Short Film Directors- Why Make A Short Film?

Joe Nussbaum

There have been many tales of success concerning the production of a short film, just a small idea that has developed, at a low cost, into a widespread hit and a massive phenomena. I researched the reasoning behind why directors decide to produce short films, and found that overall, it was all on a basis of funding. Directors such as Joe Nussbaum, ("George Lucas in Love"), Alex Merkin, ("Across the Hall"), and, a point of my own subject focus, Spike Jonze ("I'm Here")  all struggled with the idea of profit. Jonze struck lucky and found sponsorship in the form of vodka company Smirnoff, an internationally recognised and reputable company that allowed his initial idea to stem and develop, resulting in a highly successful slightly lengthy half an hour short film.                

There could be many reasons why an individual decides to produce a short film. They are ideal for a simple, or short plot line and narrative, 



Award Winning Spike Jonze



free from the constraints of extensive budgets necessary to create multi-million pound box office hits with never-before-seen special effects, and effective in their very own quirky, individual sense. Once the film has been created, the last finishing touches added, and the credits produced, all that is left to do to get your product out into the market is get it played at one of the many film festivals that are gaining increasing popularity. If the audience like your film, then you could be in for recieving a massive amount of profit from such a small project.



Alex Merkin (Left)



The success of many directors of short films is evident. It all stems from the simple fact that their usually humble origins are of the everyday working class, and their ability to create from their own imaginative minds a realistic and interesting, whilst extremely entertaining short film. The audience can relate to them, and thus from this laugh along, share the comical antics of the person onscreen ( who is just another average joe, more often than not) and thoroughly enjoy the film in its simplest form; free from the facade of block buster special effects and false faced actors.

I researched the reasoning behind creating short films, and found an interesting article, that highlights the rising success of the short film industry, on http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/short-films--brief-encounters-of-the-increasingly-popular-kind-2094256.html . The journalists views outlines its basic success to date, and incorporates many of the reasoning behind creating such a film similar to what I have found.

In summation, I now know enough of the pro's as to why someone would decide to make a short film, to understand the process behind my very own future feature length. Its success and likeability however, will all depend on my most important factor in its production; the individual audience member in society.