When work gets in the way

So where's that short film I'm working on? Well sometimes work gets in the way, that's where. Work kicked in late in 2016 and projects needed to get done.
However, finishing the short is high on the list of activities to complete in the first couple of months of 2017. Already working on a new script and excited by the possibilities of this twisted little psychological thriller.
So why short films? Why bother with a film that will never hit the big screens, won't get funding and will take just as much effort to put together?
My thoughts....

1. It can be a way to get real funding. Remember Whiplash? (Movie about student playing drums as a jazz school, great movie.) And even Napoleon Dynamite, both of those started as shorts, had a good degree of success on the sort circuit and allowed the directors to get the funding for the film they really wanted to make.

2. Experience. A short gives you a tasted of what's required for a feature. Do you have what it takes, do you even want to do it? The short will give you most of those answers. You also get to work with a crew and that is always good experience.

3. What do you have to say? A short can help you figure out who you are as a filmmaker? As they sometimes say, 'find your voice'. Figure out what sort of filmmaker you hope to be or think you are. 

4. It's a great way to really try and get something into a festival. That of course could be your calling card to investment, more shorts or a shot at a feature.

5. For the love of film. Most of us still have to have day jobs, we can take four days off to shoot a short, but not two months to make a feature. 

I make films I love. I don't make films for other people. I'm not interested in fame or notoriety. Don't get me wrong, I'm interested in being a filmmaker and looking for investment in what I do, but it's about the art, not the glory. It's about fulfilling my idea of good film.

Now just have to find the time to finish the current one!

#shortfilms #whymakeashortfilm #waihora #waihorafilms #shortfilm