Purpose of a short film

Short films are often used as a means of self promotion for up and coming directors who wish to get there work viewed in film festivals or on local community channels.  Most directors will use short films as a means if breaking into the industry and demonstrating their directing skills to large filmmaking companies.  'Panic Attack' by independent Uruguan director Fede Alvarez, is a great example of how filmmakers use short films as a means of self promotion.  On a budget of a mere $300, Alverez was signed to a major Hollywood label on a $30million contract due to his film being a viral hit.  Furthermore through the use of short films directors are able to experiment with new ideas as shown in the short film 'Panic Attack', which ultimately help filmmakers to become better directors.

Another purpose for short films is for directors to demonstrate their ideas for a feature film which they do not have the budget to create.  One example of this is Neill Blomkamp's short film 'Alive in Joberg' which centers around Aliens in South Africa.  Created on low budget in 2005, Blomkamp's idea was made into feature film in 2009 on a budget of $30million.  This is a great example of how short films can lead to major breaks within the film industry.

Finally another purpose of short films is for directors to communicate a message.  Trigger films are popular among schools and are a great way of communicating a message to young children and teenagers.  The purpose of a trigger film is to 'trigger' a discussion about the short scenes presented in the movie and how the characters reacted to the situations and how each viewer would handle the situation differently.  One example of this type of short film is 'Gravity' by Colin Hutton, which challenges the controversial and ever more common theme of teenage gun crime.  Trigger films are often quite shocking and carry a moral for the viewers to reflect upon.