“A kid now can practically record a song or edit a short film on his way to school. I think that will produce, perhaps, more less-interesting things - or you'll have to search more to find the interesting things. But I also think it's exciting.” ThinkingWayKidsSchoolFilmSongInterestingRecordsProduceExcitingInteresting ThingsEditsShort Films Author:Michael Pitt
“I was a bartender in New York and I overheard this girl saying she made $3000 doing a commercial. A kid at work told me, 'Hey, I know this director and he'd really like you!'. So I walked into this guy's office and was like 'I was thinking maybe I could make $3000' and he hired me for commercials, short films, like 15 jobs in a row.” ThinkingKnowsMadeKidsJobsFilmGuyGirlNew YorkLike YouDirectorsOfficeHeyThis GuyThis GirlBartenderShort FilmsReally Like You Author:Pauley Perrette
“I did a dance sequence in my second short film, which was my best short film, called 'Hairway to the Stars,' and I think Chris Wink, the founder of Blue Man Group, was in that. It's a black-and-white dance sequence. We were Glorious Food waiters together.” ThinkingMenTogetherFilmStarsBlackWhiteGroupsBlueGloriousBlack And WhiteFoundersSequenceWaiterShort FilmsBest Short Author:David O. Russell
“I had various jobs, I taught a SAT class, I was a bartender, I had a day job at an office and was making short films. I got grants from NYSCA and NEA for an idea, which later became 'Huckabees,' about a guy in a Chinese restaurant who had microphones on every table and heard every personal conversation and would write perversely personal fortunes.” WritingIdeasJobsFilmGuyClassHeardTaughtConversationOfficeTablesFortuneVariousChineseSatRestaurantsGrantsMicrophonesDay JobsBartenderShort Films Author:David O. Russell
“When I went to film school about three years ago, the first two years you're required to make a series of short films. I started making films based on short poems.” YearsFirstsTwoSchoolFilmThreeYears AgoSeriesTwo YearsThree YearsFilm SchoolShort Films Author:James Franco
“Back before 'Brick,' I wrote a short film that I never ended up shooting: hit men in the present who work for a mob in the future who send their victims back in time. A guy is sent his future self, he lets him run, and the whole short was them chasing each other across the city. That sat in a drawer for 10 years until after I made 'Brothers Bloom.” MenYearsMadeSelfWholeRunningFilmGuyCitiesBrotherVictimShootingSatChasingBricksDrawersBack In TimeShort FilmsFuture Self Author:Rian Johnson
“Then in college, besides economics, I also majored in studio art and got involved in photography and making short films and acting. But I didn't know you could make a living that way.” KnowsWayArtFilmActingCollegeInvolvedPhotographyEconomicsStudiosShort Films Author:Brit Marling
“You can write when you're dyslexic, you just can't read it. But I started writing short stories as a child and I found the short story format a real nice one. I love short stories and I love short documentaries or short films of any kind.” WritingKindChildrenRealStoriesFilmFoundNiceShort StoryDocumentariesFormatShort LoveShort FilmsDyslexicWriting ShortWriting Short Stories Author:Billy Bob Thornton
“Room 10 [a short film she codirected with Andrea Buchanan] nailed my personal theme: love and choosing to stay in the room when the going gets tough.” FilmRoomsToughThemeShort FilmsAndreaGoing Gets Tough Author:Jennifer Aniston
“When I do short films, I try to do something completely out of my comfort zone, out of my element.” TryingFilmComfortElementsZoneComfort ZoneShort Films Author:Brett Ratner
“I think I've found my passion in life. I'm going to direct a couple of short film on hiatus. That's what I really want to do.” ThinkingWantFilmPassionFoundCoupleDirectMy PassionShort FilmsHiatus Author:Matt Barr
“Well I'm Superman, just not action. I'm kind of looking for something with a lot less action and more talking and listening. I also have a film that's premiering Vegas Film Festival, short film, directed by Joel Kelly, it's called Denial and it's a story, short film, 35 mm short film and it's about a man's struggle to choose between the woman of his dreams and his reality, so it's definitely different than Superman. So I'm really proud of that.” MenWellsKindDifferentStoriesDreamRealityActionFilmTalkingStruggleListeningProudDenialFestivalsVegasShort FilmsFilm FestivalsTalking And Listening Author:Brandon Routh
“I love doing short films because they're much more intimate and there's far less waiting around than on the bigger films.” FilmWaitingBiggerIntimateShort FilmsWaiting Around Author:Natalia Tena
“My aunt put my cousins into a childrens modelling agency, then my mum did it with us. Me and my sister got a few TV adverts, which was good pocket money. A director saw photos of me and asked me to do a short film.” FilmSawsTvsDirectorsAgencyPocketsMy SisterMumCousinAuntMy CousinModellingShort FilmsAdvertsPhoto Of Me Author:Sullivan Stapleton
“A short film is just another storytelling medium like TV, Features, and Webisodes. I am just thrilled that Silent Cargo is getting out there for people to see.” PeopleFilmTvsSilentStorytellingMediumsFeaturesShort FilmsCargo Author:Ellen Wong
“It's funny: I put money into short films, and I put really good actors in it, and I write some stuff that's really funny, and I'll get, like, a million views. But to the right of me, there will be a video of a kitten that falls into a toilet bowl, and it's three seconds long, and it will get 25 million views.” WritingLongFilmFallThreeActorsStuffViewsMillionsVideoSecondsBowlsToiletsKittenGood ActorsShort Films Author:Ben Schwartz
“Im very happy with the success of short films. In fact, for me, the short films make more money than the features.” FactsFilmFeaturesMore MoneyVery HappyShort Films Author:Bill Plympton
“My first job was an AFI short film, Chasing Daylight, when I was 11, and I made a couple of commercials that never aired.” FirstsMadeJobsFilmCoupleChasingDaylightShort Films Author:Jason Dolley
“My show is sort of a short-film anthology, and I'm able to tell little stories that don't necessarily carry a whole episode in terms of narrative. I like the audience not being sure what they're getting. I think it's more fun to watch something when you're discovering it as you go along.” ThinkingLittlesWholeStoriesShowsAbleFilmFunTermWatchesAudienceNarrativeDiscoveringEpisodesAnthologyShort Films Author:Louis C. K.
“My friends and I make short films. We pretended to rob the Dairy Queen where our friend worked, but someone thought we were real thieves and called the cops! Soon, the cops burst in with guns drawn!” RealFilmGunMy FriendsQueensThievesCopDairyShort FilmsDairy Queen Author:Josh Hartnett
“I'm an unusual director in that my cut is usually shorter then the final released film. I like short films.” FilmCuttingDirectorsFinalsUnusualShort Films Author:Barry Sonnenfeld
“All of my short films are about marriages, and I think that this probably comes from some kind of unconscious fascination with my parents' story and what they went through.” ThinkingKindStoriesFilmParentUnconsciousFascinationShort Films Author:Sarah Polley
“I think the power of the short film is incredibly underrated. It is way easier to get someone to watch a 15-minute film then a full-length feature. In those 15 minutes you have the opportunity to express your voice as an artist and hopefully connect with your audience. If you are trying to be a first time feature director then a short film that demonstrates you have a grasp on the themes and concepts of the movie you want to direct is a no-brainer. Whether they are collaborators or potential investors, filmmaking is a visual art form so you obviously need visuals to show them!” IfsThinkingWayWantNeedsTryingFirstsArtShowsFilmFormArtistOpportunityVoiceWatchesAudienceMinutesEasierDirectorsConceptsFirst TimeDirectHopefullyFeaturesThemeVisualsLengthInvestorsFilmmakingVisual ArtCollaboratorsUnderratedShort FilmsNo Brainer Author:Nicholas Ozeki
“Short film: you can be poetic and you don't have to answer anything. You can make whatever you want. You have creative freedom with short film.” WantFilmAnswersCreativePoeticShort FilmsCreative Freedom Author:Taika Waititi
“I used to spend $25,000 of my own money on my short films, and I wouldn't make that back, not even close. So I think the Vimeo thing, because it's pay to download, that helps” ThinkingHelpingFilmUsedMy OwnPayDownloadsShort Films Author:Shane Dawson
“I always try to approach things from the point of authenticity. I've done that for my short films, working with non-actors from the real environments where you go exploring and placing them into the cast alongside professional actors.” TryingRealDoneFilmActorsEnvironmentApproachCastsAuthenticityExploringShort Films Author:Tom Green
“Before my commercial success, I had difficulty doing what I wanted, but my sincere short films always won prizes in festivals. So I was ready for larger successes.” WantedFilmReadyDifficultyPrizeSincereFestivalsShort Films Author:Michel Ocelot
“It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I thought, Well, maybe I'm just going to try doing this myself before somebody else comes in and handles it. For a long time my acting was just a marriage of convenience between me and these characters that I was writing.” WritingTryingWellsLongPlayCharacterFilmGirlActingCollegeLong TimeHandleConvenienceShort FilmsLooking For A Girl Author:Lena Dunham
“I did the drawing and writing - for five years. I made a lot of short films the whole while and I made a promise to myself in front of the mirror that I would stop drawing when I signed my first contract for a feature film.” WritingYearsFirstsMadeWholeFilmFiveFrontsPromiseMirrorsDrawingFeaturesFive YearsContractsShort Films Author:Patrice Leconte
“While I was doing the residency in Paris, I found out that I was chosen as one of the five winners of the Focus Features Africa First Program. All this happened less than a year after I made my first two short films.” YearsFirstsMadeTwoFilmFoundFiveFocusHappenedProgramChosenWinnerFeaturesParisShort FilmsResidency Author:Chika Anadu
“I'm not so arrogant to consider mine the only legitimate art form. I can't in one breath make a fuss about someone compartmentalizing music into genre and then in the next accuse advertising and short film of not being art.” ArtI CanFilmFormNextMinesBreathsAdvertisingGenreArrogantShort FilmsCompartmentalizing Author:Brandi Carlile
“I someday hope to find the time and coin to invest more of my creative energy towards the visual media side of releasing music. I'd love to make short film videos pushing the conventional standards of what a country music video can be.” CountryFilmEnergySidesCreativeMediaStandardsVideoVisualsSomedayPushingConventionalCoinsShort FilmsCreative Energy Author:Sturgill Simpson
“I've only made short films and two features, which are very different. One is a surreal comedy, and the other is a period tragedy. I'm curious to know what misconceptions this could trigger” KnowsMadeTwoDifferentFilmComedyPeriodsTragedyCuriousFeaturesTriggersSurrealMisconceptionShort Films Author:Sophie Barthes
“Alternate between short films, long form films, with or without stars, small budget or big budget films. Basically a filmmaker needs to be flexible.” NeedsLongBigsFilmFormStarsBudgetsFilmmakerFlexibleShort Films Author:Marion Vernoux
“After college I funded my short films with acting roles in film and TV. I learned my craft through the great opportunities British television gave me as a director.” FilmOpportunityActingRolesTelevisionCollegeTvsDirectorsBritishCraftsGreat OpportunityShort FilmsBritish Television Author:Justin Chadwick
“Go out and make something that reflects your interests, your taste, and your ideas. No one will pay you to make something until you have a few things you can show that you've directed. I got my start by making short films on my own.” IdeasShowsFilmInterestMy OwnPayTasteShort Films Author:Joseph Kosinski
“I'm going to continue to make short films. I love making shorts. I don't have a boss. There's no boss telling me what I can and can't do. I find that it's incredibly creative and challenging to just keep doing that.” I CanFilmChallengesCreativeBossLove MakingShortsShort Films Author:Todd Strauss-Schulson
“My tutor was a film director on the side, and she introduced me to film. She then put me in one of her short films, and it came out of that. That's when I fell in love with the process of making a film. After that, I was about 15 and I was like, "This is what I've gotta do." So, I started taking acting lessons, and then I applied to college to do acting. I got an agent, and it all just happened.” FilmProcessSidesActingHappenedCollegeLessonsDirectorsAgentsFilm DirectorsShort FilmsTutor Author:Eve Hewson
“Always had a passion for acting since I could remember, but I started when I was ten going for short film and commercial auditions in Los Angeles with my mom's help!” HelpingRememberFilmPassionActingMomTenMy MomLos AngelesAuditionsShort Films Author:Megan Lee
“Around age 18, I decided to start writing my own stuff. I wrote some bad short films and shot them. I tried to make them better and better. I slowly learned how to make movies, and I think I'm still learning.” ThinkingWritingStillsAgeFilmStuffMy OwnShotsDecidedShort Films Author:Quentin Dupieux
“I've done a lot of independent film, which are short shoots that are usually four to six weeks, max. I enjoy everything. After one particular experience of work, I like to go in the opposite direction and do a short film, or something else.” DoneFilmEnjoyFourWeekParticularSixOppositesIndependentMaxIndependent FilmShort Films Author:Adelaide Clemens
“I did short film with Damian Lewis from Homeland, that was a really incredible experience. He's one of the best actors I've ever worked with. Even though that's a short film for Jaguar that's really, in essence, a commercial, it didn't feel like it, at all.” FeelsFilmActorsEssenceIncrediblesHomelandShort FilmsJaguars Author:Shannyn Sossamon
“I had a really small role (playing goddess Aphrodite), and I was only working for just over a week with Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson. I'd done a few short films before and thought acting was really creative, but when I worked with those guys, I was just like: "Wow!" They had such fun and freedom. They were trying things and stretching themselves. It was so inspiring that I was like: "I definitely want to do this!"” WantTryingDoneFilmGuyFunActingRolesCreativeWeekWowGoddessStretchingAphroditeShort FilmsLiamRole PlayingSmall Roles Author:Agyness Deyn
“I graduated from high school with the art award and I had made a ton of short films, but it was before DVDs with director commentary.” ArtMadeSchoolFilmDirectorsHigh SchoolAwardsCommentaryDvdsShort Films Author:Kevin Munroe
“When I was in architecture school, rather than giving us drafting boards and t-squares and lead pencils and stuff they gave us all the same tools that places like Digital Domain and ILM used to make features films or special effects. They gave us all these digital tools like Alias and Mya and Soft Image and all these kind of high-end computers, so I came out of architecture school knowing how to use all that stuff. And I started making short films at night.” GivingKindEndsUseSchoolFilmUsedNightStuffKnowingSpecialEffectsComputerToolsArchitectureFeaturesBoardsDigitalSquaresPencilsDomainSpecial EffectsShort FilmsDraftingAliasesArchitecture SchoolDigital Tools Author:Joseph Kosinski
“I think it's great to be able to go and watch a short film before you watch a feature.” ThinkingAbleFilmWatchesFeaturesShort Films Author:Nash Edgerton
“I don't just act to pay my rent. I really like doing it, so I get frustrated when I don't get to do it all the time, so short films are a really great way to be doing it and working with your friends, working on smaller, more specific things without limiting yourself in other ways.” WayFilmPayFrustratedReally GreatShort FilmsLimiting Yourself Author:Mackenzie Davis
“I always think it's just best to just make stuff and to carry on making stuff, even if it's not off your own back, because that's the only way... especially as a comedy writer, I make short films and then show them to live audience, so if they're laughing you know you're doing something right.” IfsThinkingKnowsWayShowsFilmStuffAudienceLaughingComedyShort Films Author:Alice Lowe
“My roommate in college in Austin, Texas, was Wes Anderson. Wes always wanted to be a director. I was an English major in college, and he got us to work on a screenplay together. And then, in working on the screenplay, he wanted my brother, Luke, and me to act in this thing. We did a short film that was kind of a first act of what became Bottle Rocket.” FirstsKindWantedTogetherFilmCollegeBrotherDirectorsMajorsMy BrotherBottlesTexasRocketsScreenplaysLukeAustinRoommateShort FilmsEnglish MajorAustin TexasBottle Rocket Author:Owen Wilson
“Creating things. I love the idea of creation and creativity. Whether it's a character, a short film, a piece of music, a painting, or a bookcase - to watch something go from an idea to a creation is pretty much where it's at for me.” IdeasCharacterFilmWatchesCreativityPiecesCreationPaintingCreatingThings I LoveShort FilmsBookcasesCreating Things Author:Eric Lange