The history of short films began in 1878 when Eadweard Muybridge took multiple photos of a galloping horse to study its motion, inadvertently creating one of the first moving images. Early short films in the 1900s were typically 15-20 minutes due to expensive film stock and technology limitations. During World War II, short films were used extensively for propaganda by various nations. The 1990s saw a resurgence of independent short filmmaking due to more affordable digital cameras. Today, short films are widely shared online, helping launch the careers of directors who later create feature films.

1. The History of Short Film
By Adam Kalabiska
A Level Media Studies

2. The Horse in Motion
At first there was nothing, during a time when still photography was the only form of art that
had the ability to capture life just the way it really was. But then, in 1878, Eadweard
Muybridge (an English-American photographer) was commissioned to take multiple photos of
a galloping horse, as a part of a scientific research attempting to find out whether or not do all
four feet of a horse lift off of the ground at one point simultaneously.
Shortly after, he discovered that when all
12 images were being projected in quick
succession, the illusion of movement
was created as a result. What had just
been discovered right there and then is
now considered to be the very first
moving image.
Roundhay Garden Scene (1888) is
believed to be the oldest surviving film in
existence.

3. Early 1900s
As a completely brand new form of art, film didn't have neither the length and complexity that we're
all familiar with today, where it falls right in place, adequately into the modern highly developed and
most importantly, technologically advance society. Due to limitations, which for example came in
the form of the expensive film stock, audiences who were at the time witnessing the early steps of
the ever evolving artistic form of expression known as cinema, could only see short films
(according to todays standard) with a runtime between 15 - 20 minutes.
The Lumiere Brothers sadly believed that film had no real future and soon abandoned any further
development on their revolutionary invention. Luckily there were does who saw the potential in film
and pursued a career surrounding it. One of which was the French director George Miller.
Originally starting of as a magician, he was absolutely starstruck when first exposed to the magic
of cinema and dedicated his entire life from that point onwards to the creation of films. He's
responsible for what is considered to be the very first sci-fi adventure film, A Trip to the Moon
(1902).
He made over 100 short films and during this journey, he created his very own studio. Arguably the
very first known of sound stage, which later became the prefered location for creating films and
simultaneously a prelude to the massive and elaborate studio system in modern day Hollywood.

4. A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune)
1902
Auguste and Louis Lumière

5. 1910s
Otherwise known as the golden age of short films, mainly due to it being such an ice
breaking period. The audience demand for longer films eventually persuaded the
filmmakers of the time to create feature films which would later gain more popularity.
Nevertheless, it was still a very influential time.
At the same time, a singular artistic
trend began to emerge. That being the
static nature of the camera. The lack of
camera movement usually meant that
the locked frame with a premade
composition simply served as a
backdrop on which the actors
performed actions. This shift to a more
silent performative artform, combined
with the static one shot camera
composition, lend itself perfectly to the
genre of comedy.
A Dog’s Life
1918

6. WW2
During the Second World War, short films were
primarily used as a form of propaganda in an
attempt to encourage men to take up arms and
go into battle. Additionally, in both Britain and
US, short films were made to criticise,
sometimes perhaps even poke fun at, but
mainly portray the Nazi regime as pure evil.
Whilst in German, short films were implemented
to further brainwash the population and spread
their ideology. These films, both feature and
short format, were usually made under the
direct supervision of Germany's Minister of
Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels.

7. The Renewal of Short Films
The 1990s brought along a new generation of young filmmakers, many of which
now had the access to the significantly more affordable, lightweight (more
practical), digital cameras and recording equipment, which had just been newly
introduced.
This resulted in the rise of independent
filmmaking and especially the increased
creation of short films, which due to their
shorter length, low to non-existent budget
and overall lower demand in contrast to
feature films, became the primary form of
early expression and portfolio focus by
young creative individuals and film
students.
Bottle Rocket
1994

8. Online Age
Today, we find ourselves in a world which has become more interconnected than ever before, yet
it is increasingly dependent on maintaining this connection through online/digital means.
Nowadays, most people’s preferred form of expression is on social media platforms, which due to
their ever expanding nature have become more accessible than ever. It is this exact accessibility
and freedom that has encouraged individuals to share their work online, with the potential of
finding a big audience much faster and easier than ever before. Though I believe it is important to
mention that as result, the work being presented can heavily vary in quality. Sadly, due to the lack
of visual literacy, cinematic vocabulary and general impatience among todays audiences, quality
is no longer the primary question and instead the focus has been put on how much time the
consumption of a single piece of media will take. A sad sight, but one we all live in.
Many now well-known and established directors began their careers with short films. Some of
which later turned into a feature film, such as in the case of Whiplash (2014) by director Damien
Chazelle. Following the success of his short film with the same name at the Sundance film festival
in 2013, he earned the opportunity to turn it into the feature film with a proper budget and
necessary equipment. David Lynch is also well known for his wide collection of bizarre short films
which he usually creates whilst in between projects.

9. What Did Jack Do?
2017
Daughter
2019
Whiplash
2013
Two Cars, One Night
2003