In the field of audiovisual production, in which content is produced for the audiovisual media, especially the cinema and tv, the short film, popularly also known as short, is a audiovisual production that does not last more than thirty minutes, its traditional duration is between eight and thirty minutes.
Audiovisual production that is characterized by its short duration, by approaching innovative or little hackneyed themes, and a different language
From the hour of duration it is considered that it is a feature film.
These short films try to deal with low-grossing subjects and that fact of being outside the commercial circuits allows their filmmakers to tackle topics of all kinds, depart from traditional genres, improvise, impose their creativity, break and transgress the classic laws of language cinematographic, and unleash new visual and content proposals.
Although if we go through the history of short films, this type of production has dealt with the most varied genres and these have been the same ones commonly dealt with in full-length tapes, it should be noted that the trend has been to approach much less commercial topics, or that directly do not have an echo in long-term films, which traditionally bet on products that meet more popular characteristics since they ensure the rapid favor of the majority of the public.
Likewise, the difference in costs they present with respect to long films is important.
Film and first film student internship or test of various new filmmakers
Furthermore, the short film is something like the baptism of fire that every self-respecting filmmaker must display on their curriculum vitae as their first film work.
There are many directors who today enjoy an impressive celebrity and whose first step in the film industry was the making of a short film.
The shorts turn out to be a test and practice for cinematography students, that is, in many institutes or academies they are required to carry out a production of this type in order to pass the degree and formally receive a degree in filmmakers.
But beware, in recent years this type of product has also become a favorite expression by already established filmmakers.
Regarding the reason for this preference on the part of directors, we must mention the challenge involved in having to tell an original and engaging story for the public, in a few minutes.
And for the public they are interesting because that short duration provides them with great adrenaline.
On the other hand, as it does not have strict or pre-established parameters, as is the case with length, the short film is allowed multiple narrative, stylistic and staging licenses, which later lead to the appearance of new styles.
The main disadvantage is its lack of promotional space
The main disadvantage that can be attributed to short films is their difficult commercialization and therefore their diffusion, since there are not many commercial exhibition circuits dedicated strictly to this type of production and the market for feature films does not give them the space that these they need to transcend.
Although, nobility to emphasize, that in recent years, festivals and also the imprint brought by new technologies, especially the internet, have paved the way in this regard and today it is common for filmmakers to upload to the network of networks their creations enrolled in this type of proposal, facilitating their promotion with very low or zero costs, and if they collect a good response from the public, the commercial circuits are interested in them and thus they have the possibility of participating in some festivals and even be taken into account in notable awards.
Beyond the aforementioned, without a doubt, one of the great problems that short filmmakers face is the lack of a defined market to disseminate and promote their products.
The circuits that exist are still few and not widely distributed, and on the other hand they carry the stigma of being the expression of students and new filmmakers, a fact that takes away a certain value.
