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Definition of a Short Film



Definition

A short film is any motion picture that is not long enough to be classified as a feature length film. On average, a short film is usually judged and classified as a short film when the duration and running time is around 40minutes or less; including the credits. Short films are often screened at local, national, or international film festivals and produced by independent filmmakers with either a low or zero budget. It is believed that short films are generally used by filmmakers to gain experience or prove their talent in order to gain funding for future films from private investors, entertainment companies, or film studios.

The Birth of Short Films

Short films arguably began with the antics and stories of Charlie Chaplin as well as the black and white cartoons, each usually lasting 5 minutes and never exceeding any more than 10 minutes. Walt Disney Productions and Warner Bros Cartoons boosted short filming viewing and productions with their loveable and household famous characters and their stories being watched religiously with families all over looking forward to viewing them; cartoon shorts definitely became the more popular and successful short films. 

Short Films in the Modern Era

Nowadays, cartoon shorts and short films by the Big Six conglomerates are no longer independent, Pixar often stream a short film alongside their feature films, and when Disney bought Pixar in 2006, the famous Disney characters had their stories retold before the feature film began. Similarly, DreamWorks Animation include short films on special edition videos and appear at the end of the film after the credits- acting almost as a quasi-encore. In order to profit on their famous and loved short films, Warner Bros released the Looney Tunes where their characters and their antics were included into 30minute episodes for family viewing and for home viewing experience. Tropfest claims to be the world's largest short film festival. Tropfests takes place in Australia, Arabia, the US and elsewhere. Originating in 1993 in Australia, Tropfest is often credited as being at least partially responsible for the recent popularity of short films internationally. There is even an Academy Award for the “best short film” evidencing how far short films have come along. 

Short Shorts

Short short films are sometimes considered in a category of their own. The International Festival of Very Shorts based in Paris only shows movies less than three minutes long. Filminute, the international one-minute film festival, has presented and promoted a collection of one-minute films across multiple media since September 2006.

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