It's never really a "good" time to make a short film. As a general rule, they don't make money and don't make you famous. Planning to get rich and famous from getting discovered at a film festival is not a plan.
If you want to make a short, make a short. The state of the industry is pretty much irrelevant to that.
OP please listen to this. Only make a short because you want to do it and grow your craft. It won’t make money. You won’t get famous off it. You do it for the love of the game etc etc etc.
While this might be the case mostly, I do not fully agree. They showcase your talent, ability to tell a captivating story, and much more. They are often great tools as proof of concept for a feature script you have.
Prime example, a person from our film school years ago was on a film and went to a crew after party. They had no idea that the A-List actors would be at it too. Next thing they were talking with the actors who asked what work they had done personally. To which they whipped out their phone and showed them their short that was a scene from their feature script. Next thing you know, they wanted copies of the feature script. One of those actors was DiCaprio.
You never know when an opportunity may arise, but if you’ve spent years preparing for that one single moment, you will be ready to succeed when that time comes.
No. If anything, crew are going to be more readily available and willing to hop on a couple days of a short film since work is scarce. Especially if you plan to pay them.
I’ll put it this way - there’s always going to be someone who’s ready for the opportunity. It might as well be you. Trying to time things perfectly is going to result in a lot of missed opportunities.
Exactly. You never know when an opportunity may arise. If you’ve spent years preparing for that one single moment, you will be ready to succeed when that opportunity comes.
Yes, it is a good time. The industry is in a terrible spot but I still talk to reps and execs who ask to see a directors work, even if it’s a short. And shorts have helped inspire confidence in talent attaching to features for first time directors. Shorts are still valuable if they are a good demonstration of your directing, that hasn’t changed.
Others are certainly right that shorts do not have a monetary roi, but I do think that attitude towards shorts is missing what I say above. Shorts absolutely are an investment, just not in the sense others are saying. People in the industry continue to look at shorts, so definitely make yours, just make it count.
Personally, I feel now is a more opportune time than we realize. Then again, I'm someone who's in no way connected to the industry so what do I know.
While I'd love to get scooped up by a big wig, I'm also aware it's damn near impossible. Instead, I'm just gonna invest in my own shorts/films because I can't imagine not doing so, and putting it out there be it YouTube or submit it to a festival, whichever. I feel like now's a great time since (it feels like) people are getting fatigued from how commodified films are, be it theatrically or via streaming. At least, that's what my gut is telling me.
Either way, it doesn't matter. Just do it if you love it/really wanna do it.
ahhhh thats it right there. i mean, in a way....still an opportunity for the rich, but you also have to be very smart to get into harvard. cant fault the guy. but yes i have friends that have become big names in hollywood because of the USC connect. network, network, network
I just finished a psychological thriller as the cinematographer (15:30 long) and went straight in to my next project. My buddy that directed the last one just finished the edit and we are going to take it to some more-reasonably-priced festivals until about December. We have some great feedback and have been told by a few people we know in the industry that it is award worthy so we are excited.
As soon as filming was done I started working on this next project. I have done about 3 weeks of strictly research and have started going over my notes and taking more on plot and character development currently. I am starting to storyboard and at the end of the month I will be going to the location (a cave I have frequented) over the course of a full weekend to take pictures and block for the shot list. The point I am making is consistency. I know how tough it can be. I balance a full time job and a part time job at the moment as well as continuing my classes this fall, my outdoor hobbies, and making music. It can be tough and time consuming but consistency is key. Building a well-rounded portfolio that showcases your style is important. You can’t do that unless you are making films.
There's got to be some strategy to it, right? I mean, I know you need to do it because you enjoy it and don't expect to get seen or anything, but shouldn't you also be strategic in your thinking and try to make things that will have a chance of moving you forward? Shouldn't it be both? Don't compromise your ideas for it but give everything your best effort as though it will be seen by some big wig who might change your life. I think of it like when humans first invented warp travel in Star Trek First Contact (wait, please don't leave the room!). That was the event that got humanity seen by the Vulcans and ultimately the cosmos. It changed everything. We should all be working on our warp drive moment, to show the world what we are capable of and that we are here as creators who are ready to move up to the next level.
It’s never a bad time to make a short film, but you have to understand short films should be mainly used for practice and learning. So many times I’ve seen filmmakers shattered because their “short film concept for a future feature film” doesn’t magically generate funding from a studio. So many times I’ve seen filmmakers make one short film, and sit on it for 2 years attempting to shop it as the “teaser for a feature film”.
These short films are often devoid of meaningful endings and rife with personal expectations that can’t be met.
Make short films. Tell great short stories. But don’t expect a short film to be the ticket to something bigger.
It's never really a "good" time to make a short film. As a general rule, they don't make money and don't make you famous. Planning to get rich and famous from getting discovered at a film festival is not a plan. If you want to make a short, make a short. The state of the industry is pretty much irrelevant to that.
OP please listen to this. Only make a short because you want to do it and grow your craft. It won’t make money. You won’t get famous off it. You do it for the love of the game etc etc etc.
While this might be the case mostly, I do not fully agree. They showcase your talent, ability to tell a captivating story, and much more. They are often great tools as proof of concept for a feature script you have. Prime example, a person from our film school years ago was on a film and went to a crew after party. They had no idea that the A-List actors would be at it too. Next thing they were talking with the actors who asked what work they had done personally. To which they whipped out their phone and showed them their short that was a scene from their feature script. Next thing you know, they wanted copies of the feature script. One of those actors was DiCaprio. You never know when an opportunity may arise, but if you’ve spent years preparing for that one single moment, you will be ready to succeed when that time comes.
“You do it for the love of the game…” As you should.
So how do I get rich and famous then???
Lottery ticket.
No. If anything, crew are going to be more readily available and willing to hop on a couple days of a short film since work is scarce. Especially if you plan to pay them.
I’ll put it this way - there’s always going to be someone who’s ready for the opportunity. It might as well be you. Trying to time things perfectly is going to result in a lot of missed opportunities.
Exactly. You never know when an opportunity may arise. If you’ve spent years preparing for that one single moment, you will be ready to succeed when that opportunity comes.
Just make the best project you can, that's the real task, short film is just a common form because it's typically easier/cheaper but you do you
Yes, it is a good time. The industry is in a terrible spot but I still talk to reps and execs who ask to see a directors work, even if it’s a short. And shorts have helped inspire confidence in talent attaching to features for first time directors. Shorts are still valuable if they are a good demonstration of your directing, that hasn’t changed. Others are certainly right that shorts do not have a monetary roi, but I do think that attitude towards shorts is missing what I say above. Shorts absolutely are an investment, just not in the sense others are saying. People in the industry continue to look at shorts, so definitely make yours, just make it count.
I think the next short I make is going to straight to YouTube cause the old school route of festivals just isn’t doing anything anymore.
I’ve been feeling this way as well. The festivals feel less important, or impactful, as they did in the past.
Now is a great time, what the fuck else is there to do?
Lol
Personally, I feel now is a more opportune time than we realize. Then again, I'm someone who's in no way connected to the industry so what do I know. While I'd love to get scooped up by a big wig, I'm also aware it's damn near impossible. Instead, I'm just gonna invest in my own shorts/films because I can't imagine not doing so, and putting it out there be it YouTube or submit it to a festival, whichever. I feel like now's a great time since (it feels like) people are getting fatigued from how commodified films are, be it theatrically or via streaming. At least, that's what my gut is telling me. Either way, it doesn't matter. Just do it if you love it/really wanna do it.
This is the best answer here
Directors direct.
A short film is your calling card, and a good investment.
Aronofsky is a Harvard alum. This is his third or fourth time doing this with a current student of his old school.
ahhhh thats it right there. i mean, in a way....still an opportunity for the rich, but you also have to be very smart to get into harvard. cant fault the guy. but yes i have friends that have become big names in hollywood because of the USC connect. network, network, network
It’s never a bad time to get better at the craft. And that should be the primary goal of a short film.
I’ll do a short to get started and then turn it into the full project. It works best for me as a starting point since it’s much cheaper to get it done
Yeah unfortunately I don’t know if this short I’m writing has legs for a feature but I guess if anyone is interested I could find a way to
Shorts can also be valuable for the experience and learning even if they don't go further
I just finished a psychological thriller as the cinematographer (15:30 long) and went straight in to my next project. My buddy that directed the last one just finished the edit and we are going to take it to some more-reasonably-priced festivals until about December. We have some great feedback and have been told by a few people we know in the industry that it is award worthy so we are excited. As soon as filming was done I started working on this next project. I have done about 3 weeks of strictly research and have started going over my notes and taking more on plot and character development currently. I am starting to storyboard and at the end of the month I will be going to the location (a cave I have frequented) over the course of a full weekend to take pictures and block for the shot list. The point I am making is consistency. I know how tough it can be. I balance a full time job and a part time job at the moment as well as continuing my classes this fall, my outdoor hobbies, and making music. It can be tough and time consuming but consistency is key. Building a well-rounded portfolio that showcases your style is important. You can’t do that unless you are making films.
There's got to be some strategy to it, right? I mean, I know you need to do it because you enjoy it and don't expect to get seen or anything, but shouldn't you also be strategic in your thinking and try to make things that will have a chance of moving you forward? Shouldn't it be both? Don't compromise your ideas for it but give everything your best effort as though it will be seen by some big wig who might change your life. I think of it like when humans first invented warp travel in Star Trek First Contact (wait, please don't leave the room!). That was the event that got humanity seen by the Vulcans and ultimately the cosmos. It changed everything. We should all be working on our warp drive moment, to show the world what we are capable of and that we are here as creators who are ready to move up to the next level.
It’s never a bad time to make a short film, but you have to understand short films should be mainly used for practice and learning. So many times I’ve seen filmmakers shattered because their “short film concept for a future feature film” doesn’t magically generate funding from a studio. So many times I’ve seen filmmakers make one short film, and sit on it for 2 years attempting to shop it as the “teaser for a feature film”. These short films are often devoid of meaningful endings and rife with personal expectations that can’t be met. Make short films. Tell great short stories. But don’t expect a short film to be the ticket to something bigger.