So you've spent a lot of time, money and hard work shooting your short film. Now what? Do you enter it into festivals? Do you stream it online for exposure? Do you try to find a distribution company like iTunes? Exposure is usually the main goal for most new filmmakers (like we recently explored), yet there's still a lot of options out there and few answers. Short of The Week examines this question many short filmmakers have and explores all the different options. A must read! The Changing Game of Distribution
Director Ruben Fleischer didn't always have it so easy in Hollywood. Before 30 Minutes or Less, Zombieland, and his latest feature Gangster Squad (in theaters this Friday), he was a struggling filmmaker trying to catch a break. Back in 2001, he put everything he had into making a short film called The Girls Guitar Club.
“I basically spent all the money I had saved and was sure that movie deal offers were gonna come and I’d be directing pilots [for] television shows,” Fleischer told Collider back in 2009. “And as soon as people saw the short film, but of course people thought and said, ‘Oh that’s good,’ and [then] nothing ever really came of it.”
In the last four years he's directed three features, so it's safe to say he finally caught a break!
There's an interesting article on Hollywood and its lack of original story lines in feature films. This is explained quite simply; movies cost a lot of money to make, and studios don't like taking a gamble on a new idea. Thus, we're left with a constant stream of sequels and adaptations.
But what about new ideas and where do they fit in? This is where short films come in. Short films provide a different medium with more artistic freedom to tell a story. Like the article points out, directors such as Spike Jonze and Chris Milk are experimenting with short films and trying out new ideas that perhaps would not be possible to do with a feature film. A quote by Jane Campion comes to mind - "..Short films are not inferior, just different. I think the short gives a freedom to filmmakers. What's appealing is that you don't have as much responsibility for storytelling and plot. They can be more like a portrait, or a poem. The great thing is that almost everyone ends up doing something creative with them, even those directors who then go on to make quite boring features."
Although most of us dream of making a feature film one day, maybe we should change our feelings on what many of us perceive as a limitation and embrace the short film. Someone once told me that true artistic freedom lies in film school; you're free to dream up any idea and make it on your own terms. Make your short film with that in mind and chances are that short will be more creative and original than what you see on the big screen.
The chances of your short film being turned into a feature might be slim, but not impossible. More and more short film directors are being recruited by Hollywood to turn their short films into feature films. Although that's certainly a dream for many of us, does it necessarily guarantee a career launch into success?
The latest short film being turned into a feature is Lovely Monster, written and directed by young Italian filmmaker Francesco Calabrese. The well-recieved horror short is currently in negotiations with Lionsgate for a feature film adaptation, giving Calabrese a shot to make his feature directorial debut. Lovely Monster utilizes faux-documentary style to tell the story of a young girl with a mysterious condition that is turning her into what those around her call a "monster". After checking out the short I am most certainly looking forward to the feature film version. Check out this awesome short below:
Sometimes all it takes is a short film to launch your career as a feature film director. Many people would be surprised to know that Wes Anderson, arguably one of the best filmmakers today, started his career with a short film, Bottle Rocket. The 13- minute, black and white short film was written by Anderson and his then-college roommate, Owen Wilson and his brother Luke Wilson. The short film premiered at the USA Film Festival in Dallas and received enthusiastic praise before being shown at Sundance. There, it caught the attention of screenwriter L.M Kit Carson who immediately sent it to James L. Brooks. This intervention secured financial backing for a feature film adaptation, which is now Anderson's classic feature debut, Bottle Rocket. Here is Wes Anderson's original 1996 short film:
But sometimes the short film catches more buzz than the feature does. Take for instance filmmaker Spencer Susser. His 2008 zombie-fest short film I Love You Sarah Jane was well received in festivals, leading Spencer to direct his first feature film, Hesher. Unfortunately, Hesher failed to make much of splash in theaters, even with stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman as the main characters. However, it looks like Spencer is getting a second chance and returning to his short I Love You Sarah Jane and adapting it into a feature. The short is amazing and the special effects aren't too bad for a short film budget. I'll be looking forward to the bigger budget version of this! Check out the original short below:
These shorts serve as reminder for many independent filmmakers; whatever path you take may or may not lead to success, but having your short film turned into a feature is a success in its own.
2012 Academy Nominated Shorts - Documentry, Live Action, Animation - are available at IFC Center until Feb 16th ONLY! Take this weekend and check out the shorts! I'll let you guys know if we can set up a date to see them, as a department, this week. I'll post that date HERE!!!! - Eve.
A companion piece with the previous post.
Film School Rejects (film blog) has a section on their site where they post a short film a day. This is a great spot to get more exposure to the short film market. Check out the listing below. Enjoy! - Eve.
The instructors and I are working on bringing your awareness to some fantastic short film work that is currently being produced. Readers of this blog know that I follow a film podcast called The Golden Briefcase. They had a great episode recently discussing short films. Among their recommendations was the short, Spider (posted below). This film is one of many from the Australian production company, Blue Tongue Films. I have posted their channel below for your reference. After reviewing their archive, I was amazed at how many of these films I have seen and recommended in the past. Blue Tongue is a great example of what a collective of filmmakers can do together. While you are in school, begin to create relationships that will last you through out your career. Filmmaking is all about team work.
Enjoy the films! - Eve.
Blue Tongue Films Channel
Films to watch: I Love Sarah Jane (Recently posted, Spenser Susser), Miracle Fish (Academy Award Nominee), Monkey (Tropfest Finalist)
So you've spent a lot of time, money and hard work shooting your short film. Now what? Do you enter it into festivals? Do you stream it online for exposure? Do you try to find a distribution company like iTunes? Exposure is usually the main goal for most new filmmakers (like we recently explored), yet there's still a lot of options out there and few answers. Short of The Week examines this question many short filmmakers have and explores all the different options. A must read!
