The Short Films that Led to Long Careers

For decades, aspiring filmmakers have used short films as tools for learning their craft. Constrained by tiny budgets, small casts, and limited options for shooting locations, they produce complete stories ranging from five to thirty minutes in length. Visually, the films present like rough cuts. But artistically, they reveal the tendencies of these future auteurs. You might have heard of a few of them: George Lucas, Tim Burton, Quentin Tarantino, Jean‑Luc Goddard. In this episode, we explore the short films of famous directors, so you can appreciate the humble beginnings of these filmmaking giants.

Have you made a short film? Leave us a comment telling us about it!

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References

Chaisson, Chris. “Why and How Short Films are Made.” Cup of Tea Critiques, 2022. https://www.cupofteacritiques.com/crumpets/why-and-how-short-films-are-made.

O’Donnell, Rory. “Starting Small: The Early Short Films of Great Directors.” ELFS Japan, 2019. https://elfsjapan.com/blog/starting-small-the-early-short-films-of-great-directors/.

Stefansky, Emma. “10 Great Short Films by Famous Directors.” Screen Crush, 2023. https://screencrush.com/short-films-by-famous-directors/.

“When 15 Famous Directors Made Films with Almost No Money,” n.d. [Film] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhno3dI4W6w.

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