FILM IN
THE UK, ACCORDING TO VARIOUS ARTICLES
It is believed that short films have not always had enough support by the
film industry but with the new technology has made production and
gathering funding much easier so the support for shorts has risen.
Shorts are seen as the key to having a successful career as they allow a
wide array of skills to develop, ready for future, possibly larger, projects.
It is thought that shorts are unlikely to make a comeback into
commercial cinema but due to their increasing popularity for a variety of
reasons, including an information-starved generation, this soar in
popularity is what’s going to keep shorts afloat for a long time. What's
more is that the short format is reported to be reaching a wide an
audience as it ever has.
With this in mind, there is also the concern that today’s film makers and
students are in need of practice and experimentation.

9. Katie Ranns
ARTICLE
NOTES:

10. HTTP://OLD.BFI.ORG.UK/SIGHTANDSOUND/FEATURE/237
 Publish Date: May 2004
 Artistic film-makers see short films as its own art form. However, they can be seen by the film industry and the
media as used for personal advertisement for potential stand-out talent film-makers or directors etc.
 There were very limited opportunities in the 90’s to be able to get healthy funding for shorts. The emergence
of DV has helped secure better funding, thus allowing more shorts to be made even though digital has been
seen as a restrictive format. On the other hand, it has also been seen as liberating.
 An advantage of making shorts would be the availability of low priced equipment, including cameras and
editing software, which has made shooting a no-budget short possible with the only funding needed be for
marketing, exhibition or distribution. As for this, DVD and web-streaming have also become more accessible,
prolonging the lifespan of shorts. There has been the introduction of exhibiting shorts alongside feature films
as a form of cinematic exhibition. You are able to express your artistic ideas through a much cheaper, smaller
time frame.
 There are problems with co-exhibiting shorts alongside feature films as the length of the short is limited to
under 10 minutes if it is a 90 minute feature. This has been criticized as restricting the artistic vision of would-
be film makers, with short shorts being merely little more than a quirky idea.
 It is said that successful shorts are those that require intense focus, bursting with visual and auditory pleasure.
 At the time of this article, the writer has the perspective that short films do not have enough support by the
film industry. However, due to technical breakthroughs shorts are going to become much easier to produce
and gather funding for and so there will be more support.

11. HTTP://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/FILMNETWORK/FILMMAKING/G
UIDE/INTRODUCTION/WHY-MAKE-A-SHORT
 This website proposes many reasons as to why anybody would go to the trouble of making a
short film. The list goes as following: experience, a show reel, partnerships, to elevate your own
industry profile or to test out your own ideas on a smaller scale.
 There has been an increase in the possible ways you can exhibit and show your short films,
including the internet, television and cinema. They have become much more accessible in the
previous years. The digitization of practically everything has decreased prices of equipment
substantially and therefore shorts can be created for almost no budget.
 The strengths with shorts is that they are extremely cheap and can be used as preparation for
features you’re thinking of creating. They can also be shown to family and friends without loss of
interest when expressing your potential ideas and messages for the feature you have in mind.
Also, there are many people willing to work at a low rate just because they like your idea.

12. HTTP://WWW.RAINDANCE.ORG/SITE/I
NDEX.PHP?
ID=479%2C9358%2C0%2C0%2C1%2C
0
 Publish Date: 2003, by Ross Baron
 This entire article is based a few principles as to why any such person would create a short:
1. Artistic freedom is a major factor, being that there is not a specific time frame of 60-90 minutes that makes a
feature, but shorts allow you to set free ones artistic nature and passion.
2. This artistic freedom relates to the sites 2nd
point; shorts allow people to practice riskier, more original ideas
and create more innovative shorts than if there were limitations placed upon them, such as that of feature
films. It is this freedom that maintains an artistic practice which gradually hone the skills needed to make
larger projects of the same artistic freedom.
3. Due to a shorter length of production, your time isn’t as consumed as it would be if producing a feature
length. In the post-production of a short, you are able to spend your time far more efficiently pouring over
every individual frame intensely over and over again until you feel it’s right, thus also increasing your post-
production abilities.
4. Based on Elliot Groves belief that because the film industry is obsessed with money, if you’re able to
formulate a realistic budget for your short and then make it for less than that, the industry will deem you
talented and therefore grant you many more opportunities. Shorts allow you to refine your budgeting skills.
5. Another reason given is the fact that a short film can go viral: feature lengths are too long and online users
are more likely to watch something quick and easy yet simultaneously entertaining or inspiring. The short
can be submitted to the same festivals and just as easily posted on any social media network. The marketing
for a short is practically limitless and can provide the breakthroughs essential to your career.

13. 6. Being that human attention spans appear to be decreasing, the market for short films are on the rise. The
opportunities shorts give people in this digital age is endless, but mostly allows people to view a much
wider variety of original, innovative artwork and entertainment from all over the world anywhere in the
world. Shorts are a chance to exchange culture, ideas and messages in exciting new ways.
 It points out several times that technology has been the greatest change to the film industry and that
digitalisation has been a great benefit for any budding film makers. The untapped market of the world
wide web and the potentiality of going viral has helped the short format massively.
 Advantages of shorts would be that it is the perfect way to practice and develop your skills as a film-
maker or artist. Shorts provide a doorway to the film or art industry – it may be a small door but it’s a
doorway after all. They can help you decide if the career is for you and if you’d like to continue on the
path you’ve chosen. Also, it’s been said that human attention spans are decreasing and so that means
shorts are likely to become a popular marketplace, giving them the upper hand to features of all sorts.
 What’s bad about the short format is that they’re not usually exhibited in your local cinema.
 It has been highlighted that for a short to be successful it must be crisp and sweet, but most notably, how
to fabricate methods that is likely to make the short go viral.
 The article pinpoints that the most likely audience of a short would be internet users since online
marketing is extremely popular.
 The writer believes short film is crucial to a successful career in the film, and possibly, the art industry.
HTTP://WWW.RAINDANCE.ORG/SITE/INDEX.PHP?
ID=479%2C9358%2C0%2C0%2C1%2C0

14. HTTP://WWW.TELEGRAPH.CO.UK/CULTURE/FILM/FILM-
LIFE/7593291/THE-LONG-HISTORY-OF-SHORT-FILMS.HTML
 Publish Date: 18th
April 2010
 This article has underlined that shorts were once used as a form of propaganda during the World Wars but
more importantly is that everything began as shorts that had audiences gasping at it’s technological
breakthroughs.
 It is said that the 90s was a landmark decade for the introduction of digital as an extremely affordable way of
production. Nowadays, short film culture is very much alive within the music industry, cloaked in the form of
music videos. The new approaches of producing, marketing and exhibiting shorts have become easier and
cheaper, making them much more popular than what they once were.
 A strength of the short film format would be that they are incredibly adaptable due to its length and
production time: short film isn’t strictly for the film industry, but can be used in advertisement and music.
 A limit would be that shorts are no longer shown in commercial cinemas. However, there are still occasional
cute Pixar shorts before a children's movie.
 The writer is convinced that although shorts are unlikely to return to commercial cinema, their current
popularity is expected to keep shorts a-float for a long time.

15. HTTP://WWW.TELEGRAPH.CO.UK/CULTURE/FILM/FILM-
LIFE/7593767/SHORT-FILMS-THAT-LAUNCHED-BIG-NAMES.HTML
 Publish Date: 19th
April 2010
 Some shorts were made by students attending university so its possible that the shorts were created as part of
an assignment. Others were fashioned because they needed artistic release, such as that of Tim Burton with
Frankenweenie. Additional reasons for crafting shorts were that they were sometimes used to show what a
company was capable of and how far their technology could go. This is evident in ‘Sky Captain and the World
of Tomorrow’, where Conran largely done it as a form of experimentation of animation and live photography.
A bonus reason for creating shorts is that they have an intense passion, where they “live and breathe film”.
 A major strength of the short format is that they are (surprise-surprise) short, whereby you can squeeze one in
before a feature; if the feature is a flop, at least the audience may have enjoyed the short. Likewise, the
popularity and critique of the short may also lead film-makers to extend it into a full length feature (e.g.
Machete) and therefore help if you’re unsure on your next project. Furthermore, given the right
circumstances, a simple short you decided to make in your spare time could be discovered by vital personnel in
the industry, and what was once a bit of fun became a successful career.
 The article features the point that for a short to be successful it must include some kind of unique flare – like
that of Burton’s ‘Frankenweenie’ or Stone and Parkers construction paper short. But there is also the fact that
cutting-edge experimentation can also grant a successful short (e.g. Conran, ‘Sky Captain of the World of
Tomorrow).

16. HTTP://WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM/FILM/FILMBLOG/2011/JAN/14/BEST-
SHORT-FILMS-LONDON-FESTIVAL
 Publish Date: Friday 14th
January, 2011
 The entire article comments on the shorts shown at a London Film Festival. The writer
highlights that a weakness of the short format is many tend to be too dark for in-depth
enjoyment and that there are not enough sweet and funny shorts to keep audiences happy or
more interested in the short film culture.
 The writer believes that for a short to be successful, at least in his eyes, it can be fresh and
offbeat, but the best components for a short to be sharp, comical or genuinely surprising.
 The overall assumption of the writer that he is convinced that the short format doesn’t have
to be dark, gritting and depressive to be taken serious or successfully. There is need for
lighthearted humourous shorts in the industry.

17. HTTP://WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK/ARTS-
ENTERTAINMENT/FILMS/NEWS/BRITAIN-ENTERS-A-GOLDEN-ERA-OF-
THE-SHORT-FILM-7179535.HTML
 Publish Date: Sunday 19 February 2012
 The increase of interest in the film industry for shorts are said to be down to the advances in
technology and growth of the internet. But what’s more notable is that short film is able to
succinctly deliver ideas in an increasingly time-constrained, information-starved generation.
 The most important key differences to note are most definitely the advances in technology,
especially the upsurge in internet usage.
 A strength of the short format include its power to condense the concepts and notions of a
film-maker/producer into short burst of information that feed the jaded yet entertainment-
hungry generation of today.
 The article reports that British shorts are reaching as wide an audience as it ever has before.

18. HTTP://WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM/FILM/FILMBLOG/2013/APR/08/SHO
RT-FILM-MAKERS-LONG-STORY
 Publish Date: Monday 8 April 2013
 What has changed in the past decade is the entry barriers to film-making, they’ve disappeared.
Anybody who has any sort of recording device and access to the internet is able to upload a
film/short film to any possible media outlets, immediately forming themselves an audience –
“No talent need go unrealised”.
 The article points out that the short format used to lack an audience because of the
“conformity explanation” that the accessibility to shorts were limited. However, in the modern
age where there are enormous advances in affordable, transportable technology that allows
you to explore anything anywhere, why do shorts still lack an audience? Its possible that the
writer believes this is down to the fact that condensing setting and character into a eloquent
tale is much harder than writing a simple novel.
 The writer bitterly concludes that film-makers and students alike are in need of practice and
experimentation.