There’s a massive misconception that short movies aren’t as good as full-lengths. The biggest mistake is measuring films according to length instead of quality. A story is a story, and many short films are much more powerful than full-length movies.
Before we get into the best short films, let’s begin from the essence.
What Is A Short Film?
A short film definition in the shortest is a movie with a low running time. According to The Academy, it’s an original motion picture that’s not longer than 40 minutes, including the credits.
However, different film organizations have different definitions. The Canadian Academy currently states a short movie is a maximum of 45 minutes for documentaries and a maximum of 59 minutes for scripted narrative movies.
Nevertheless, most short films fall within 5 to 20 minutes. Believe it or not, there are even fantastic 1-minute films.
As for short film characteristics, all have the same structure, except for experimental short movies. They are extremely precise, focused on one theme, and explore one conflict with a clear resolution at the end.
Best Short Films
Now, we come to the main part – best short movies. Even though it’s impossible to list them all, here’s a list of some of the best short films of all time:
- Classic Short Movies:
- The Red Balloon – one of the best short films for students
- Night and Fog
- La Jetée
- Meshes of the Afternoon
- Un Chien Andalou
- Six Shooter
- Comedy Short Movies:
- Presto
- Validation
- Rejected
- Vale
- The Black Hole
- Emotional & Drama Short Movies
- Thursday
- Stutterer
- The Neighbors’ Window – one of the best short movies on YouTube
- 10 Minutes
- Paperman
- The Silent Child
- The Phone Call
- The Last Farm
- Red, White and Blue
- A Lien
- Fantasy & Sci-Fi Short Movies
- Doodlebug
- The Third & The Seventh
- World of Tomorrow
- R’ha
- Adam
Short Film Tips
Unless you’re making an experimental, you have to follow certain rules to create one of the best short films.
Your short film has to be precise, have one main theme, explore one conflict or relationship, and have a clear ending. It must have an inciting incident that will trigger the character and begin the journey. You also need the typical short movie structure called the three-act structure. Have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Most shorts are character-driven with only a few characters. One of the most important aspects is to have a clear ending.
The character must have a journey, to be in one state at the beginning and in another at the end. They have to change and the ending, in most cases, has to have a clear resolution. It’s important to have an original story, the rest is all technical. You can have Marlon Brando in your cast but it won’t mean anything if you don’t have the basics.
The advantage today is that you can do it with a phone. Film directors shoot movies with phones, so why not a short film?
A Conclusion of The Best Short Films
Short films are an excellent way to tell an important story. Moreover, they are significant since they mark the beginning of making movies. For instance, the Manaki brothers made one of the first “shorts” in the 20th century. If it wasn’t for people like them, there wouldn’t have been full-lengths.
Follow the structure but also explore, watch many short films, and study as much as you can. If you don’t have a camera, use a phone. If you don’t have a crew, use your friends or colleagues if they can act. However, try to avoid guerilla-style filmmaking since you can have legal issues.
A short film can be an excellent way to learn filmmaking. Good luck, have fun, and don’t forget even a great 3-minute short is better than a bad 3-hour movie.
framebyframecritic 
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