Blog Post 1 - Contextualising Short Film Production

With the increased accessibility of inexpensive production equipment, independent films are becoming a popular medium of delivering short narratives in a creative and concise manner, whilst exhibiting a close resemblance to the industry standard level of production.

In addition to this, short films are a great way to begin composing an initial foundation within the filmmaking realm, particularly for inexperienced, aspiring filmmakers. Some filmmakers simply wish to deliver a narrative that is dear to them, but may not have a sufficient budget to do so in the form of a feature. Therefore, producing a short, will add dimension to a growing portfolio and provide some insight and experience into what it takes to fabricate a feature film. Furthermore, depending on how much recognition a film can acquire, the experience of making a short film often allows ambitious filmmakers the chance to work on the set of feature film as assistants to the fundamental figures, such as directors and producers. Ultimately, paving the way into the world of professional filmmaking.  

Like any production, the concept is developed from even the slightest nudge of inspiration. With the independent nature of short films, the notion behind them is often quite personal to the creator or simply a matter of keen interest that has the potential to be explored in a creative way. This is what I have found whilst conducting research on a variety of short film. 

Daniel Mulloy, director of “Home” (2016) was inspired by a brief encounter with a family of three, who had been effected by the ongoing refugee crisis. From this he transformed a concept into a visual manifestation and his film became a response to the political attacks on the whole matter; “I then returned to the UK, billboards were up on streets that were overtly racist and our politicians were dehumanizing those fleeing war zones, referring to them as “swarms” and living in “jungles.” The film grew out of the fact that I wanted to respond.’ MULLOY, 2016.

The underlying basis of any production, varies from the need to deliver a social/political view, to inform the viewer, or to simply entertain them. If not a collective of all three, short films are able to do just that within a shorter time frame, as opposed to feature films. This also means that as well as delivering the narrative well, short films must be engaging at every step in order to hold the attention of the audience for the little time that they have.

A multi award winning short film that I would like to explore, does just that. The striking cinematography paired with the originality of the narrative makes Josh Tanner’s “The Landing” (2013) an innovative and very professional looking short.

The story is explored, throughout the film, from the perspective of a young child as well as his older, future self. This offers a sense of duality, posing many similarities and differences between the two time settings within the film.

The contrast in colour and tonality, immediately allows the viewer to distinguish between which parts of the film are set in the present day and those that are simply a reminiscent vision of past events. A striking palette of warm hues are used to depict a past world, which also enhances the setting itself. Although made to look like a realistic manifestation of the American Midwest, the sunlit landscape was in fact filmed in Australia, which is part of the reason that the scriptwriting for this film was such a lengthy process which proved beneficial, as ensuring that every element of the production has been planned, will mean that the shooting process will be much simpler. As Tanner mentions,

“Many young and hungry filmmakers (present company included) are excited to get out and shoot, but if you’re going to do anything that requires a budget and multiple days of unpaid technicians’ time on set, you really want to make sure the film’s foundation is strong.”
Forming a non-existent setting, is an example of the type of issues that may be encountered. During the production of a film, it is possible that certain elements will not be achieved without the desired budget being met. As we see in this example, a setting was fabricated in a completely different location to what was originally anticipated, as a result of not having a sufficient budget.
The first impression of this location is somewhat welcoming with its heavily saturated sun-drenched look. This however, creates a contrasting ambience in comparison to the sinister events that take place within the setting. This is insinuated at the very start of the film, when the main character is seen in a desolate looking location portrayed with much cooler tones, creating the illusion that the once beautiful and natural landscape has deteriorated in perfect synchronisation with the deterioration of the character’s father.

This short, reflects a level of production and certain visual elements that are of a standard that could be adapted into a feature which is what the director is working towards. However, as already discussed, working on a slightly smaller scale exposes the nature of the process of making a film, from concept to production and all the problems that could be encountered. So in essence, short film production almost acts as a trial run of making a feature, as well as providing an opportunity to gain some sort of initial recognition within the professional world of filmmaking.

In terms of funding, there is a diverse range of methods to follow, depending on the nature of the film, the crew and the availability of fundamentals required to make the film.

Crowdfunding is a good way of raising a budget by developing an easily understandable, engaging campaign, into which people will be willing to offer their financial support, particularly if the advertising is persuasive and not forcing. This is often used by unestablished filmmakers who wish to enlarge their budget as much as possible to create their film, but may not have the experience or confidence to take their concept to companies that could offer their help.

Applying for funding from established film companies and organisations can also lead filmmakers towards other opportunities if well received by the funders. A self-financed method of filmmaking is becoming frequently used, as a result in the rise of accessibility to production equipment and the platform of distribution for independent films. This type of funding also means that there is no requirement to have to deal with investors and financiers.

The modern forms of distribution for short films has become a great platform for recognition. Films are now able to become viral phenomena’s as a result of the expansiveness and easy accessibility of the internet. In addition to this, there are various film festivals that are open to screening independently made short productions. Although “The Landing” was screened at various film festivals, a vast majority of acknowledgement came from views across the internet. The director chose to distribute the film across websites including Vimeo, Short Film of the Week and Film Shortage.

“I believe that the best way to treat an online release is as if it’s your own, self-distributed cinema release.” – Josh Tanner (2013)

Bibliography:

Home (2016) [Film] UK: Daniel Mulloy

The Landing (2013) [Film] Australia: Josh Tanner

GURSKIS, D (2007) “The Short Screenplay: Your Short Film from Concept to Production”. Thomson: Boston

SWAINS, S. (2016) "Daniel Mulloy’s Short Film “Home” Screens Today at Arpa IFF 2016" Article [Online]:http://www.arpafilmfestival.com/daniel-mulloys-short-film-home-screens-today-arpa-iff-2016/

TANNER, J. (2013) "5 Tips For Making and Distributing Your Short Film" Article. [Online]: http://www.indiewire.com/2014/12/attention-filmmakers-5-tips-for-making-and-distributing-your-short-film-66833/