By: Sarah Chaisson-Warner
What is a short film?
(A) A beautiful work of art.
(B) A sample to demonstrate your particular point of view.
(C) A calling card for what makes you special.
(D) All of the above.
Of course, the answer is D! A solid short film can open doors in this industry—consider some of the most well-known directors of the last thirty years: Wes Anderson began his career in film with a short film, “Bottle Rocket,” which caught the eye of producers at Sundance. When he couldn’t get the feature financed, Damien Chazelle produced a proof-of-concept short for “Whiplash,” which ultimately allowed the feature to be made. And Taika Waititi turned his love for art and photography into his first short film, “Two Cars, One Night”, establishing him as a filmmaker on the rise.
Our Short Film Fund winners and finalists have also leveraged the success of their short films to advance their careers. Here are ways that they (and you!) can gain industry exposure from short films.
BUILD AN ONLINE AUDIENCE
Short films are an excellent way to build your brand and followership online. The format of shorts is a perfect fit for online viewing, and channels like YouTube Shorts, Short of the Week, and Omeleto have exploded to meet the rising demand among consumers for bite-sized films.
Sam Baron
After screening at over 50 festivals worldwide, 2022 Fall Season’s Second Place Winner THIRSTYGIRL, written and directed by Alexandra Qin, has been viewed over 4 million times on the Director’s Notes YouTube. One of the film fund’s earliest winners, Sam Baron, leveraged his short film, THE ORGY, to build a sizable audience and following as well, racking up over 6 million views online for that film and subsequent other shorts.
These aren’t just vanity metrics. In a world where social media has an increasingly valuable role to play, building online viewership and followers helps demonstrate to industry professionals that there is a built-in market for your particular point of view and your films.
PROOF OF CONCEPTS
Short films can also serve as a proof of concept for a larger project, such as a television series or a feature film. A proof of concept is typically a low(er)-budget short film that gives investors and potential industry partners a taste of the filmmaker’s point of view and style.
Several of our past Short Film Fund winners created their short as a proof of concept. After screening at Sundance in 2024, being accepted into the Sundance Development Track, and gaining attention from industry insiders, the feature film version of THIRSTYGIRL is now in pre-production.
Similarly, following a successful festival run, Sam Baron was approached by producers to develop THE ORGY into a TV series with Sony Pictures. And, OVER THE NEXT HILL by 2021 Short Film Fund 2nd Place Winner, Tarique Qayumi, has already garnered interest from producers and financiers for the feature-length version, even prior to the short film’s official release.
FELLOWSHIP & LAB PARTICIPATION
Fellowships and labs for writers and directors offer an incredible opportunity to learn, grow, network, and create professional partnerships. Most major studios have a workshop or fellowship program that trains writers and often funnels those graduates into writing jobs within the studio’s portfolio of projects. But getting into a lab isn’t easy, and the organizers often want to see a sample of your work as part of the application process to judge whether you would be a good fit for the opportunity.
Chelsea Isabella Clark-James
Lindiwe Makgalemele won the Short Film Fund with her script, THE TOWN, and was awarded placement in the prestigious Sundance Ignite program after they viewed her completed film. Chelsea Isabella Clark-James, winner of the 2022 Short Film Fund, was invited to participate in Sundance Collab’s directing lab thanks to her winning short, NON EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORT, helping to further ignite her directing career.
“I just want to thank you again. The support that has come along with winning Shore Scripts has been as impactful as the funding itself. I wouldn’t have gotten into the Sundance Collab without it.” – Chelsea Isabella Clark-James
(Don’t forget – Shore Scripts offers two labs each year: The Script to Screen program and the TV Writers Mentorship program!
MORE WRITING GIGS
A short film can serve as a calling card for your work as you seek other writing jobs. Those who are looking to hire will want to see a portfolio, and short films serve as an important part of that portfolio.
Nora Kirkpatrick leveraged her winning film BEST SELLER to take on a series of writing gigs with Amazon, including the TV series “Daisy Jones and the Six,” produced by Reese Witherspoon and starring Riley Keough, and “Rodeo Queens,” starring Dakota Johnson. Nora also went on to write and direct the feature film “A Tree Fell in the Woods,” which stars Josh Gad and Daveed Diggs, and premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival.
Our 2020 Short Film Fund winner, Anthony Florez (TWOBEARS), went on to work as a staff writer on the TV shows “Deputy” (Fox), “Dark Winds” (AMC), “Power Book IV: Force” (Starz), and the upcoming “Splinter Cell” (Netflix).
Chelsea’s short film win for NON EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORT put her back on the social media radar of an indie director with whom she had previously worked. She was then hired to write a feature screenplay for him.
After years of writing, directing, and producing short films, including what he calls the “Amit Shah Trilogy” (“The Orgy,” “Big Ears,” and “Tall, Dark, and Handsome”), Sam Baron recently wrapped production on the feature film “Circles,” penned by himself and Ariel Heller. The film is directed by Heller and stars Sam and Alli Brown as a couple who retreat to a cabin to repair their marriage, only to find themselves in a time loop that restarts every time one of them lies. (Fun fact, Alexandra Qin of THIRSTYGIRL also joined the cast!). Sam and Ariel met at the Austin Film Festival, where Sam was screening THE ORGY after winning the Shore Scripts Short Film Fund, and Ariel was screening his film “Mammoth.”
YOU CAN DO IT TOO
A successful short film offers the opportunity to build an online audience, can put you a leg up in the application process for a spot in a lab or fellowship, lead to more writing gigs, and serve as a proof of concept for a television show or feature film. Shorts can help filmmakers, particularly newer ones, learn the craft, find their voice, and create relationships with other industry professionals for the long-run. Short films provide evidence to industry leaders and professionals that you are indeed a skilled filmmaker with a point of view who can take on bigger projects.
And while this article has largely been about how shorts can help you gain industry exposure as a writer and filmmaker, we can’t forget that short films aren’t simply and only a means to an end. Some filmmakers spend their entire careers making shorts, and some, including famed director Wes Anderson, came back to making shorts after building a successful feature film career. (See our article on Wes Anderson’s return to short films with “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.”)
Whether your ultimate career goal is to create a lifetime of short films or to build a portfolio for future work, starting with short films, if you have a short that you think might serve as your starting point, consider taking these initial steps to get moving in the right direction!
- First: If you’re financially able, consider purchasing coverage for your short script. Coverage provides comprehensive, actionable feedback from industry professionals designed to take your script to the next level. Shore Scripts offers coverage for short films for $99 with a two to five day turn-around. The coverage report includes feedback on your script’s premise and theme, hook, stakes and plot, characters, dialogue and sound, structure and pace, producibility, and overall presentation. It also includes a conclusion providing a summary of your script’s key strengths and areas for improvement with an industry scorecard.
Second: Once your script is in the best shape possible, consider entering it into a contest. Many of these contests have a history of opening doors for new writers, with prize packages that help advance careers by providing industry exposure and connections, mentorship and more. The Grand Prize Winner of the Shore Scripts Short Film Fund this season will receive a $15,000 cash production grant, mentorship from an Oscar-nominated producer, a film festival strategy package, camera equipment rental, and more.
- Third: Network, network, network. The entertainment industry runs on relationships, and building real, authentic relationships can help open the right doors for sharing your work with industry professionals. Submitting to and attending short film festivals can help you meet the right people and build the kind of authentic, mutually beneficial relationships that can help put your career on the right path. (Check out our article on how to craft your best festival strategy.)
Whatever your path is, we are here to help you along the way! But the most important thing is to believe in yourself and your work, and keep plugging away at your dream.
