As short film curators, we often get asked the broad question: why make a short film? After all, they tend to be money losers, and even if you do capture lightning in a bottle and manage to go viral, that doesn’t necessarily translate to fame and fortune.

So, why do it?

Well, there is a popular assertion that a short film can be a pivotal stepping stone to a feature. Aaron Proctor from Fast Forward recently collated an excellent compilation of these rare occurrences—the magical instances where an independently made short film was able to make the jump to featuredom (a topic we briefly covered back with our old YouTube show).  Not only is it fun to see the humble beginnings of now classic films, it’s also a bit telling to see how rare this process actual is. To be blunt, the list isn’t very long (although Proctor never asserts that it is a complete list of all the short films to have made the jump to feature) .

Short Term 12, Image Credit: Brett Pawlak

There are thousands of shorts created across the world every year, and if we’ve done our job at all at Short of the Week, it’s clear that several are really impressive. Yet, the sad fact is that short films are still a woefully under-watched medium. Want proof? As a totally unscientific social experiment, next time you’re hanging out with a group of your friends, ask them if they’ve seen the short film Validation (the rare short that’s cracked over 8 million views on YouTube). Then, ask them if they’ve seen an episode of The Bachelor. I rest my case.

I write this not to discourage filmmakers, but instead encourage them to objectively understand what a short film is. In my personal take, making a solid short is not about making a feature film. Rather, it’s about gaining the confidence to make a feature film. Beyond that, it’s about creating something that isn’t restrained by client restrictions—it’s about making something you want to make.

Does that mean short films can’t be a directorial calling card—something that will send agents and producers buzzing? Not at all—I know this does happen (Hollywood does love a special-effects leaden short after all). But, in a world where paid production work is so often restricted by marketing buzzwords and inane client restrictions, the short film is the creative chaser—a story that can just be, untethered by branding guidelines.

After all, creatives always have some sort of narrative itch that needs to be scratched. We make because we have to, feature aspirations or not.