Short Films Are Your Secret Weapon!

A Brief Dispatch from the Oddly Cluttered Desk of a Filmmaker Who’s Been There.

Somewhere between the dreamy ambition of “I’m going to make a feature film!” and the crushing reality of “Wait…how much does catering cost?” lies the noble, underappreciated short film.

Yes, the humble short. The cinematic equivalent of a handwritten note tucked inside a typewritten novel. Brief. Playful. Packed with potential.

Beginnings: Three Shorts and a GCSE Disaster

Before my first feature, I made three short films.

• The first was shot on SVHS, starring a girl who fails her GCSEs—a tragically accurate foreshadowing of my own academic record. It was scrappy and joyous.

• The second was beautiful…but didn’t cut together. (RIP, continuity.)

• The third earned me a Royal Television Society Award nomination for Best Student Film.

And then… I froze. I didn’t know what to do with it. No mentors. No roadmap. Just a shiny VHS tape and a shrug.

So here I am now—someone who produces 3 to 6 films a year—paying it forward.

Short Films Are Your Creative Laboratory

Short films are where you find your voice.

Don’t be precious. Don’t wait for permission.

Make a series of ten-minute experiments. Be brave. Break rules. Build worlds. If one doesn’t work, hide it in a drawer. If it does—submit it to festivals. (Unlike me. Don’t repeat that mistake.)

Festivals Love Shorts (Especially Under 11 Minutes)

Here’s a secret: It’s easier to get into festivals with shorts than features.

Why? Simple arithmetic. Festivals can program 20 shorts for the runtime of one feature. More slots = more chances.

Aim for under 11 minutes—the golden rule dates back to 35mm film reels (1,000 feet ≈ 11 minutes). Anything longer becomes a scheduling headache.

And if festival fees are scary? Pick up the phone. Ask for a waiver. Many festivals will happily oblige. (Yes, really.)

Play the Long Game

When you finally make your feature, festivals are far more likely to program it if they screened your early shorts. They love seeing your evolution.

A well-crafted short also helps you attract talent and crew. Actors, DPs, and designers want proof you can steer the cinematic ship. A short film is your calling card.

👉 Pro tip: Stick to a similar genre across your shorts. It lets people see the throughline of your creative growth, like breadcrumbs leading to your first feature.

How Much Should You Spend? As Little As Humanly Possible.

Here’s the thing: it’s not about fancy cameras, helicopter stunts, or casting someone who once stood next to Tom Hanks in a Starbucks.

It’s about story.

Can you tell one in a unique way and get great performances? That’s what matters. You can do that on an iPhone in your grandma’s kitchen at golden hour.

If your DP wants to bring an ARRI Alexa and a lens package the size of a baby elephant—fantastic. Let them foot that bill for their reel. You don’t need it.

👉 My advice:

Plan to make five short films over 18 months.

Decide how much you can invest in total.

If you’ve got $1,000, that’s $200 per short.

If you’ve got $10,000, that’s $2,000 per short.

🎨 Nobody picks up a brush and paints a masterpiece on their first try. Hedge your bets. Spread the risk. Each film is a stepping stone, not the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

And above all—be brave. The industry is full of competent, “standard-issue” directors. The ones who stand out are the ones who take risks and show us something we’ve never seen before.

Final Thought: Think of Shorts as Your Passport

Short films aren’t practice runs.

They’re miniature worlds—playgrounds where your cinematic identity takes shape.

So go on. Make a few. Break a few. Submit a few.

And when the time comes to make your feature, you’ll walk into the room with a portfolio, not just a dream.

🎥 Your mission: Make something short. Keep it under 11 minutes. Spend wisely. Be bold, be playful, and don’t forget to pack snacks.