Making Your Short Film — Crucial Things to Know Before You Jump

There are distinct advantages to making a short if all goes well: exposure, connections, awards, even possible adaptation into a feature. However, that’s a big “if”… Here are all of the things you need to be aware of before you decide to take the plunge.

 

Make your Short short

Don’t overlook the importance of length. Getting someone to watch or program an 8-minute short is a lot easier than a 25-minute short. And you do want to screen your film at festivals, and for industry types to watch your film, right?

As we know from talking to festival programmers, it’s a lot easier to program 5-minute shorts than 30-minute shorts. There is a finite amount of time in each festival block, and unless it’s a short film fest, a limited amount of short film blocks. The shorter the movies, the more of them can be programmed. That means more attendance (read: revenue) for the festival. Simply put, your chances of getting into festivals decrease exponentially for every minute in length past ten.

Yes, there have been well-known shorts (which ultimately became features) that were a lot longer than 8 minutes. OCULUS (31 mins) comes to mind, or WHIPLASH (18 mins). And yes, of course, if your short is absolutely amazing, it will likely get programmed. Of course, if you’ve got Jason Blum as executive producer on your short film, that probably doesn’t hurt your chances…  We’re just talking maximizing your chances of getting in, absent connections, heat, or any other factors that might potential grease the wheels. Keep it short.

Tell a Story

Often filmmakers forget the most important part of a movie when they’re making a short–namely, to tell a story. Just because your movie is only a few minutes long doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have a beginning, middle, and end. What often seems to happen is that the creators play around with new technical skills they’ve learned or indulge in a character study or a snapshot of a moment in time.

If you want your short to introduce you to the industry as a storyteller to be reckoned with, then you have to do exactly that–tell a story. Even a 1-minute movie can have a great story (heck, TV commercials sometimes tell compelling stories in less time than that.) Technical ability/cool shots/interesting scenarios/special effects/animation etc. – these are are great, but they’re no substitute for an engaging story that makes people want to see more of this world.

Don’t plan your shoot until your script is ironclad!

Plan, Plan, and Plan Again

Once your story is undeniable, plan your shoot. The first part of that is to be honest with yourself. What are you good at and what do you need help with? For most screenwriters, that will be the technical aspect of everything. Okay, hire people for that. Most cinematographers will come with their own equipment as well as the knowledge of how to make your movie look good. You will definitely need a sound person–so often otherwise well-done shorts are held back by their less-than professional sound.

A big part of planning your shoot is the budget. Here are the things to remember before budgeting: 

1. You will not make your money back.

Shorts are almost impossible to monetize. Yes, there are a few platforms that show shorts, and you might get a few cents per viewing, but the chances of you breaking even with even the cheapest short are slim to none… and Slim just has left town. What’s the solution? Be judicious with your money and, yes, that starts with the story–your alien invasion during the Super Bowl plot might need to wait until your firmly entrenched in the industry. Keep it contained. Unless you’re a special effects whiz, of course. Then go for it.

2. Make sure your budget is accurate.

…As opposed to wishful thinking. You’ll probably want to bring in a sharp line producer who understands how much things cost, permits, union rules, and so forth. Or take a course and learn to DIY. But for God’s sake, please don’t use AI budgeting software. The cost savings may look appealing, sure. The amount of things it gets completely wrong and the subsequent trainwrecks to follow, less so.

3. You will need to budget for things that aren’t directly related to shooting the movie.

Festival entry fees and attendance are a big part of that. Applying to festivals costs real money. And the ones worth showing at may not be nearby. That means you’ll have to travel and possibly stay overnight. All of that costs $$$. But getting accepted into a festival and then not attending in person defeats the purpose.

Plan for these expenses ahead of time. Remember, so much of this is about networking and meeting others who may become fans, partners, or possibly help you along the way. Mike Flanagan was able to crowdfund his first feature film in part because of the fans he made during his festival run of his short “Oculus Chapter Three: The Man with the Plan.” Seven years later, he was able to adapt his short into a feature.

4. Don’t Fall for a Racket

There are many film festivals that will happily take your money but aren’t going to do anything for you. Around 10,000 of them to be precise.

Short film blocks in particular are often a racket. The festivals need to make money. And that money comes from entry fees and ticket sales. Some festivals will accept almost anything–the more films they can program, the larger the audience they can sell tickets and merch to–cast, crew, friends, and family. Some festivals will even let you buy awards. 

So please don’t submit to every festival you find on Film Freeway. And, no, the star rating won’t tell you much. Let’s face it, every filmmaker who gets into a festival will usually leave a 5-star review.

Your first step in planning your film festival journey is to do your research. How long has this festival been around? What do other filmmakers have to say about it? What are some of their success stories? Are they A tier, B tier, or C tier? (Don’t waste your money on anything below C.)

Do they have special guests of some note? Have they grown in the time they’ve been around? Do they have mixers and networking events for their filmmakers? What’s the quality of their movies? Have some of their selections gone on or come from some of the top tier festivals and/or to decent wide releases? Is there buzz about it online?

Check out Moviemaker’s 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee in 2026

It’s not just about getting into film festivals, but to get into festivals that matter and that might potentially move you closer to your goals. We all have a finite amount of time and money; try not to waste any of yours. Consider utilizing a festival consultant like our pal Jon Fitzgerald, co-founder of Slamdance, so that you can come up with an effective festival strategy. Check out Jon’s Substack here. 

That said, go get ’em!