History of Short Films

The term ‘short film’ came to be applied in North America in the 1910’s, when the majority of feature films began to be made in longer-running editions. A typical film programme came to be expected to include a feature preceded by at least one short film. Short subjects could be live action or animated. Comedy was particularly utilized, and well-known comedians such as Charlie Chaplin are known for their short films as well as their features.
However, after the 1930’s, the industry for short films was starting to fade. Most short films were produced in-house. On occasion, short films were financed by big film companies. Owners of the companies would force the owners of short films to sell them to the companies. They would then be turned into big name features. This was referred to as block booking, which has since become illegal. In 1955, another competitor of the short film surfaced – Television. It was difficult to get short films on TV and thus, into the public eye.
Short films are often popular as first steps into the cinematic art among young and aspiring filmmakers. They are cheaper and easier to make, usually don't take very long to produce, and their length makes shorts more likely to be watched by financial backers and others who want some demonstration of a filmmaker's ability. Directors like George Lucas, Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorcese and Pedro Almodovar started by making short films.