PROJEKT iVIEW : The Shorts Are Missing
iView Author:
Sandil Srinivasan
(Bangalore, India)
EMAIL:
itsandil [at] gmail [dot] com
I am extremely surprised that Indian cinema has such reach and versatility, yet it does little to sell, promote and distribute short films. I wonder why - is this because we don’t have viewership? Why not broadcast them on television, on weekends, or a dedicated weekly program to showcase them? Or is there really something there, and I’m being ignorant?
Which brings me to the root cause - are we making enough short films at all? If not, it comes as a bit of a shock, because really, we need to tap into that genre of cinema as well.
When you think short films and India, one such piece of work automatically comes to mind - the Little Terrorist. Set on the Rajasthani border with Pakistan, the Little Terrorist takes us through the journey of an innocent kid who, in the midst of a cricket match, accidentally crosses over the border. The effort received recognition - went up to the Oscars and everything, and I hoped it would inspire movie-makers in India to try their hand at short films.
Right, so shorts don’t really allow you to introduce character and emotion at their own sweet pace. There’s no space for the all-important item number. It’s hit and run. But still, I’d like to see some meaningful short films that tread the fine line separating art and mainstream, to deliver a message or two. I think it’s a rather useful weapon that Indian cinema can use to deliver meaningful messages, without running the risk of huge production values, etc. It also opens up a platform for serious amateur film-makers to come up with their results, hence offering a lot more credibility to their claims as people who can make films after all at that level.
Folks, what’s your take on this? Where are short movies headed, in India?
Filed Under
PROJEKT iVIEW
Loading ...
15 Responses to “PROJEKT iVIEW : The Shorts Are Missing”
Leave a Reply
(Ref smilies)
Our Comments Policy : The following kinds of comments are troll capped, blocked and/or commenter's identity reported publicly: Verbal abuse, personal attacks, hate statements, spam, trolls, advertising. Please assist us in keeping the comments clean. Use the contact form to let us know if you find unwarranted comments on PFC. Thank you.
-
Advertisement
- Bollywood in the 90
- ISC 2008 - Indian Screenwriters' Conference
- Scarface - 25
- Oye Lucky Lucky Oye Dibakar Banerjee Blogs on the m
- The Secret Grain, The Page Turner and Notes from director Abdellatif Kec
- Vaaranam Aayiram : A Thousand Things More…
- Tangoed for So ‘less’!
- The Secret Grain, The Page Turner and Notes from director Abdellatif Kechiche
- Scarface - 25 Years
- Has the Indian script arrived? The Indian Screenwriters’ Conference 2008
-
Advertisement
Hottest Today:
Advertisement
Recent Posts:
Indian Channels (including news channels) are too busy with all the reality shows, saas-bahu, or remake of South American/European shows, that is just a few percentage of the air time. The rest of time… the air hostess ads, underwear, nirmal,.. ads are shown. So tell me, where/how they would be able to fit in a five minute short film?
on serious note, i believe, they understand that there is not a viewer-ship of short films in india, so…
if one channels takes a bold step, then rest will follow. someone just needs to take an initiative. they just need to follow an example of PFC
About 3-4 months ago Star one tried short films in their “studio one” at 10 pm slot. In which “chosen one” and other short/telefilms where shown. quite good and satisfactory experience.
Someone I know had about two years back made a short film on DV. It went to a couple of film festivals and got a couple of awards. However till today he has not managed to find a buyer. The film is about 80 mins long. and was self financed. I do not remember if it was star one or some other channel… who were interested in showing the film but without any money. everyone who wants to screen the film pretends as if they were doing a favour while at the end of the day it is content.
This kind of incidents definately does not encourages new filmmakers to invest their time, effort and money.
I had made my first film as an experimental documentary… which again screened in festivals but no buyers in India- not even DD.
However maybe Dus Kahania if accepted by the audience will open up a new window.
onir i agree with you on that totally . people just look for opportunities to exploit . even this whole business of ‘giving break’ works on that …and its sad that short films cant make money despite having a sizeable audience …i mean compared tothei rbudgets of a few thousands sometimes a few lakhs …they deserve to come even on their money . some shorts are just too brilliant while most are just made because everyone has access to a dv cam …but those 1 % of shorts shud make money .
Hay,
Whether someone likes it or not, I have gone ahead and made a HDV short called “Bomber Briefs” set in Goa. It is a 38 minute short, and was made on a shoe-string(rather pajama-string) budget. You are invited to watch the trailer at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HyedsKoccg
Shorts are and will always remain an outlet for future filmmakers to hone their skills. And in the bargain, if some marketing whizkid spots it and buys, that would only be a bonus.
I made this short for what I believed in. Simple. Thanks and let’s support each other folks
To know more, please visit http://www.myspace.com/bomberbriefs
Click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HyedsKoccg to watch the trailer
Star Best sellers…comes to mind when we think of shorts…used to be awesome…45 min films…but then again how short is a short? Onir you say 80 mins film and then a short? 80 mins to me is a feature length….
Darna series was shorts again…but didnt quite go well with audience….but kudos to RGV for attempting something of that sorts
The commercial market for short films is limited all over the world. There are enterprising minds in Europe and North America who take an initiative to exhibit short films on commercial platforms, but the problem lies in the fact that a short cannot be sold individually. You can sell a package of short films to Video On Demand providers or channels such as IFC, but when you are trying to sell a package of multiple shorts to fit a 60-90 min programming space, it requires a lot of coordination. The market has to be cultivated by exposing viewers to quality short films, because one does not exist at the moment that will start providing instant profit. The number of people with money willing to cultivate a new market is quite small.
In a place like India however, where every urban dweller carries a cell phone - The cell phone is a very very viable medium to distribute and exhibit short films. In the US, there is a company called Pliq that is trying to buy short films from festivals around the country and distribute as mobile content. A similar company with the vision and guts to cultivate that market in India could find a lot of success. Very few will pay to watch a short film, so there needs to be strong collaboration with advertisers so that short films can be brought free of cost to viewers via their mobile phones. In the US, it is in its infancy. It’s time some production house in India evaluated the commercial potential of short films as well.
Shorts on cell phones…hmm that is a very interesting thought Vijay..and made me think this…when i am travelling..i always upload movies on my ipod…same way a deal cud be struck with apple or orther such companies…
@Om - Apple is already doing it. If you open your iTunes and go to “Store” or “podcasts” and look under “movies”, you will find a section to purchase short films. They have many many shorts on there that you pay $1.99 for and can download to your iPod. The problem arises with cost. Why should I pay $1.99 for a short film, when I can pay the same amount at Hollywood Video and rent a feature film? iTunes and podcasting is a great medium, but you cannot cultivate the short film market until and unless you eliminate the cost.
hmmm didnt know about it…will look…but yes 1.99 for a short is expensive..mebbe if they comeup with a package of 5 shorts for the same amount..that wud be more feasible
In terms for value for money, yes, if they packaged 3-5 shorts for $1.99, it makes sense. But does that still seem feasible in terms of the psyche of the customer?
I am willing to spend $11 on a feature film for various reasons - reputation of the director, cast, or based on how well the film is marketed. Money is spent by the filmmakers to persuade me to spend that $11.
Even if I am getting 5 shorts for $1.99, as a paying customer, I need to be persuaded in some way or the other to spend that money. So the question then comes down to - How does one market a short? It’s not about how much you expect the customer to pay, its about either the customer pays, or does not. And if he/she pays, then explaining why he/she should pay. How do you promise or persuade the customer that his/her $1.99 will yield good entertainment value? And, more importantly, will the money spent on that marketing/persuasion yield a profit?
The solution isn’t that complex or impossible and 5 for 1.99 is a ridiculously low price for a short… when iTunes is offering a song for a $1.28 something… and now you expect to get 5 and more shorts for 70 cents more… that’s ridiculous. What next? The whole kachcha (short) of the filmmaker along with his short (film)??? Comeon!!! One song for $1.28 is acceptable but 5 short films for a 1.99 or more (if it ever happens) is not??? And Hollywood video is a rental you have to give the movie back not the shorts that you download from iTunes, you’ve bought it. I recently downloaded Blue Umbrella from Rajshri at 9.99 - if I had gone to watch the movie at Naz8 (if it had been released) I would have spent 8.50 on the ticket plus gas plus all the shit that one would eat and drink there (including the kingfisher at Ambala dhaba)… but then I would have watched the movie and come back. Now at 9.99 I have watched the movie and have it for life on my Mac… ofcourse the prices will come down with more people downloading movies legally.
The fact is there is a market for shorts. Don’t believe me? Check out all the posts on PFC made in the last one month that talk about missing those lovely 25 minute short stories on DD and other channels like “Ek Kahani” etc… check out the enthusiastic comments, the love and the yearning to have something like that again. What are all these people talking about?
Nothing but Shorts.
To get people out in the theaters to watch shorts may be a big challenge, but it isn’t impossible. Shorts can be clubbed with the main movie and shown before the start of the movie. You pay X bucks extra if you want to watch the movie along with the shorts or if you just wanna watch the movie minus the shorts pay the usual price. Of course now there are many challenges involved like time, audience segregation (who walks in for shorts and who doesn’t) etc. Or a multiplex can have a screen that shows shorts in a continuous loop throughout the day and for all viewers who walk in the theater to watch a “brand” movie can pay X bucks extra to watch the shorts too. People usually hang around before or after the show, or are simply around to have a couple of beers or dinner/lunch around the multiplex (at least here in California they do) and merely paying 2 bucks (say) more to watch a whole range of short stories along with the movie is not a un-attractive proposition. It needs to be packaged and branded in the right way to make its impact on the theater goer.
But in the end the success of shorts lies in going back to television. With so many cable channels, there is a huge market. This is the kind of software that the TV companies may be criminally ignoring - why? because no one else is doing this… the short films are a no brainer in terms of getting fabulous content… all the TV companies have to do is package them as weekly shows just like DD did in those days. (sometimes I think a few things DD did were far much better and impact-ful than the cable companies acts of today)
Further more, the episodes (each a short movie) can be made available for download by the television companies for a small price. Do they realize they have a fantastic product in hand if a short film which was good and has not been watched by all members of the family now has a ready market in each house, because the one who watched it has loved it and is speaking about the short to others who haven’t. The is where iPod or Mobile phones will come to play where people while traveling can use the downloaded shorts for their entertainment and killing time.
And another pot of gold that lies for short film makers is the internet. We are not there yet, but technology is making it easier and easier and quality of movies shown on the web is very very attractive and digestible. If one has 50 screens in a town then the same town has 5000 computers… each computer a customer. iTunes is the right direction… more need to follow. But it’s also the mindset of the short filmmaker. Does he/she believe in the technology to go ahead and market the film online? I’ve heard comments around on PFC that the sound quality won’t be good, picture quality would be bad etc. etc. as reasons for short filmmakers to not bring their movie online… according to me it isn’t bad as they make it out to be. Every good engaging short movie that a filmmaker does NOT mass distribute (internet, TV) if given the opportunity, is another delayed step for finding a niche time and place for the short movies that are coming now and in the future. The market exists, the place, delivery and method just needs to be fine tuned.
… so in the end for the usual movie goer, watching shorts in the theater would be an acquired taste, on tv it isn’t while on the internet it’s a mix of taste, appeal and strides in technology and the learning curve for the computer user… not impossible because the porn industry is making more than 5 billion a year a major chunk coming from it’s online streaming movies.
it’s all there, someone with the heart and passion (and ofcourse time and money) needs to tap it the right way.
If a completely alien Chinese dish, 99.99% Indians had not heard of prior to 1984, has today become the default food for 99.99% single Indians, you’ve got to really give it to Maggie Noodles… they didn’t do a bad job at developing the Indian taste for noodles.
And shorts doesn’t have half as bad a road chalked out for it.
Short films are lovely, I always love watching them (in a good festival) and of course working on them. I wouldn’t want to pay to watch them though… am a freeloader.
Vijay and Oz has made a good observation and estimation on the marketing and distribution of the shorts.
Since commercial aspect of the shorts is difficult and challenging from the marketing point of view, yet it has not let down the short filmmakers around the world.
Number of short films made in UK are more than the feature films made in that country. And these filmmakers are mostly upcoming wanting to break into mainstream and are self funded. These films, if when selected go to the film festivals where the talent get spotted and move into feature circuit. But its not that easy. All of it is driven more with passion and less with commerce.
Unfortunately, in India we don’t have the culture of making shorts, or of the film festivals hunting talent and distribution. We don’t find good reasons to make them. we find excuse not to make them, which is mostly monetary. Moreover, budding filmmakers want to straight away make a feature films. What a shame. Shorts can be a great platform to show your filmmaking talent and for funders to witness it. Well this is India, who needs talent, welcome to the world of dvd parlours they are thriving. Still I find it hard to get the films I want to watch and not remake.
How long is a short?
Before Ashvin’s venture into academy nominated film Little Terrorist, he went up in Himalaya to make Road to Ladakh. Guess, it was about 40-50mins (can’t remember the duration) film which was a good show. I enjoyed the film, as a first film it was really good job. With that longer a short film he got bit wiser and came back (from london) to do his academy nominated film, the duration of which he kept around 15mins. And now he is ready with his first feature called, Forest. The trailer is ready. http://www.alipur.com/forest/trailer.mov
A good advise from an experienced international producer for a short film is, not to make it over 20-25mins. Of course its not a thumb rule, as long as you can keep the viewer engaged any duration is good. But we are talking shorts. 80mins/40mins films find hard to get into short film festivals and they don’t get entry in feature films (unless they are really mindblowing films). They don’t even fit into TV slots.
Most of the shorts, which get made in India are part of the curriculum of FTII, SRFTII, NID, and other similar institutes. I guess they get broadcast on Doordarshan, at some odd hours. Satellite Channels did their bit from time to time but still we need more.
Corporates like mobile companies, digital camera co., Film channels, Group of individuals - like PFC, home entertainement videos, can open up competitions for short scripts and execute the film of the winning script to showcase it on their sites/phones/ channels and send over to festivals. It is a good addition on DVD’s along with a feature.
Am sure help will come from the industry when required to execute a winning script.
For Short and experimental film buffs living in India a group of individual have initiated. “Sadho Poetry Film Fest”, the first of its kind in India and also perhaps in this part of the world is happening in Delhi and have plans to travel to Mumbai. Visit http://www.sadho.com
Cheers!
KJ
Lots of wonderful opinions shared here - thanks. Have a good opinion of shorts in India now.