How Long Is a Short Film: What You Need To Know

A short movie is usually a video that is not very long enough to qualify as a feature-length movie.

While there is sometimes some discussion on this, generally it means that your video has a running time of around 45-minutes or less, excluding the credits.

This obviously varies from one viewer to another. Some people might view your movie as “more than enough” while others would look for more.

How Long Is a Short Film?

So, how long should a short film be? If you have been asked that question, you might be wondering how they came up with that number.

Well, the answer lies in understanding how the entire concept works and some of the basics of writing short films.

The length basically depends on how long the viewer will stay on the video.

If a viewer stays for only a few seconds, you do not want to lengthen your film because you will lose them.

However, if a viewer stays for a few minutes or even longer, you do want to consider lengthening your film.

How Many Genres Can One Film Fall Into?

Well, there are actually several genres when it comes to making shorts. Some of these genres are Action/Adventure, Comedy/ dramas, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Martial Arts, Science Fiction, and Western.

As mentioned earlier, a short film can fall into any one of these categories, but the viewers are more likely to stay with the genre if it fits in with the content of the video.

For instance, if you are making an action/adventure film, then you would most likely make your video in the thriller genre unless it specifically stars a superhero.

In terms of writing short films, you should first have an idea for a unique concept before you attempt to write the entire screenplay.

When you already have a concept in mind, you should write down the following sentences: “A story about a boy who accidentally ends up in a strange world that he doesn’t know a lot about.”

The first sentence creates a foundation for the rest of the story. Once you have your foundation, you can start writing the rest of the script. You should also try to get noticed as a screenwriter.

Writing short films is often compared to writing novels because both require extensive research on the topic before they are written.

However, there are distinct differences between novels and short stories.

Novels are structured, while shorts are usually unstructured. Since most short movies are unstructured, the best short films are the ones that are well-planned and have a strong plotline.

Because of the limited length of shorter films, you need to come up with a very interesting premise in order to get noticed by the audience.

While studying creative writing class or reading creative writing books, you will surely come across stories about great writers who have done amazing work in the past. Reading these stories can help you understand how to write a short movie.

Other than learning from stories, you can get some inspiration from real-life events that you have experienced.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to copy the story completely. You can add some of your own ideas to make the film special.

How To Get Noticed With Your Film?

If you really want to know how long a short film is, you should submit your short film to various short films festivals.

Most of these short films will be shown at various film festivals around the world, so if you submit your movie, you will surely get noticed!

It is also important to submit your film along with a written synopsis as well as a director’s bio.

You should not only include these things, but you should also include a press release about the film, a map and location, and the official website for the movie.