It’s time to make a short film. And lucky for you, pretty much anyone who has access to a decent cell phone camera can. While most shorts that play at major festivals or become Oscar-nominated are likely made more traditionally, with crews, digital cameras, and actors, it’s possible to make a splash with a film that’s conceived in a less than typical fashion.
Many short film festival programmers look for ingenuity and are less concerned with production value, as they’re very aware of the limitations. For example, the Duplass Brothers’ $3 short film, “This is John,” premiered at Sundance and launched their careers.
What is a short film?
According to the Academy, short films consist of any motion picture less than 40 minutes, including the credits. However, many festivals, including Sundance, place films under 50 minutes in the shorts competition. Most say the sweet spot is anywhere from 7 to12 minutes unless you have a more traditionally narrative story.
To put this in a bit of a different perspective – when a programmer is deciding between slotting two great ten-minute films or one great twenty-minute film – they will often slot the two to get more variety. So, if your goal is to compete at a major festival – shorter is better. Although, you should always let your story and characters dictate the length.
Think of short films as the wild west of filmmaking. There aren’t many rules or restrictions. It’s your chance to make something unique to you without having the pressures of a studio or independent financier breathing down your neck. Structurally they can be whatever you want them to be. It’s an opportunity to make anything you feel represents your talent, voice, and style best.
Shorts are the battlegrounds of filmmaking. A place where all of your favorite filmmakers started and learned the mechanics of a film set while understanding how to take a script to screen. And eventually, they created something that launched their careers.
Not only do short film sets give you hands-on experience and practical skills, but also an opportunity to collaborate with your peers and a chance to wear more than one hat – giving you insight into which jobs fit you and your talent best. And if you knock it out of the park, they can be a calling card to the big leagues.
What makes a great short film?
The industry is always looking for the next great filmmaker. The one who can tell a story in a way none of us have ever seen told. Think Spike Lee or Wes Anderson. This could be anything from mashing up genres, unexpected casting choices, uniquely playing with time or structure, or lensing a world we’ve never seen before, or an idiosyncratic character, etc.
Something about your short film needs to stand out from the rest of thousands upon thousands that are made each year.
How many short films do you need to make before you’re ready to move on to a feature?
This is dependent upon your talent and how fast you find your voice. It could only take one short before you’re handed the keys to the kingdom, but often that’s not the case. It usually takes time to experiment and find what works for you while learning how to navigate a set confidently.
For any position in a film, it’s about the experience, so the more short films you can be a part of, the better comprehension you’ll have and the likelihood of being part of something that stands out.
There is no money in short films. Unlike feature films, which have the intent of being economically viable through sales and distribution, short films don’t typically sell. More distribution companies have dipped their toes in the short film market in the last few years, but it’s very rare to sell your short.
The point being, no one makes short films with the hopes of making any money. They have hopes of breaking into the industry.
With all this in mind, how do you get funding?
Firstly, make your shorts for as little money as possible. As mentioned above, the production value is somewhat important, but short films aren’t judged off expensive-looking set pieces or big action sequences.
Although it should look good enough and sound good enough not to be distracting (unless it’s a choice), both can be captured cheaply. Funding can come from anywhere. A few film grants or script competitions give out money specifically aimed towards shorts, but they are few and far between and very competitive.
Some production companies have a bit of development spend aimed towards short films – for directors, they’re interested in working with. You can reach out to those companies through their websites, or your agent can if you have one.
Crowdfunding is an excellent way to reach friends and family without having to have an awkward conversation. Ultimately, most short films are put together through any means necessary. And remember, you will unlikely see any return on your spending, so think of them as an investment in your future.
Beg, ask for favors, and cut costs wherever you can, but always feed your cast and crew proper meals. Cast and crew and everyone involved in short films know there’s usually a very tight budget. And most of the time, they’re working on the film because they believe in you, the material, or are learning – either way, days on set are always long and hard hours with little to no pay. Always make sure to have warm meals and enough food for everyone; it will take you a long way.
Let’s get to the practical:
Whether your short film idea is a narrative, documentary, or abstract, an idea is always the launching point. After you have a solid idea – for a narrative film – it’s time to write the script. Final Draft is the recommended screenwriting program, but if you’re short on money or dabbling in the idea of scriptwriting, Celtx is a great free option.
Write your script
Write your short script, and then rewrite the script a few more times until you’re comfortable sharing it with a handful of trusted friends or people within the industry you have as contacts. It’s usually better to get notes from people who are used to reading scripts, but if you don’t have the luxury – trusted movie watchers will do.
Notes on your script are great – but always take them with a grain of salt. If you hear the same problem with your script from a few different sources, it’s a good idea to try and understand where the note is coming from and potentially try alternatives.
Create tour short film’s summary deck
Once you’re happy with your short film script, it’s helpful to create a few-page document about the story you’re interested in telling. The deck should include a synopsis of the idea, character breakdowns, filming locations, and a director’s statement.
The director’s statement should include the reason for telling the story, what the story means to them, and the tone they want to capture. Throughout the deck – visuals can and should be used for references. The deck is helpful when sending to crew or anyone who might be involved in the project to get a deeper understanding of the vision.
Assemble your crew
Once a director, writer, and producer are onboard, with the deck and script completed, it’s time to choose a date for shooting while you start raising the money. Sometimes it’s good to get the actors onboard first – especially if you have a known actor who can help build some buzz around the project. Choosing a date gives you a specific deadline to aim towards, even if you end up moving it slightly.
Once you have the financing (even if it’s just a few dollars and your iPhone), you’ll set concrete dates for filming so your crew, cast, and anyone else involved knows to block out the dates. They are then committed to your film.
With short films, it’s hard to make people sign commitment contracts before production starts, but usually, people are good with their word, and if they get a bigger job offer – they’ll likely help replace themselves.
A line producer/ production manager is a must. They will help organize the entire shoot and break down exactly what needs to happen for the film to get shot. If you aren’t working with professionals, get someone who is organized and great with details.
Once you have your shooting schedule – designed by your line producer, it’s time to build your crew – usually starting from the cinematographer. Most DP’s have crews that they like to work with, so you’ll want to ask them before hiring on your own. If you don’t have access to crews, put the word out online via Facebook or Craigslist, and you’ll be surprised at the great response – especially if you’re offering a little fee.
Hiring actors for short films is easier than you might think. Many professional actors are very happy to spend a few days (if schedules permit) acting in short films if the material is good. It’s very little commitment and often creates excellent relationships.
It’s best to reach out to actors through their agents (finding their email address on IMDb pro) – they will usually respond. If you’re having a tough time getting through to their agents, there’s always a hail mary and trying to reach out to an actor via social media personally.
Actor’s agents will want to negotiate the day rate beforehand – but remember they know short films have very small budgets, so they won’t be asking for anything outrageous. Hold your ground with what you can offer.
If you aren’t going for professional actors – there are many great schools, drama clubs, or groups where you can find great talent who would be delighted to star in your film.
You’ll need to have contracts with everyone that you work with, including the location managers. You can find generic contracts for crews, actors, locations, etc. online.
The production
Most of the time, crews for short films will consist of one department head without assistants – because of the lack of funding – or even one person acting as a few department heads. For example, a hair and make-up person might also be your wardrobe and stylist.
If you have a bigger budget, it’s good to give your department heads some help, but not always necessary for short films. But once you have your crew in place and secured your location and date, it’s time for a recce (a tech location scout with a few of your department heads).
Ensure your cinematographer and sound recordist go with the director, AD, and production manager to each film location. At each location, make sure you know all the details. The hours you’re going to be there – the parking situation – if there is any noise you should be aware of – the power to the building.
Double-check with the person to who the location belongs that they will be there at the agreed time to let you in and make sure you have their correct contact details. A recce helps the director visualize the space and gives her a sense of the limitations. Make sure to have the location owner or manager sign an agreement for the dates and agreed-upon cost. And if you have the time and budget, it’s great to rehearse in the actual space.
After choosing locations and securing dates, most likely, you’ll need to rent equipment. Most rental houses and location managers will likely want proof that you have production insurance. You can get insurance for pretty cheap, and it’s a good thing to have generally, especially just if you are going to use someone else’s locations or equipment.
Once everything is in place – the crew, actors, rented equipment, contracts, locations, schedule, etc and you’re ready to shoot, the assistant director will send out a call sheet. The call sheet gives everyone involved all of the details for the first day of shooting. Usually, this goes out the night before the following shooting day. Make sure when you send it and everyone replies that they got it.
Lastly, if you can, you’ll want to establish a relationship with your editor before you shoot so they are ready to go as soon as the film is in the can. Once it’s wrapped, make sure you’ve backed up all the footage on multiple hard drives and immediately get the footage over to your editor.
Then you’re off to the races: good luck and godspeed.
Once you wrap shooting, a good reminder during the editing process – Seeing a rough cut of your film is usually a terrible feeling. You’ll likely feel like you’ve failed and wasted everyone’s time and money. This is because the edit is very loose without sound design, music, or proper pacing – don’t worry.
Once the cut is further along, it’s good to get some trusted eyes on your short movie for feedback. Just the like script notes – take all the input with a grain of salt. Once your film is picture locked (edited how you want it) – if you have the luxury of post-production, you’ll hire someone to grade and color the picture, license music, and have the sound designed. And then it’s done – well, kind of…
Submitting to film festivals
Depending on what you want out of your short film, there are some great opportunities for exposure once it’s finished. Most film festivals across the world have a short film component or competition attached to their regular festival. These festivals give you and your short film the exposure and accolades you need to help find representation or get excitement from production companies or studios that might want to develop your next project.
Festivals also allow you to network with others in a similar position, and you never know, maybe future collaborators. Most agencies and production companies send executives to watch all the shorts to find the next generation of talent.
Film festivals are insanely competitive and expensive. Each festival costs anywhere from $15-75 dollars to submit so it’s essential to choose wisely. Look at previous short films that have played at the festivals – and if you feel like yours is a good fit, apply.
There is no rhyme or reason to getting into festivals – programmers are always looking at specific types of film or unifying themes for their annual program, so remember not to take it personally if your film doesn’t get it. Most of the time your film will find a nice home.
It’s also not a bad idea once you’ve applied to a festival to reach out to the head programmer to introduce yourself and the film personally. This will make sure your film is watched by someone who can program rather than an intern.
If you’re tight on money, you can reach out to most festivals and ask for a fee waiver – and you might just get one. There are also so many great online distributors like Vimeo Staff Pick and Short of the Week, which program great shorts and have an extensive audience, so definitely apply once you’ve finished your festival run. But remember to look at the festival rules, as some festivals won’t program your film if it’s had an online presence.
Best Short Film Festivals: Many other great festivals might be a better fit for your film.
- Cannes
- Sundance
- Palm Springs International ShortFest
- Claremont-Ferrand SFF
- SXSW
- Aspen Shortfest
- Berlin Film Festival
- Venice Film Festival
- Edinburgh International Film Festival
- Tribeca Film Festival
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