What is a Short Film?

OVERVIEW

Short Films make the cinema world go round. In this blog we take a look at their significance and how filmmakers use it to springboard their career.

Anything less than 40 minutes (including credits) is considered industry standard for a short film. A short film can be 2 minutes or 20 minutes. However, some film festivals have shorter or longer runtimes for their short film category. When submitting your short film to a festival, check the time requirements to see if it qualifies. Check out this blog to learn more about submitting to festivals.

Short vs. Feature

The main difference between short films and feature films is the runtime. Feature films typically start at 60 minutes. Both styles have a beginning, middle, and end. Production costs may vary but, ultimately both tell a visual story.

Before there were feature films, there were short films. George Méliès’s “A Trip to the Moon” was a 14-minute film released in 1902. We’ve evolved to create long-form content with new technology and resources.

When you think about the last feature film you watched, was it in theaters or on Netflix? What about a short film? Shorts aren’t as widely recognized on the big screen, but social media, festivals, and the Oscars are great spaces to familiarize yourself with short films.

Today, short films are typically watched on YouTube, streaming services, or at film festivals. Some feature-length films will even play a short film before the premiere. For example, before the start of Illumination’s Migration (2023), a short played on the big screen. MOONED is a short featuring the villain of Despicable Me, Vector. It’s a fun way for studios to reintroduce favorite characters in new environments.

Purpose of Short Films

PRACTICE

Short films are a great opportunity for new filmmakers to get their feet wet and unleash their creativity. If you’re aspiring to make filmmaking your career, short films serve as your resume or portfolio.

The more content you create, the more opportunity to learn and grow in the filmmaking process. In film schools, short films are an attainable way for students to practice various aspects of film production.

EXPOSURE

Production is also a great way to network with crew members and other people in the industry. Many professionals get their start in the entertainment business working on short films, so it’s a chance to network and learn about new projects.

Short films can showcase your talent. If your short film is selected at a film festival(s), it increases your exposure to producers, talent, managers, etc. Showcasing your short film is not only an effective way of getting eyes on your project but also an opportunity to receive feedback.

PRE-VISUALIZATION

Many short films serve as a sample or pre-visualization for a feature film. For example, Whiplash premiered at Sundance in 2013 as an 18-minute short before it hit the big screen as a feature.

(Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons in "Whiplash". Photograph by Daniel McFadden / Sony Pictures Classics / Everett)

If you intend to use your short film as a snippet of a feature, have a feature-length script ready to go.

Budgeting short films

Short film budgets are what you make it. If you have an idea, a phone, and a friend, you can essentially make a short film at no cost. But, on average, short films can range from a couple hundred dollars to a couple thousand. It depends on the scope of your project.

HOW TO KEEP PRODUCTION COSTS LOW:

Use personal devices
- Utilize what you own and shoot on your phone. Tangerine (2015) premiered at Sundance and was filmed on an iPhone.
Borrow or rent equipment
Cast/crew calls
- Post local calls on Facebook or Backstage. Note what you’re paying your team or that compensation will be meals and a copy of the film.
Request in-kind donations
- Contact who you know and see who can donate what. Often local restaurants are willing to donate food to your production.
Crowdfunding
- Kickstarter, Seed & Spark, and IndieGoGo are examples of film fundraising sites where you can offer incentives to people who donate money to your production.
Marketing
- You’ve put a lot of work into making your film, so you want to ensure people see it! Research film festivals and their entry fees so you can budget how many you’d like to submit to. Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017) cost less than $5 million to produce but had a marketing budget of over $70 million.
Distribution
- Create social media pages to garner attention to your film.
- Post on YouTube, Vimeo, etc.

(AMY SUSSMAN//GETTY IMAGES)

The Oscar-winning animated short, “Hair Love,” received funding through a Kickstarter campaign. Former NFL player, Matthew A. Cherry, also used his social media presence to funnel attention to his story. It’s a story about an African American father who struggles to style his daughter’s hair while her mother is in the hospital.

Eventually, Hair Love was adapted into an animated series called “Young Love,” which expands on the family introduced in the short film and stars Issa Rae, Loretta Devine, Harry Lennix, and Tamar Braxton.

Short films are long-term

SHORT FILM SCREENPLAYS

Short films are an accessible way for filmmakers to break into the industry. Even if producing your short doesn’t seem possible, your film can still receive recognition at screenplay competitions. If you want feedback on your script before production, consider applying to a coverage program.

Short films have been around for over a century. It’s an essential foundation for the film and entertainment industry.

At Need-A-Vid we can help you create a short film. From creative development to crew-for-hire, all the way to post-production, we are experienced in every phase of production.

Check out our Micro-Short Film "Blood Bonds" (2:24)

Check out this behind-the-scenes video of the above micro short, Blood Bonds, from one of our clients who wanted more content for their demo reel and more control over their associate genres. With our help, they wrote and starred in the film.

If you need a short film, demo reel, or other video service, Need-A-Vid can help. Please fill out our client questionnaire and schedule a consultation.

Here's a top-five list of Need-A-Vid Staff favorite short films: