THE SHORT FILM INDUSTRY

The short film industry is almost completely an online industry, apart from film festivals. Short films are often used as a gateway by amateur filmmakers to try to become well known and recognised for their talent. Short films offer this since they can be produced on such a small budget, in a short space of time, and with few people needed.

Short films are mostly distributed online on sites such as YouTube and Vimeo where distribution is free and films can be widely viewed. More serious amateur filmmakers submit their short films to film festivals ranging from Cannes Film Festival to just short film festivals such as the London Short Film Festival. Through festivals filmmakers hope to be scouted for their talent. Online distribution is often used by students who are constantly making multiple short films that are very rough, however students who are serious about working their way into the film industry try to get many view and lots of subscribers to their channel, so they can become more and more well known.

The narrative of short films is very different to that of a feature film. For example due to the limited screen time short films are pushed to tell as much of the story in other ways than dialogue. In terms of style and content, short films are also much more seen as an art form than feature length films. A short film can be of any style whatsoever, ranging from documentary to animation to advertising.

Short films are often shown in cinemas right before the showing of a feature film, and this is due to them being a perfect way of filling time in a 2 hour time slot per film. Because of this many people who view short films are not there for the purpose of seeing that short film, but there to see another film altogether. Only since 1932 has there been award categories only for short films.

There are companies that market and produce short films such as Future Shorts or Atom Films, however it is rare that a short film is made for the purpose of making money, and this is simply because it is very difficult to do just that. There isn't a large enough market for short films that they can be widely distributed to an audience who is willing to pay to see them.

tb