Post 9: Short Film Research

Why make a short film?

All films were short to begin with in 1894 and was presented through Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope which projected the films usually through one shot or focused primarily on films of intrest such as celebrities or the royals. An example of a well known successful film during this time is the Lumiere brothers' 'Arrival of a train at La Ciotat' in 1895.  The film managed to depict an audience through the terror it caused.

Through the research conducted into the emergence of short films and how they became increasingly popular, I have discovered that in the majority of cases, the creators of short films have been unknown, 'basement' workers who have created an idea and have impressed well established producers, a particular example of this is Tim Burton; an apprentice animator at Disney who produced 'Frankenweenie', after being labled too scary for Disney's young audience, Mark Canton, an executive at Warner Bros, saw the opening minute and immediately realised that Burton was to become the new director for his next film. Since 1985, Burton has become a successful director and is presently working on a full length version of 'Frankenweenie'. 

Short films have a certain degree of appeal from an audience due to some feeling attracted to something new, a new angle of film that has not been seen before from the current writers, producers and directors within the film industry.  With young, fresh talent emerging with controversial and current tastes used within the genre, people are encouraged to see these new, short films.  With regards to Burton's case, the public also like to see a star rise from a unknown apprentice to a successful director.  It is also enjoyable for many to see an idea transform into a short film then emerge into a full length film.  I know that I personally would like to explore the roots of films, and be able to watch the initial short film to achieve a greater understanding of what the writer was aiming to produce in the narrative.  It also seems that short films are used as a stepping stone in creating a global success.  Short film makers create films to gain the intrest from global exectives to gain the support into creating a full length production, just like Burton achieved.

Chris Marker, creator of 'La Jetee', emerges from time to time with a new film.  Serving as a cinematic enigma, Marker is not within the public eye as he does not allow himself to be interviewed nor photographed.  With uncertainess serounding the producer of films  concerning where he was born and personal facts, an audience is instantly attraced to the films he produces due to this enigma.  The audience was to depict clues to the character of the producer through his productions.  An audience wants to know the background of a film maker in order to construct understanding of what they was attempting to achieve through the narrative, representation and consequently, the preferred reading.  Marker creates an audience through suspetion.

Researching into short films has enabled me to gain a greater understanding as to what makes a short film successful.  It has come to my attention that audiences want to see something new and different from the mainstream productions, also they like to see short films mirroring or basing ideas upon current or recent affairs such as public distasters such as the Cuban Missile Crisis.  An audience also like to see something great emerged from something so little with a small budget and fresh ideas and concepts, like Matt Stone and Trey Parker did with 'Jesus vs Frosty', whereby they created a short film with construction paper, glue and an 8mm film camera.  An audience may feel attracted to films made with such little supplies and funding as it brings something new, a sense of realism surrounding the film and a sense of hope and achievement in life as money appears in the creation of these films to not be the root of success.

Who is the target audience for a short film?

Following a class discussion, it has become apparent that short films are primarly targeted at students aged between 16-25, creating a very niche market to cater for. Short films tend to break away from cliche storylines and tackle more moving, controversial issues such as those displayed within 'Jade' or try out original concepts that have not been seen before; a particular example of this is THE BLOWUP BOY.

With short films primarily targetting a niche audience of those who typically do not go to see the average film out at the cinema, short film goers are mainly those who are into viewing genre as a piece of art rather than a sequence of entertainment. They are intrigued into what the piece is attempting to convey and to unpick what each elements mean rather than comical entertainment, which viewers of Hollywood produced films may be more focused on.

How are short films distributed?

London short film festival is currently in its nineth year and is regarded highly as the premiere UK showcase for independant films. Described as,
“The Best Short Film Festival in the World” (Guardian Guide), The London Short Film Festival has:

• Over 5,000 tickets sold
• 60+ events across 10 days and 22 venues
• 75% of events sold to capacity
• Over 220 films screened

Awards include, 'The LoCo Award for Best Comedy Short', 'The Little White Lies Award for Best Lo-Budget Short' and 'The Animate Projects Award for Best Experimental Short' to name a few.

Edinburgh International Film Festival is renowned for discovering and promoting global cinema. Films premiered in recent years include, 'Fish Tank', 'Little Miss Sunshine' and 'Billy Elliot'.

Another festival is Encounters Bristol International Film Festival which stands as the UK's longest running animation and short film festival.  Serving as a meetinf point for young emerging talent, Encounters seeks to reinforce the importance of short films and the need to develop the next generation of film makers and animators.

LA Shorts Fest withholds winners from their 2011 festival such as, 'The Escape' winner of Best Drama, 'Raju' for Best Foreign FIlm and 'Light' for Best Experimental.

There are a large collection of festivals which serve to celebrate the success of short films and who highlight their importance to generate the next generation of film.

Throughout the study into short films, it has become apparrent that dramas are particuarly popular among the makers of films. This could be due to the lack of financial backing that comes with a large poportion of short films, which makes it increasingly hard for film makers to create complex genres such as sci-fi and thrillers. However this is not the case in all short films. Dramas could also be popular due to the storylines being heavily social realisist which feature some controversial issues like those featured in Jade (UK Film Council). Many short film makers attempt to create their productions as relatable to the audience and reflect real life situations rather than the 'perfect' lifestyle which some audiences aspire towards within Hollywood movies.


Hollywood Production                                  UK Film Council.