Anyone can make a short film, right? Just grab some friends and your handheld and you can do it in a weekend or two before being accepted to a slew of film festivals, right? Wrong. Roberta Munroe screened short film submissions at Sundance for five years, and is an award-winning short filmmaker in her own right. So she knows a thing or two about how not to make a short film. From the first draft of your script to casting, production, editing, and distribution, this is your one-stop primer for breaking into the business. Featuring interviews with many of today's most talented writers, producers, and directors, as well as revealing stories (e.g., what to do when the skinhead crack addict next door begins screaming obscenities as soon as you call "action") from the sets of her own short films, Roberta walks you through the minefield of mistakes that an aspiring filmmaker can make--so that you don't have to make them yourself.

Fully revised and updated practical and inspirational guide for students and independent film-makers, describing and explaining the whole process - from creating an original or adapted script, through producing, directing and editing, to finance and distribution.

Short subject films have a long history in American cinemas. These could be anywhere from 2 to 40 minutes long and were used as a "filler" in a picture show that would include a cartoon, a newsreel, possibly a serial and a short before launching into the feature film. Shorts could tackle any topic of interest: an unusual travelogue, a comedy, musical revues, sports, nature or popular vaudeville acts. With the advent of sound-on-film in the mid-to-late 1920s, makers of earlier silent short subjects began experimenting with the short films, using them as a testing ground for the use of sound in feature movies. After the Second World War, and the rising popularity of television, short subject films became far too expensive to produce and they had mostly disappeared from the screens by the late 1950s. This encyclopedia offers comprehensive listings of American short subject films from the 1920s through the 1950s.

What do The Little Rascals, The Three Stooges, and Laurel & Hardy have in common? They all achieved stardom in twenty-minute shorts-known as two-reelers-that delighted moviegoers long before television gave these films a new lease on life. Leonard Maltin documents the great series as well as the forgotten ones, peppering his ground-breaking research with first-hand accounts from the people who made these mini-movies. Here is a window into the vast world of "extra added attractions" that were a vital part of Hollywood's golden age. The cast of characters includes Mack Sennett, Hal Roach, W.C. Fields, Jack Benny, Robert Benchley, and many others...with spotlights on such popular titles as Crime Does Not Pay and John Nesbitt's Passing Parade (which turn up regularly on Turner Classic Movies). Maltin's definitive filmographies have been updated with new cast information for this e-book edition, which also features a newly-written introduction.

Quickly learn the basics of DV filmmaking without the need for any training with the short cuts found in this book. Featuring blueprints to help you structure and complete certain types of films, key cards that help explain the essential knowledge in a way that is readily accessible during shooting, and 200 easy-to-read tables packed with information, Russell Evans breaks down the art of digital video creation in a concise and fun format that makes it easy to pick up and start shooting. You'll learn how to do everything from script writing to sound recording, and before you know it, you'll be creating your own short films, music videos, school projects, or web videos.