Wed 4 October Introduction to the Course
Short films, eh? Why bother when you’ve got feature films? This introduction will show and discuss some inspirational shorts that offer their own distinct pleasures and satisfactions, while considering what makes a short film and how they relate to the rest of cinema.
Wed 11 October The Business of Shorts
Who makes them and who watches them? This session will discuss the short film industry in the UK, from production and funding to distribution, exhibition and the wonderful world of film festivals.
Wed 18 October Genre and Tendencies
While shorts offer filmmakers less stringent dramatic constraints than features, certain tendencies have nonetheless emerged.
From ‘through-the-eyes-of-a-child’ melodrama to ‘screaming corridors’ trauma-rama, the canon of short film has developed its own curious brand of sub-genres, and this session will look at some of these traits, strengths and weaknesses.
Wed 25 October COURSE SCREENING
A Brief History of the Short
A tasty selection of pioneering British short films from each decade spanning the 20s to the 70s, demonstrating how the form and technology has developed. Programmed by Bryony Dixon. Thanks to the British Film Institute National Film & Television Archive.
Free to Course members, limited public tickets available.
Wedy 1 November Art and the Short
Are short films distinct as an art form? And what’s the difference between short film and “artist’s moving image”? This session will cover short film’s relationship to Dance film, Skate film and increasingly prevalent hybrid forms of animation, documentary and music videos, demonstrating how shorts experiment to push new forms of narrative forward.
Wed 8 November COURSE SCREENING
Teenage Britain/Strange Girls
The world of young girls can be weird and strange… This collection of short films brings together the skewed thoughts of girls everywhere: From obsession with the cool boy in school, to the darker dreams of death, magic and CCTV! Boys too can get an insight into the imaginations of the opposite sex as their own obsessions of unreachable girls and scary sisters leads to confusion… Programmed by Philip Ilson and Kate Taylor.
Free to Course members, limited public tickets available.
Wed 15 November Ones to Watch
Who are the leading lights of the current short film scene? And what’s happening at the moment in Manchester and North West? This session will look at on-the-cusp filmmakers currently making the transition to features, as well as those who simply make great shorts.
Wed 22 November The Future
From YouTube to mobile phones, Big Screens in public places to online screening opportunities, this session will discuss the unique restrictions and possibilities for these new exhibition points, and how are they influencing new modes of short film such as microshorts. The course will end with a DIY guide on how to set up your own short film screening night, which by Week 8 I hope you will be sufficiently inspired to do!
Recommended reading
There’s no prior reading required for this course but course participants may be interested in the following books.
Elsey, Eileen and Kelly, Andrew, In Short: A Guide to Short Film-Making in the Digital Age, British Film Institute, 2002.
Faber, Liz and Walters, Helen, Animation Unlimited: Innovative Short Films Since 1940, HarperCollins, 2004.
Raskin, Richard, The Art of the Short Fiction Film: A Shot by Shot Study of Nine Modern Classics, McFarland & Company, Inc, 2002.
Selected Filmography
It can be quite difficult to get hold of short films, but these anthology DVDs are a good start.
Cinema 16: British Short Films, Cinema 16: European Short Films, Cinema 16: American Short Films available at Fopp or Magma or online at www.cinema16.co.uk
From early cinema to YouTube, short films have always been a fertile breeding ground for new filmmaking talent. This course will discuss classic shorts and the impact of the digital revolution and will highlight the current bright lights of the UK underground film scene making the transition from shorts to features.
Each week several short films will be screened and discussed, and students will leave with an overview of current trends and players, and a developed appreciation and appetite for short film.
Led by Kate Taylor, Manchester-based short film programmer and director of the Halloween Short Film Festival.
Beginners’ level – no prior knowledge required.
£60 full / £45 concs.
Be the first to sign-up for this course and receive a free book
Our friends at Wallflower Press have been kind enough to offer a copy of their book New Digital Cinema: Reinventing the Moving Image to the first person to sign up for the An Introduction to Short Films course. The book is an introduction to contemporary digital cinema which tracks its intersection with video art, music video, animation, print design and live club events to create an avant-garde for the new millennium. Click here to read more about the book.
Course bookings: to book your place on any of our courses please telephone Box Office on 0161 200 1500 (open for bookings: 12.00 – 20.00).