Today’s shorts: More ambitious?
Went along to the Blank Slate ’08 short film showcase at Bafta tonight. It was the premiere of a film I edited: Crimson by Piers Hill.
The programme was made up of nine films funded by the UK Film Council through B3Media. Two were documentaries, the rest were dramas.
I was struck by the ambition of these films. Less than ten years ago, short films were set in one or two locations (uaually interiors) with possibly 10 or 15 setups.
When I got the rushes for Crimson I found that the crew had managed to record multiple takes from over 70 setups in only four days (and nights) of shooting!
I thought that this would make our film stand out, but many of the other films shown this evening were as ambitious. Multiple locations, day and night, in parks, from cars, police stations, schools… It may be that digital technology may be helping today’s film makers reach further.
It seems that these films are calling cards to show that the producers, directors and crews could be trusted with bigger budgets and bigger stories…
alex4D old blog 
Really that’s all short films are these days. It’s a possibility for producers/directors/production teams/writers to get noticed. A calling card to say this is what we can do with no budget, imagine what we can do with more! Film school is great because you make connections with people who will stay in the industry, but if you don’t have the money to pay for the education, make a film that’s edgy and post it at a Fest, you will get noticed. But be careful, it’s not always a lead to a bright shiny Oscar or even a gig down the road. I have a friend who went to USC Film School, graduated with directing a short that won 3 festival awards and got him incredible exposure, but after a couple years he was back at working as a PA trying to find his next project. The film industry is and has become more finicky. On the positive side, it is inspiring to see what crews can do with the technology and in such a short time. Hope your film got a great reception.