When venturing into the world of short filmmaking it can be difficult to know where to start. Whether you are a recent media graduate or completely knew to the idea of making your own films, the sheer volume of other products out there on the festival circuit and on the internet (most notably Youtube) mean you can only add your fish to an already ram packed pond. Considering how much influence mainstream cinema has on many new filmmakers it can be a near impossible task to think of new, engaging and original stories and concepts. The 'next to nothing' budget doesn't help many ambitious filmmakers achieve the results they were hoping for either.

Making a film 'short' is the best work around for many of the budget issues. Using programs such as After Effects and Photoshop is another work around to get those super high quality special effects we usually see in multi-million dollar movies. The fact is that many short filmmakers cram their ambitious plots into 10mins and under just to get them into as many festivals as possible, and then couple them with cheesy effects that are at the very least, cringe worthy, not forgetting gunshot1.wav downloaded from a 100% free sound effects website materializing regularly. I must point out that not all filmmakers do this, however the other side of the short film spectrum sees cleverly constructed plots that make use of the time limitation set by festivals. Yet these are usually films with specific build-ups to plot twists or comedy catches that lose their replay value after first view.

If we step back for a moment and see short film as its own entity and not as a show-reel or calling card for some hotshot producer to come and give you a job as the next Steven, Quentin or Michael, it can be a lot more of an enjoyable experience.

The digital video camera, dare I say, will also become an incredibly powerful tool, rather than a shoddy film impostor.

Realizing I may have already alienated many filmmakers I'll get to the point. We all have easy access to video cameras and tape stock. A video camera can go anywhere (almost) and can capture moments in time that other devices can't. Hence using a video camera should be celebrated and not hidden away under bags of filters and 'magic bullets'. If you know your craft as a videographer, you'll create beautiful video. Capturing these moments in time and piecing them together will take you on a journey and prove to be an engaging watch. By 'moments' I mean events, objects, people, animals etc.. in our everyday life, from the clothes drying on the line and the factories spewing out smoke to your journey to work in the morning, the arrangement of a pile of rubble in your garden and the roofing tiles of your home. This is not a revelation however, as many international filmmakers have been doing this for decades. When man first had the ability to capture life in a moving image, this is what he was doing.

Without sounding too pretentious (although it is difficult when discussing art forms) it is similar to the comparison between novels and poems. Both are written forms of expression, however neither are a longer or shorter, more expensive or cheaper version of the other. In this comparison the short film is the poem, and the video camera will give you the freedom to express that poem naturally and easily in its own form.

Author: Manjeet Gill is Creative Director of Birmingham Salute Media Productions Ltd (www.bsalute.co.uk) and part of the Black Country Cinema in the UK.


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