Studying Short Animated Films
Many people have discussed the length of animated films, whether it be for their total running time or how long it takes to watch them. Some even discuss which types of lengths are “long” as opposed to others that feel short.
However, none seem to agree on an exact number other than telling you that anything under 30 minutes is considered short!
That really isn't very helpful though, is it? I mean, sure, some may find one minute film enjoyable but what if I don't? What if my soul needs more from art?
I think we can all agree that those who create truly beautiful works of art need your love and attention for longer periods of times. They deserve our respect and admiration and hopefully, inspiration too.
It's hard to admire something that you can rush through quickly, can you not? So, here, I will tell you just like I told myself when I made my own short films: You're allowed to take your time and enjoy each piece to its fullest.
But hold up, there's more! Because today, I'm going to talk about why shorter animations aren't as good as ones that stick around the limit of 30 minutes. And yes, I am coming straight out saying this: Pixar movies are mostly over 2 hours every single one!
So let me give you five reasons (no, seriously) why short animated films simply cannot compete with longer ones.
1.
Lengths of short films
There are many types of short animated movies, with different length limits. Some may even be considered shorts themselves! These include:
Feature-length animations (over 2 minutes)
Short cartoons or gags (1 minute or less)
Micro-animations (less than one second)
Reel breaks (lapses in film that are usually shorter than a full clip but long enough to count as a separate movie segment)
Timeline breaks (similar to reel breaks except they occur over several seconds instead of just a few)
Short vignettes (usually under 30 seconds)
Short stories or episodes (around 10-20 minutes)
Short dramas or feature-length films (more than 20 minutes but not longer than around 40-50 minutes)
What is the difference between a micro-animation, re-edit, and remix?
A micro-animation is an individual frame or picture that is very close in length to a still photo. A re-edit is repeated shots or scenes put together into one fluid piece. And a remix is when you take pieces from other videos and blend them all together.
Why does it matter how long a short animation is?
It depends on what kind of audience you want to reach and appeal to. If your goal is to make money through YouTube content, then shorter is better because people tend to lose attention after about two minutes.
Examples of short films
Many people enjoy watching animated short films or cartoons.
Tips for making a short film
Many people create their first animated movie quickly, without doing much research or investing in proper equipment. This is totally fine! But make sure you are leaving yourself enough time to hone your craft before trying to hit the big time!
It can be tricky telling how long a short film should take to complete, as every project is unique. What takes me an hour to put together may not work at all for you. You must learn about your medium and what works best for you!
General tips: most professional animators spend several months developing their skills before getting into the really hard projects. Starting early will give you this chance!
But remember, no matter when you start working on your movie, you MUST know that quality trumps timing! Take your time to do things properly, keep learning new techniques, and invest in good software so your films look their very best.
Shooting locations
Having a story to tell usually requires at least two full length shots, if not more. For an animated short film, however, you will need even less than that!
Most short films are only one or two minutes long, making it difficult to spend enough time in each shot to get a sense of scale of the area being used as a setting. This can be tricky when trying to convey the feel of a place while also having limited time to do so.
General tips for finding natural looking settings: travel during off-hours, stay in budget friendly accommodations, eat food you have access to, and avoid going during busy times (unless this is part of the theme). If all else fails, take some basic pictures and edit them later!
More specific tips for shooting places in a short amount of time: use shorter exposures to create soft lighting, cover as much of the area as possible with lighters, and focus on the shapes and patterns of the surrounding areas to add additional depth.
Editing rooms
When editing an animated film, there are several key stages that depend on how long the movie is. These include the initial story meeting, script writing, outline and drafting, voice acting, recording, music composition, final cut, and marketing and distribution.
The most important part of any animation project is the screenplay or draft. This is what lays out the story and who everyone’s character is.
It can take anywhere from one to three months to write this! Because this takes so much time, many filmmakers will start filming before the script is finished. This is very expensive as it requires more money to produce the movie, not just for the production costs but also for the writer’t wages!
So how do you make sure everything works? You have to give the writers some extra time to work through their script!
A short film is different than other forms of movies because it does not contain a feature length narrative. It only has a few scenes with a clear storyline.
This means that when they are writing the next scene, they may get distracted by something else happening in the movie. Or maybe they come up with new ideas that they want to add into the plot.
These things must be put aside until later since these changes could cost additional weeks to create. This is why short films require even longer to complete than your average feature-length movie.
Many people agree that a good length for an animated short is around ten minutes.
Marketing your film
As we mentioned before, creating great short animated films is a lot of work! That’s why it is so important to market yourself and your movie consistently.
When you start trying to spread about your movie, the first thing will be to create a website and business card or flyer. Make sure that everything looks well designed and catchy.
You can also add some social media accounts such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to promote your movie.
While most people focus more on telling others about their movie, there are other ways to get exposure for it. You can do sponsored content or giveaway contests via social media or through websites like Animerica.
The best way to gain attention is by producing engaging videos and posting them online.
Pricing your film
While it may sound impossible, there are many ways to price your short movie! There are several pricing strategies that you can use depending on what budget you have and what kind of return you want to get from it.
The most common way is to offer your work at either free-to-view or paid viewing. The first option is usually limited to a specific amount of time (one minute, five minutes, one hour) whereas the second allows people to pay to watch longer.
Some companies will even create a special account just for their films so that users do not need to enter payment information every time they view a new video. This helps preserve your anonymity and gives you more flexibility in terms of how much content you wanted to produce.
There are also different levels of membership which allow you to access certain features of the site such as creating an account, posting videos and rates etc.
Getting your film to the audience
Once you have finished animating your short, it is time to start seeking an audience! You will need to put in some work gathering followers for yourself and your art form. The best way to do this are through social media sites such as Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.
On these sites, you can create accounts that help promote you or your artwork. This could be done through creating a profile, setting up tweets or videos, and linking them all together. Yoursieslves would also benefit from adding popular pictures and/or videos onto our account to make us look more authentic.
By having a large amount of followers, people will perceive you as trustworthy and creative which may draw new viewers.