Why Make A Short Film?

Nothing wrong with shorts. I went straight into feature length stuff, but this year decided to do a short since I'm in pre-pro for the next set of features. The short turned out great and it got distribution before it was even finished being shot... play your cards write and shorts can be lucrative too.
 
A writer wrote and directed a short, she took it to the festival circuit, that
one short landed her a writing job on a tv show.

Your short can be a pilot for the tv show. You got an idea for a series,
film the pilot.

You want to show someone how clever you are in directing, editing, etc.,
film a short and get into the Oscars. Think BIG.

If you can't convince me in 10 minutes, you won't convince me in 90, and I'll
probably be out the door in 15.
 
Owen said:
The short turned out great and it got distribution before it was even finished being shot... play your cards write and shorts can be lucrative too.
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Dang, how'd ya manage that? Give me some tips... working on seeking a distributor for Smuggler's right now.
 
Sell the concept, the work as a whole... don't focus on the fact that the run time is low. If it's worth seeing, then run time should not factor into things so heavily... as in don't start a pitch session with lines like "well, it's a short... but!"
 
Charli said:
A writer wrote and directed a short, she took it to the festival circuit, that
one short landed her a writing job on a tv show.

Your short can be a pilot for the tv show. You got an idea for a series,
film the pilot.

You want to show someone how clever you are in directing, editing, etc.,
film a short and get into the Oscars. Think BIG.

If you can't convince me in 10 minutes, you won't convince me in 90, and I'll
probably be out the door in 15.
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Good points Charlie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SeTfcj3UKI&mode=related&search=

Here is a shining example of that ! :beer:
 
ROFLMFAO.

That clip is as funny as the movie.

Perfect example of why you make a short movie. Especially if you have a feature version /script ready.
 
Just to play devil's advocate.

There will always be this or that success story. People have sold sentences and loglines for millions of dollars.

And if you are a good business person, you can probably find a way to turn just about any venture into something somewhat lucrative.

However, if you step back and look at statistics, trends, technologies, the fact is it is becomming more difficult to sell and boost a career with a short via the limited distro options, festivals, and new technologies versus the possibilities you have with a feature.

I'm also just talking about a plain and simple moral boost here. I'm not suggesting we sell our souls and spend millions on features. What I am suggesting is that, rather than follow the trend of making more and more digital shorts to flood myspace and youtube with, we can be trendsetters. We can take our same amount of energy, our same amount of equipment, our same talent, and we can make something more than a short. Be it a movie, or even a TV show.

In fact my little team and I have decided to try something new. In two months time we are putting a TV show on the internet. We've come up with 12 30 minute action/comedy shows, and we are going to shoot them at a price point that will enable us to show them to the world for free, at least to start. This is not an ad for what I am doing, it's just a suggestion that we use everything new to try something NEW.

Anyway, I am jaded because where I go to school I see, maybe, 30 shorts a week here and there, and I have to tell you, maybe 1 in a 100 is worth watching, and even then, you ask yourself why you are watching that short instead of watching House or Heroes (hewl yea!) :)

Peace

zoo
 
zoostory said:
In fact my little team and I have decided to try something new. In two months time we are putting a TV show on the internet. We've come up with 12 30 minute action/comedy shows, and we are going to shoot them at a price point that will enable us to show them to the world for free, at least to start. This is not an ad for what I am doing, it's just a suggestion that we use everything new to try something NEW.
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Yeah, I'm doing something like this too. A LOT of people are. This is one new way I think shorts can reach new audiences, esp if they are done as a series. I love the idea of bypassing distribution channels and just reaching out to audiences directly.

I've been doing this for about a year though, and one thing I've learned is that for these shows on the web, production values almost mean nothing. I've seen numerous shows with ENORMOUS audiences(like hudreds of thousands of viewers), which are obviously garbage production-wise. It really does not seem to matter. My show has a modicum of prod values to it (more in the most recent episode), but I'm beginning to think it's a mistake to put too much effort into them. For some reason, it just seems that people are used to and willing to accept crappy video on the web. Maybe they're used to it. Dunno.

Anyway, take it for what it's worth. It might be worth your while to research that market some before jumping in, see what's working, what's not, etc.

Good Luck.
 
desperatecomfort said:
Yeah, I'm doing something like this too. A LOT of people are. This is one new way I think shorts can reach new audiences, esp if they are done as a series. I love the idea of bypassing distribution channels and just reaching out to audiences directly.

I've been doing this for about a year though, and one thing I've learned is that for these shows on the web, production values almost mean nothing. I've seen numerous shows with ENORMOUS audiences(like hudreds of thousands of viewers), which are obviously garbage production-wise. It really does not seem to matter. My show has a modicum of prod values to it (more in the most recent episode), but I'm beginning to think it's a mistake to put too much effort into them. For some reason, it just seems that people are used to and willing to accept crappy video on the web. Maybe they're used to it. Dunno.

Anyway, take it for what it's worth. It might be worth your while to research that market some before jumping in, see what's working, what's not, etc.

Good Luck.
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A lot of people are doing web/net series distribution and a lot of people aren't really attracting crowds. It's still a young mode of distribution. I mean, we're just now seeing higher quality You-Tube uploads. Before, i couldn't sit and watch a You-Tube video... it was seriously disgusting.

Outlets like MySpace and You-Tube and Google Video are a good way to get seen. But you're really only taking out the middle man, who could be the experienced exec that wants to tell you how and why your short/feature/series doesn't succeed and maybe how you could strengthen the presentation; the random You-Tube and web people are less likely to offer you that kind of valuable feedback.
 
Kholi said:
A lot of people are doing web/net series distribution and a lot of people aren't really attracting crowds. It's still a young mode of distribution. I mean, we're just now seeing higher quality You-Tube uploads. Before, i couldn't sit and watch a You-Tube video... it was seriously disgusting.

Outlets like MySpace and You-Tube and Google Video are a good way to get seen. But you're really only taking out the middle man, who could be the experienced exec that wants to tell you how and why your short/feature/series doesn't succeed and maybe how you could strengthen the presentation; the random You-Tube and web people are less likely to offer you that kind of valuable feedback.
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I never said anything about You-Tube or MySpace.

I'm just trying to give the guy some advice based on what I've learned and ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED from PRODUCING A WEB SERIES and interacting with others who've done the same. I'm sure your personal distaste for You-Tube is equally as valid though.

As for the "experienced exec giving advice," what, you think they don't go on the internet too? Again, from my ACTUAL EXPERIENCE, I get all manner of people watching and commenting from execs i know at studios to academics I know if film depts. to people on sites like this, to my girlfriend, and on to the random dude in America somewhere. I don't think there's any problem getting sound feedback.

Besides, I think it's a flawed assumption that film industry execs can tell you why something does or does not succeed. Esp. on the Internet. That's my point all along. I've seen shows that have HUGE audiences, and are clearly junk that no studio or tv station would have touched with a ten foot pole. junk camera work, bad sound, bad writing, acting, all the rest. That's the point I was trying to make to the guy in the first place.

Peace.
 
desperatecomfort said:
I never said anything about You-Tube or MySpace.

I'm just trying to give the guy some advice based on what I've learned and ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED from PRODUCING A WEB SERIES and interacting with others who've done the same. I'm sure your personal distaste for You-Tube is equally as valid though.

As for the "experienced exec giving advice," what, you think they don't go on the internet too? Again, from my ACTUAL EXPERIENCE, I get all manner of people watching and commenting from execs i know at studios to academics I know if film depts. to people on sites like this, to my girlfriend, and on to the random dude in America somewhere. I don't think there's any problem getting sound feedback.

Besides, I think it's a flawed assumption that film industry execs can tell you why something does or does not succeed. Esp. on the Internet. That's my point all along. I've seen shows that have HUGE audiences, and are clearly junk that no studio or tv station would have touched with a ten foot pole. junk camera work, bad sound, bad writing, acting, all the rest. That's the point I was trying to make to the guy in the first place.

Peace.
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I think you took that personally, there. Which it wasn't... it was a general statement and not factual. I was projecting on the mode of distribution being premature, still. I currently help manage a live TV show on the internet and it doesn't do as well as our actual Television show on DirectTV.

I get what you're saying from experience, as well.
 
Hey guys, thanks for the advice... no need to get heated! I'm aware of a lot of the demos for the internet. Even though it's still very much a statistical question mark in terms of the film and video industry.

While I agree with comment on the production values, for instance, a lot of the shows on channel101.com, that is just not me. I'm not looking to spend oodles of money. Quite the opposite in fact. But it is exactly because all I see are really low production values that I am going to try and edge in with something a little higher quality. It may work, it may not. The internet isn't my final intended audience either. We have a business plan, but the internet is always an interesting place to play around with. All it takes is good organization and talent, not more money, necessarily.

Anyway, we'll see!
 
Kholi said:
I get what you're saying from experience, as well.
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Sorry man.

But I think another point is that the success rates for the industry as a whole are VERY low, when you look at how many people want to do it and how many succeed. I don't think Internet rates are working out all that different.
 
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zoostory said:
Hey guys, thanks for the advice... no need to get heated! I'm aware of a lot of the demos for the internet. Even though it's still very much a statistical question mark in terms of the film and video industry.

While I agree with comment on the production values, for instance, a lot of the shows on channel101.com, that is just not me. I'm not looking to spend oodles of money. Quite the opposite in fact. But it is exactly because all I see are really low production values that I am going to try and edge in with something a little higher quality. It may work, it may not. The internet isn't my final intended audience either. We have a business plan, but the internet is always an interesting place to play around with. All it takes is good organization and talent, not more money, necessarily.

Anyway, we'll see!
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Well, also I think you should keep your content within what you can do well on a low budget.

Look at these dudes.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=BaratsAndBereta

What they do is pretty lame in my opinion. I don't think it's any better than what me and my friends do while drunk and goofing off. But it's stuff where the prod values simply don't matter to the content. And it paid off for them. Bastards :)

http://www.thedailyreel.com/news-opinion/news/nbc-does-it-again

I guess I should be looking at You-Tube...

M
 
Just because American's don't consider shorts to be worth watching, or rather, worth paying money to watch, doesn't mean the rest of the planet thinks along those lines.

You can get your work seen and can make some money off it. Artsy TV stations looking for some filler content, short film channels.. etc... distribution abroad is also an option.

you won't make millions, but you can make a decent sum of money back if you know where to go.
 
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