Camera Angles

There are three important factors to think about when considering camera angles. These are; framing or length of a shot, the angle of the shot and whether there will be any movement within the shot. I will now explain all of these individually within the next three posts.

Pros and Cons of creating a short film

Pros

• Cheaper - short films need a much smaller budget than feature length films. This means that you will save more money than you think.
• Online Marketing - short films can easily be marketed online. The can easily be uploaded onto YouTube or Facebook, this means that it's not very time consuming.
• Quick - making a short film is quicker than producing a feature length film. If the short film is discovered and nominated for an award, it can be a quick way to get into the film industry.

Cons

• It's very difficult and unlikely that short films will make any profit, so therefore it's risky to spend more money than needed.
• It can also be quite difficult to fit a whole storyline into less than 40 minutes.

Comparison with full length

- One of the advantages of short films is that they are often low-budget. Feature length productions can be either high or low budget, depending on the amount of money available. However, the films which are of a higher cost are usually more successful.

- Full Length films can also be marketed through online streaming sites. It's not as easy to show the full film on websites such as Youtube, but trailers can be uploaded.

- The production of a full length film takes a lot longer than that of a short. This is because more footage needs to be recorded and therefore it will need more planning and editing.

How has the short film market benefitted from digital technologies?

The growth in digital technologies has supported the short film industry in many ways.

One of these ways is through the development of the internet. The internet is constantly growing with more and more opportunities rising for short films.
The growth of the internet means that there are more websites specifically for short films. This allows the industry to have a wider market audience.
The websites also make it easier for the consumer to discover the products.

Another way that technologies have developed is through the use of Apps. Consumers are now able to download apps from Google's 'Play Store' and Apple's 'iTunes Store'. Certain apps may be made for the use of short films alone, allowing a wider market for the industry.

We also now have more ways of streaming short films. Many people these days own a vast number of gadgets which can be used to link with the internet. These include; tablets, iPods, Computers/Laptops and phones.

How are Short Films consumed?

The majority of short films are consumed by those who are planning to create one. This involves students as well as professional directors and producers. A lot of people who watch short films use them as inspiration.

There are also many festivals which award trophies and prizes for short films. These are small-scale as the market is a lot smaller for shorts than it is for feature-length films.

Who is the Market Audience for Short Films?

The industry for short films is much smaller than full length feature films.

There are two different types of audiences which may watch short films.

Demographics -
These are people who are employed in the film industry . These people may be looking at short films in order to find a potential director, producer or writer. They also may be viewing the short films in order to inspire a future creation.

Psychographics -
The audience for short films can be categorised into three sub-categories.

• Succeeders - (these are people who think they're powerful, successful and ambitious). This group of people are mainly driven by their income and ambition to climb the industry.
• Aspirers - (these are the people who strive for a better lifestyle). These are likely to be former students who have recently finished a degree.
• Individualists - (people who are alone in the industry, independent thinkers, and those who want to be separate from the crowd). This group of people who like to express their opinions and views through film.

What is a Short Film?

A short film is a film which is less than 40 minutes in length.

A short film is too short to be considered as a feature film which has no consensus or boundaries.

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".

Short films are usually documentaries on controversial subjects.