Short Films and Art

Although the short film form failed to compete with feature length films, it found alternative arenas in which to operate, normally away from the mainstream. While short films struggled to become to compete in the field of entertainment, it already had some of the properties to be able to make it in the form of Art. It was a media form easily available to artists with a moderate income, who could either work on their own or with a group who share similar ideas. Avant-garde and experimental cinemas have traditionally taken a strong interest in short film, however chances for theatrical exhibitions of non-narrative dwindled from from the 1950s onwards and remain very limited within the mainstream. Maya Deren's experimental films, from the early 1940s until her death in 1961, displayed highly indivualistic sensibility towards the form of short film. Her work created a trend in American avante-garde filmmaking and to this day still remains as an influence on modern day avante-garde short film makers.

Short Films and Hollywood

During the initial emergence of the more dominant mode of film production: the classical narrative, feature-length film. This dominance was then reinforced by the genre production of the Hollywood Studio system and attempts by other national cinemas to compete with what has become the imperial currency of cinema admissions. Cinema exhibitors require films to conform to the 100-minute 'directive'  (Films shown in cinemas must be equal to or longer than the time of 100 minutes). Under such circumstances, screenings of film can be scheduled into blocks of time, always longer than the film itself to allow customers to purchase food drink etc, as well as to show advertisements of sponsoring products / services and upcoming films. These factors worked against the viewing of short films. This first started from the 1930s onward, short film production, in terms of commercial at least, became a marginalised activity, operating under budget restraints or only with the view to mainstream film production. Industrial factors influencing short films has led to the form holding a near-invisible status within the realm of pop culture.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) established awards (Oscars) in short film categories. The two categories in which they were judged are 'Short Subjects:, Comedy' and 'Short Subjects, Novelty'. Nowadays Hollywood no longer follows the studio system of production, this has left short films as a form of experimentation for those normally making feature-length films, where they are able to make lower budget short films, and be able to take risks, without creating a negative impact on the financial returns. Studios have now also developed a system for scouting new directors by creating various film festivals were they can see the quality and popularity of directors films.