Short films can be made quite simply using the video recording capabilities of smart phones or a digital camera. The film can be later compiled through editing and other post-production processes using simple post production software programs. There are a number of simple editing apps available for phones and tablets.
While one to three minutes is the usual length of a student short film, even shorter films are fun to make too.
In camera edited films
A more simple, less processed film can also be carefully planned and filmed in a shot by shot sequence from titles through to credits as an in-camera edit. Here, what you film is what you see! This means as long as you film in the correct shot sequence, you don’t need post-production. This YouTube clip is a quick example to demonstrate the process from TAFE teacher Grant Higginson.
Also, look out for film competitions based on in-camera edits.
Examples of student made short films
ACMI Made by Kids showcases films made by primary and secondary students around Australia for the ACMI ScreenIt competition.
View finalists films for TropJr a spin-off short film competition for kids aged 15 years and younger based on the well-known short film competition Tropfest.
Other examples of short films
Tropfest is the world’s largest short film festival. View past winners along with information about making a short film.
How to make short films
This page provides an overview of useful resources for filmmaking, from pre-production through to post production. There are lots of resources provided particularly for film production in the classroom.
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