1) Short films originated in the late 19th century with one-shot actualities under 15 minutes depicting celebrities and scenes of daily life. 2) Technological advances in the early 1900s allowed for longer short films with multiple shots like George Melies’ 1902 film “A Trip to the Moon”. 3) During World War II, short films were used extensively for propaganda by the British and became popular viewing. 4) In the 1980s and 1990s, independent short film production rose as equipment became more affordable and music videos and platforms like YouTube created new venues for distribution.

1. A2 Level Media Studies
History of Short Film
Mima Micic

2. INTRODUCTION
Before modern technology, films were what these days would be
considered ‘short films’ due to their length, which was mostly up
to 15-20 minutes. However, in the late 20th century, films
became longer.
The very first short film was shown in 1894 in a peepshow-like
device for individual viewing called Thomas Edison’s
Kinetoscope. The one shot ‘actuality’ that got more popular over
time would usually depict celebrities, royalty, prized
possessions, as well as travel and scenes from everyday life.
Thomas Edison’s
Kinetoscope
‘The Arrival of a
Train at La Ciotat’
One of the best known films of this time is
Lumiere Brothers’ ‘The Arrival of a Train at La
Ciotat’ (1895), which supposedly would scare
the audience so much due to the locomotive
heading towards them.

3. EARLY 1900s
This was the era in
which major
technological
advancements
regarding filming and
editing were made,
which enabled films
to be longer and have
multiple shots.
A memorable short film from this era would be George Melies’ ‘A Trip to
the Moon’ (1902), which follows the story astronomers who encounter
acrobatic aliens on the Moon.
‘The Great Train Robbery’ (1903) would be considered the first western
film. It’s by Edwin S. Porter.
‘A Trip to the Moon’
(1902). The original
french title is ‘Le
Voyage dans la Lune’
‘The Great Train
Robbery’ (1903)

4. 1910s
The birth of feature films occured in this decade due
to competition between studios and high audience
demand. The producers could make multi reel, much
longer films, which made them a much more
respectable art form which enabled the audience to
compare films to plays and opera.
‘The Birth of a Nation’ is what is
considered to be the first feature
film. It was released in 1915 and
it’s by D. W. Griffith. The
American epic silent drama film
was very controversial due to it’s
dealing with the topic of Ku Klux
Klan and sparked many protests.

5. ‘Traffic in Souls’, an American silent drama
crime film released in 1913, made by
George Loane Tucker. It deals with white
slavery and prostitution in the United
States. It consists of six reels and lasts
almost two hours. At the time, this was a
very big accomplishment in the film
industry.

6. WWII
Due to the tension between
nations, films were a perfect
tool for spreading
propaganda and influencing
people into accepting certain
ideologies.
British short films became
very popular and Dr Richard
Farmer, who was an expert in
British wartime cinema,
suggests that the 1939-1945
period was ‘something of a
high water mark for the short
film in Britain’.

7. THE 50s & THE
60s
The prominent contrast between the
informative nature of many short films and
escapism of feature films was an important
factor in constructing the repertoire
throughout this era. By the end of 80s, short
films were not included in the cinema
programme anymore. However, short
cartoons would often be shown before PG
rated films begin and the short film industry
was minimized to children's programmes.
Famous cartoon
characters from 60s
short films include
Mickey Mouse and Betty
Boop

8. INFLUENCE IN VISUAL
ART
Even though they became less popular within mainstream cinematography, short films allowed
artists such as Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol to experiment and create culturally significant
pieces.
Scenes from Luis
Bunuel’s and Savlador
Dali’s surrealist short
film ‘Un Chien Andalou’

9. ‘Vinyl’ (1965) is an
experimental film by
Andy Warhol. It is an
early adaptation of ‘A
Clockwork Orange’, a
novel by Anthony
Burgess.

10. THE MTV ERA
In early 80s, due to the raise of demand for
music videos, they became the alternative for
short filmmakers to produce. It was a new
branch of short film industry, and their popularity
and length (3-5 minutes) made them very
desirable for short film producers to make.
However, producers had less freedom due to
music being the main focus and them only being
able to work around it.
‘Video killed the radio
star’ is considered to be
the first ever music video
shown on MTV

11. THE 90s
Technological rise that occured
in the nineties enabled many
independent companies to
produce their own short films.
The filming equipment was
much more affordable and
lighter than before. Due to the
now lowered demand for feature
films and low costs of making a
short film, independent short film
industry began rising.
‘Bottle Rocket’ a
13-minute short
film made by
Wes Anderson in
1992

12. SHORT FILMS IN THE
ONLINE AGE
Short films have become massively popular o the internet with the
rise of broadcasting platforms such as Youtube and Vimeo. Those
platforms help many independent companies and even individuals
upload their short films online due to their accessibility and lack of
requirement for professional equipment. The ‘bite-sizeness’ of short
films accommodate the internets needs for quick bursts of
entertainment perfectly.
‘Tuck me in’ (2014), a short film
that’s available on Youtube.