Tuesday, January 25, 2011

I Like Short Shorts

Check out this short film gem, written & directed by Karin Anna Cheung, best known for her work in Better Luck Tomorrow and The People I’ve Slept With:



Did you notice the total run time? 1 minute and 31 seconds! Fantastic.

I love the idea of a short film that is truly short. 5 minutes or less. Many short films being produced today are 20-30 minutes, which is way too long. If a short film doesn’t capture me in the first minute, especially when watching online, it can feel interminable.

This is why comedy shorts play so well online. Make me laugh in the first minute and you’ve got me. Just like this one:



But can you produce a short short film drama that tells a complete story and plays well online? Now that is a challenge. Perhaps one that I’ll tackle in the weeks to come.

I ran into Karin last week at an event and snapped this photo. As if I needed any more evidence that I need to learn how to better pose for pictures...


If you know of any solid dramatic shorts online that are under 5 minutes, post them below!

2 comments:

  1. Hey Teresa!

    I completely agree with you. Short films should be short. I have been to a lot of film festivals and sen WAY too many 20-30 minute "short" films. Brigitte and I call them "longs."

    Here is a short we made and took to a few festivals. While it's not a minute and a half, we feel that it is a good length and hopefully answers your question about creating dramatic pieces that compel in a short amount of time. Hope you like it.

    http://tower26films.blogspot.com/2009/11/worldwide-web-premiere.html

    Cheers!
    Daniel

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  2. Dan, that was so fantastic! I love the story of it too. And congrats on getting it into festivals - not bad for a weekend's work! Hope you got to enjoy Vegas in between shots!

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