WHAT IS A SHORT FILM?

What is a Short Film?

A short film is any motion picture not long enough to be considered a full feature length film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits".

How long should a Short Film be?

 A short film can be anything from fifteen seconds to forty five minutes in length. If you make your short film script as short as possible because the shorter it is the more engaging the film will be. When having a long short film, it will bore the audience as well as it will eat up a longer slot and festivals love to play as many shorts as possible. However, if too short the film might end up looking amateurish. You need a good medium to get the perfect outcome of a short film. 


What makes a Short Film effective?

There are no definite rules to create an effective Short Film as audiences love a variety of different types of short films. When making a short film stand out, it is very difficult to create a unique piece. However, there is a correlation in all successful films and these are:

- An original Idea
- High production skills and values
- Keeping to the traditional timing
- A strong beginning to entice the audience
- Avoid repetition 
- Including new techniques ans styles


Where are Short Films watched?

Short Films can be watched over different types of platforms, for example, BFI Film Festivals. This is a huge event where film lovers come and watched the best picked short films. The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1953 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with cooperation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shorts from approximately 50 countries.