The term: 'short film' refers to any sort of motion picture that is not considered long enough to be a film or movie. Therefore this is a term that covers a huge variety of filmography. Short films are predominantly used to showcase talent or to put across some kind of snappy meaning or message that would be difficult to convey in a full length movie. Their purpose is to put across their point and leave the audience feeling a certain way whilst still keeping it short and simple. Being often small scale and budget short films do not usually gain as much traction or popularity as say, big budget hollywood films.
Often, short films are made by aspiring filmmakers or directors who are just starting out and do not have the budget or means to create a full length film. This is useful as short films are a good way to show off talent and style in an easier, more accessible way. Most famous directors have a catalogue of short films they created whilst trying to get their name out there. An example of this is Christopher Nolan's 'Doodlebug' which a 3 minute long psychological thriller that the now extremely successful director created while at university.
This also applies to the cast of short films. The cast are often aspiring actors looking for any kind of work. As it is so incredibly difficult to land a job in a full length feature film without much experience one of the best things for actors to do is take roles in short films and expand their portfolio. Moreover, as the directors are often unknown at the time of making their short film it would be difficult for them to grab the attention and hire an already famous actor.
Nowadays, most short films are exhibited and can be found on youtube and social media. With the click of a button filmmakers can now upload their work to an audience of millions of people making it easier than ever to grab attention and viewers. Short films are now rarely displayed in any other kind of format such as dvds, streaming services or television. This may be due to the fact that people are unwilling to pay to watch a short film or because of the director's lack of budget and popularity. Youtube is an obvious alternative as it is free to upload and watch as well as being quick and easily accessible. However, this was not always the case. Before the internet and streaming services short films were much more common. There was less technology meaning creating a full length film was a difficult task and people were desperate for any form of motion picture no matter how long it was. Short films could be found on vhs tapes and were often broadcast on television and treated with far more interest and excitement than they are now.
Many different types of people watch short films. As with movies there are so many different types and genres meaning there is something that appeals to everyone. Personally I think that short films are an amazing showcase of talent and completely unique styles of film. They put across strong messages and meanings and you can see the director's passion in every film whilst still being shorter and often easier to watch than full length movies. I believe the younger generation are more accepting of short films as due to social media and all forms of entertainment in our lives it is short and snappy leaving us with smaller attention spans. Short films are more digestible and less of a commitment which gives them a huge appeal.
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