The Era of the Short: Nothing Short of an Experience
Running short on the time, money and resources to film a full-fledged feature?
Pay no mind. There's a short-cut right up your alley.
The Golden Globes might’ve made waves this year, but the tide is turning. And with it, washes in an appetite for a new medium of art. The film critic’s new flavor and the festival’s savored taste, short films or featurettes are gaining momentum within the industry circuit. And portrayals of film-noir, avant-garde art and new wave mores are just a few of the delicacies on offer. The early 20th century saw an influx of 'shorts' hit the big screens and explode onto the film scene throughout the world. Before Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton and even Charlie Chaplin saw many a heyday, they remained stargazers who debuted with shorts. However, a dry spell for shorts was cast with the dawn of the talkies (motion pictures with soundtracks). But, come 21st century, the Internet, and a colossal mix of factors, revival of the short has taken center stage. From then on, cinema has borne witness to the rise and rise of the short film.
Being a short filmmaker has its perks.They’re exempt from the pre-existing industry standards of cultural conformity, compartmentalization and even market mechanisms. The stakes aren’t high and experimentation is affordable. Platforms (ChargePlay, Renderyard, Distrify, to name a few) lay in wait to pounce on cinematic genius. A grid of producers scouting for the Spielberg of our generation; scriptwriters on the prowl for translators of words into visions; and thespians on the lookout for their big break, is formed. Experience, be it under the guise of failure or success, will prove an ally as they traverse from amateur to maestro. The possibilities, as they say, are endless.
Daldry's lauded short venture, Cigarette's and Coffee
Such ventures, though short-lived, set the stage for the bigger picture. The filmmakers parent that infant of an idea into a walking, talking vision. And this vision it is that the world will applaud. The critically acclaimed Eight set the ball rolling for young Stephen Daldry, better known today as the celebrated director of The Reader (recipient of a hunk of commendation). Cigarettes and Coffee ushered in a new dawn for Paul Thomas Anderson, who would go on to possess a coveted oeuvre. Martin Scorsese started out small with The Big Shave. Today, his legacy lies immortalized in a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Shorts are, after all, the anthems of the unsung heroes: the aspirants. They are a cavalry of dissent who defy the very convention that the depth of matter is relative to its length. They speak from the felt-tip of their pen and see through the lens of their camera. If you are someone who sees a tale in two cities, a message in a bottle, a light between the oceans, this is how you showcase it: you prop up that out-of-date camcorder and scoop up an array of local talent; set about building your set and tell your story in a matter of minutes. All you need is a pinch of perseverance, a dab of ambition and a whole lot of heart. This could be your 15 minutes of fame. So, don’t let up. Your legend awaits you.
