{"id":4175,"date":"2021-01-21T11:46:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T08:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinemagicmaker.ai\/?p=4175"},"modified":"2025-01-21T11:49:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T08:49:06","slug":"ok-youve-made-a-short-film-now-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemagicmaker.ai\/ar\/ok-youve-made-a-short-film-now-what\/","title":{"rendered":"Ok, you’ve made a short film, now what?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Isn\u2019t it the best feeling when you finish a short film that you\u2019ve been working on for months on end? It\u2019s like a precious baby being hatched and now is ready to be seen by the world. But then you ask yourself; but now what?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this blog, we will be giving you insights into what steps to consider after you are done with your short film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When I started I did not know I wanted to be a filmmaker. I started – I made a film. Then when I finished I said, Oh my god it’s so beautiful – I should be a filmmaker!” – Agnes Varda<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Putting a portfolio together is key:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you have created a lot of content, you can start collecting all your work in a portfolio to build your professional brand to be shown to future clients or collaborations. The more materials you have the better it looks for you and for people to be able to trust in your capabilities to deliver what you are representing to be. Though you want to be picky with what you put, the key is to impress your audience. Which only means putting your best work that you feel represents you the most. You want to always keep it up to date, modernize it and keep it simple! We have all heard this over and over again \u201csimplicity is key\u201d and it really is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will also give your future collaborators a taste of what kind of a filmmaker you are and how you execute all your ideas. Maybe there is a significant signature that you have built along the way to individualize yourself from the rest of the filmmakers. A solid portfolio will take you a long way in this business. Think about it as if it\u2019s a filmmaker\u2019s resume but more fun! We all know at the end of the day that filmmaking is a hustle! The more you hustle the more it will be rewarding in your filmmaking career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things to include in your website:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Landing page:<\/strong> It could consist of your most updated showreel featuring the best shots or moments in your content that you have created. It should be at least a minute long. When making a showreel you have to consider what part of production you want to be part of. If it\u2019s editing, your editing reel should convey the way you edit when using many different content. If it\u2019s directing, you want to take moments that best represent you as a director. Don\u2019t forget that you are a storyteller! So tell a story within the showreel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. About page:<\/strong> To introduce yourself and what you represent as a filmmaker, how you view the world, something that you feel individualizes you as a filmmaker.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Work page:<\/strong> where you put all the work you want to showcase that you\u2019ve included in your reel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Contact page:<\/strong> Including your email for any future collaborators or clients to get in touch with you.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    There are many different platforms to create your online portfolio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here is our top 3 choices:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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    1. Format.com<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Wix.com<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Squarespace<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Entering the festival circuit!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Entering the festival circuit is a fun process where you can collaborate with other filmmakers and get yourself known in the film industry all around the world. When you have made your short film, it is in your best interest to submit it to festivals because that is what will give you a name and repercussions throughout the film industry. With that being said, first of all, you should know what kind of short film you have in your hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you are a first-time filmmaker with quite a low budget film, maybe you should think about not aiming for the bigger festivals because that would be a waste of your money, but instead, submit it to mid-range festivals (there are thousands of festivals around the world) that would start to give you some \u201creconnaissance\u201d in the industry and make the audience and industry professionals to talk about you and your work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      “Film festivals are a great vehicle for gaining an audience for your film, for exposure for the talent in the film and for the filmmakers to leverage opportunities for their films. I love the energy that film festivals bring.” – Jamie Hector<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      When you have a short film that you are proud of and you really feel it\u2019s capable of making it in the big festivals, in that case, I would recommend you to make a list and ask yourself different questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      1. For which kind of market is your short film most suitable?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Which category does it fit under?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Once you have that solved, find out which ones are the best festivals in that continent; let\u2019s take Europe for example you would apply for big festivals such as Cannes, Venice Film Festival Berlinale, BFI Film Fest, San Sebastian, Locarno and Berlinale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        But as we have mentioned earlier, it\u2019s a festival circuit, which means that once you have been selected in those big festivals word gets out, and you would receive e-mails and invitations from other festivals to participate with your short film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        As a note, once you have been selected in one of the biggest festivals like the ones<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        mentioned earlier, they most likely will have exclusivity with your short film, which means that you cannot screen your short film in any other festivals until it has been screened in their festival as a premiere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Then you would ask yourself: that\u2019s good, but how do I apply for these festivals? Well, thankfully now it\u2019s easier as it has ever been because it\u2019s digital. So, you have different platforms online that work as a website, where if you just put all your short film<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        information and upload your short film on the platform or via Vimeo, you can apply as<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        many festivals as you want because the platform itself has deals with thousands of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        festivals all over the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Websites to submit to:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n