Internet Based Research: Part 8 - Distribution and Exhibition

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The ratio of shorts that make money through more conventional channels of distribution and exhibition to those that don’t is diminutive. Why do you think this is?
Thousands of short films produced each year, make money, but mainly these are television advertisements and music videos. Short films rarely make an appearance on the TV screen, but a select few channels such as Bravo and Film 4 will occasionally acquire short films as a pre feature to a feature film. These shorts are often related to the theme of the feature and are award winning shorts from festivals. Over the past couple of years new cable and satellite channels have popped up that are dedicated to showing short films from around the world and the UK currently have three of them ‘Current TV’, ‘Film 24’ and ‘Propeller’. It has also been announced that the BBC digital channels BB3 and BB4 are working hard to promote and show short films from time to time in the near future. The company Nelflix are now selling a variety of DVD’s that feature a set of short films that contain the same theme from all different types of genre. Also some airline flights are now showing short films and these are highlighted in their flight magazines.

Most shorts are produced as a promotional tool to display talent and gain recognition and are made for competition purposes or by a student as part of their portfolio. Hobby producers like the experience and thrill from the final product.

To answer the above question, is that the industry for short films have limited funding and the short has to be exceptional to be recognised. Also, a lot of the shorts that relate to television advertisements and music videos are produced by professionals with larger budgets and who have access to technical technology. Moreover, they are recognised bodies within the industry and have experience as well as awards to their name. Mainly only award winning shorts from recognised festivals from within the film and media industry tend to be more successful as more labels are now trying to get collections together for DVD purposes.

I then looked at the following websites:
www.cinema16.org/home.php
www.bfi.org.uk/education
www.futureshorts.com
www.raindance.co.uk/site/index.php
www.shootingpeoplefilms.com/content
www.shortfilmsdvd.com

In what contexts have the following anthologies/collections of short films been created and how have they been put together?
Cinema16 have put together DVD’s for sale that contain classic and award winning short films. However the DVD’s are subdivided into four main categories – World short films, American short films, European short films and British short films.
BFI org has focused on educational contexts and have grouped their short films according for this purpose.

Future shorts organises a social showing of the finest short films from around the world, which occasionally will have a seasonal themes. Their main venue is held in a Tobacco Factory, located in Bristol and the screening for these short films is held on the second Monday of every month.
Raindance have a venue, where individual script writers can go along and have a two minute pitch to explain your script to a panel of top British film executives. If you are successful, your script will be read, purchased and made into a film. The next venue will be held on the 4th October, 2010 at the Apollo Cinema in Piccadilly Circus, London.

Shooting People is the UK's premier independent filmmakers' network that has transformed the way independent film is being made and this webpage is advertising the sale of two DVD’s - The Best v Best Volume one and two, which contain major prize winning short films from the world’s most influential film festivals.

Short films have produced a collection of 13 shorts on one disc and the majority of them are award winning films.

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