Institutional Research

I have always enjoyed watching short films because as they are short, the films are usually straight to the point. There is a skill in being able to tell a story in such a short amount of time, and the endings are always something that makes you think twice. For example, Vice Shorts - I love watching them, my favourites being Bear and Spider; they both have so many unexpected plot twists in them which makes you feel so involved in the film. Short films need a unique plot in order to grab the audiences attention.

Short films are definitely harder to get recognised than movies, which is a shame because some of the 10 minute films I have watched are better than some Hollywood movies. Cinemas use to show short films before movies, which was a very good way to get recognition, however due to the internet cinemas don't do that anymore as they assume people can search online for the films themselves. Now instead, cinemas show advertisements which I feel is a shame because the audience would definitely prefer to watch a short film instead of a bunch of repetitive advertisements which they must see everyday anyway.

Production

• If you are passionate to create a short film there are a number of ways you can get your funds. You could start with people around you (as in family and friends) by borrowing money and even use them to practise pitching your film ideas to them. The ones in your circle always have the most faith in you and would want to see you succeed. Kickstarter is a good place to pitch your ideas.

• Crowd funding is another beneficial way to gather funds. However, you must raise as much awareness to the project as you can before setting up your campaign so that people trust you and believe you can carry out your goal. Do not be unrealistic in how much you request because that'll make people think twice. In order to get enough funds from crowd funding you should be able to grab peoples attention and allow them to put their faith in you because if you come across as some who won't succeed then no one will want to spend money on your goal. You’ll need to make your story come across as interesting, and you’ll need to convince people that you need money. Websites like Indiegogo are popular for the use of crowd funding.

• Local councils will often want to put money towards a short film as the film could raise awareness or help the local community in some way.

• London Calling and London Calling Plus aims to help give opportunities for short film-making producers by setting up funding schemes. This allows for producers to get the recognition they deserve.

• The money needed for the funding goes towards renting equipment, transportation for all the crew, actors and actresses, and food for the team the days they are shooting.

Distribution

Not many people watch short films therefore it has a niche audience. Therefore, the producers must think carefully about who to target the film at. It is harder to please everyone because audience is very limited compared to the audience of normal length movies.

• You should release your short film early as possible if you want it being shown in festivals. By releasing your film online while there is still a festival run allows you to take advantages of the interaction between festival and online audiences. For example, if a festival programmer sees a film doing well online they are more likely to program it in their line up. This allows for a lot of exposure to your short film.

• Starting up a webpage is a good way to get recognition from short-film enthusiasts around the world. In you webpage you should include details about your film, release date, cast and crew info and where to watch it. However, you need to make your page stand out and grab the viewer's attention so you should make it creative and very original so that people will remember to watch it.

• For example, I went to the 'Secret Cinema' with my friends to watch Romeo and Juliet. The set up was amazing and defiantly so unique and different to other cinemas. The website is designed to be mysterious which appeals to the audience. The event was super fun and they made you involved with the film as we had to dress in the colours of Romeo and Juliet. The website for sure represented what the event was about. When creating a webpage, make it memorable to your viewers (just as much as the Secret Cinema was to me).

• Ensure you have a striking image for people to remember your short film by. This image should be high resolution and should convey in one image what your film is about. The more colourful your image is the more likely it is to be used on display. In your image you should include photos of the cast and important scenes, the behind-the-scenes shoots and the director.

• For marketing, the film should always have a fixed release date so that the viewers because not being sure of when the film is being released kills the enthusiasm to watch it. Also, knowing the date could remind the viewers to go back and find it on release date. The distributor must be aware of their target audience and what their film's selling points are.

• You could get recognition by getting your short film on a magazine, newspaper, poster, etc.. Even organising radio interviews to get the word out. Social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.. are very good ways to get the word out as you promote your short film there without any cost.

Exhibition

There are 2 ways to screen your short film; 

• Theatrical - Screening to the public, audience is paying, normally in a cinema

• Non- theatrical - No fee to watch the film, usually shown to a small group (a closed membership group, a film club, etc..)