Twenty top filmmakers give their advice on moving from shorts to your first feature
Embarking on the journey from creating short films to crafting a full-length feature is a monumental leap for any aspiring filmmaker, marked by a unique set of challenges and opportunities. In this blog, we've gathered wisdom from 30 seasoned filmmakers who have successfully navigated this transition. From navigating the intricacies of storytelling to mastering the technical nuances of feature-length production, these cinematic trailblazers share their invaluable advice and firsthand experiences.
“The biggest mistake I made was thinking a feature was a longer bigger short. They are completely different animals from script to post.” - Stephen van Vuuren, Editor, Director, and Producer
“Write or find a script that is genuinely doable for what ever budget you have. I've seen many projects fail cause they under estimated what it would cost and ran out of money. Also remember some aspects of making a feature are relatively cheaper due to scale other cost a lot more so try to work with an experienced producer.” - Gareth Moore, Writer and Producer
“Follow the wise words of Spike Lee. Make the movie you can AFFORD to make. Not the movie you want to make. So, find a good, well written, character driven script, that can be made for very little money”
Mark Hensley, Director, Producer, and Editor
“If you're based in the UK, moving from shorts to features essentially means going back to the beginning, unless you're on the radar of one of the big commissioners. My advice would be to do as I did, develop a strong story that takes place in one or two locations and focuses on tense inter-personal drama over big set pieces, or on spooks and tension. That way you can shoot it like a TV production and get throught 10 - 15 pages a day in a very short window.
Also think about sales from the very start. What does an audience want? What sells in the UK? Low budget genre works here, low budget drama tends not to. Festival laurels look lovely on a poster, but if you want people to invest in a feature you need to consider how they're going to get their money back.
That's what I've done with both of my features and it's similar to how we're developing my third.
One other thing - and this is key - remember that Producers are not just there to do the boring bits and find the money. It's a key part of their job, but they're also creative people who want to be involved with development from the beginning and can often offer insight in how to reduce cost/time at the script stage so it maintains your vision. It's not a fun time producing a lo/no-budget feature film and if you go in with the attitude that the Producer is just there to do the boring stuff, you probably won't find anyone (this comes up every year when BFI funding opens for shorts).” - Adam Nelson, Director, Producer, and Writer
“Spend most of your time in the planning process. Plan out every scene at every location and make sure you plan how each scene transitions to the next".”
Nigel Mongerie, Director and Actor
“Unless you have an independent source of financing, just keep making content like shorts… keep working and don’t be afraid to ask people to get behind you and support you. Filmmakers are storytellers. If you want to be successful, focus on telling your stories.” - Israel Brooks, Director, Editor, and Producer
“Assist someone making a feature film, learn , repeat that at least 5 times . Then write a story, gather some friends and tell that story… send it to film festivals. Meet more film makers… keep doing this... they key is to make films and keep learning.” - Rahil Abbas, Producer, Actor, and Production Designer
“Take your time and enjoy your artistic journey. Remember that filmmaking is art, and you’re the artist. Take as much time, energy and resources as you need to make your best art come to life.” - Chris D Mooney, Actor, Gaffer, Sound
“Hire people smarter than you and listen to their good ideas. Also, produce within your means.”
Adrian Sierkowski, Cinematographer, Gaffer, and Actor
“Time! Dedicate a lot of time outside your norm! I worked on making shorts for quite some time and when it was time to put together a feature, as someone put it... it's an entirely different animal!
I used one big notebook strictly for the project itself. Each area was sectioned off and earmarked. Lists became important along with a timeline. One page, example, props for one scene, and repeated. Locations became another. Casts broken down. Schedules worked.
For agents, the biggest think is READ their submission guidelines extremely close. They won't listen to you if you don't read their rules. Plan months in advance if this is your first, especially if you're going to have volunteers or a tight budget or even several locations. Ours has 7 locations, including ones that I had think outside the box.
I had pages just for promoting locally, promoting outside the state, companies / bloggers / podcasts / local papers just for before interviews and after. We worked on before press kit and one for after (can find these online of how to do fairly easy.) More pages just for costumes. We used at least 2 others to review the script used for editing, continuity, what sounded natural in line delivery, etc. Table reads and rehearsals were a big thing as well. More lists for promoting, where you want to show, who you want to send to, etc.
The biggest was also compromise. If you have a small budget or none at all, you will need to compromise with your team to get the work done and don't be afraid to put the work in. Networking in my area was a big thing because it helped us secure props and costumes and a few locations that I couldn't find or were too expensive. For your first feature, be mindful of special effects you have to do, especially with costs and those having to do them.” - Ashley Hargrove, Actress, Producer, and Writer
“Know that there's a difference and what the differences are.”
Jeanelle Warren, Producer and Director
“Know that there's a difference and what the differences are. A lot of short film directors think jumping to features is just doing what you do for shorts but for longer, but features typically have more tasks that need to get done that fall on the director's shoulders (especially auteur filmmakers) and those not prepared can easily get overwhelmed. So having a producer team that has some feature experience can help alleviate some of that.
I think the newest season of Project Greenlight is a perfect example of what it looks like when a director who has only done small crew shorts tries to run a feature shoot like the short film sets they were used to and was unprepared for the transition.”
- Jeanelle Warren, Producer and Director
“You need to know where your feature is going to sell, and the demos of (audience members) you'd like to sell to. For shorts it's easier. Start calling distributors and seeing if they will take your as yet to be shot film. You will get an education. They will want to know genre and who is in the movie. As young filmmaker, I'm sure you don't have a known movie star in your feature. So genre is key. If you tell them it's a drama, they won't bother with it. If you say thriller or horror you have a better chance that they will have some interest. I've have worked for many years in film market testing to see many a filmmaker get 50k from Netflix for a movie they spent sometimes multiple millions on. So find an ‘output deal' of some kind. Also your planned path from short to indie feature to TV to bigger budget films is okay, but TV could be the end goal instead. TV shows are rivaling features in terms of quality these days, and you'll get more work and experience doing them. Hope this helps.” - Stephen Hornyak, Actor and Producer
“From experience as a retired studio exec, keep all your bibles and accounting, not only reels. ROI isn't usually expected from a short but if you show that you did well managing your budget you will be entrusted with more money.” - Al Domino, Writer and Producer
“Write within your means and always view it as a whole. Don’t spend years trying to get one particular shot. Learn to work with what you have and move onto the next bit. The details will appear anyway. Don’t make it super hard to do with loads of locations and actors and effects that you don’t know how to do. If you have a massive budget then you can probably ignore most of what I said. Haha!” - Eveshka Ghost, Director, Writer, and Composer
“Have your short films received positive reviews? Investors and agents like the directors they do business with to have a track record of success. On a similar note, does your film's central theme have a track record of marketability? If not, this might not be the right time for this particular project. Also, allow yourself plenty of time. It can take easily five years, if not longer, for a first-time feature to get made. If you're going to use Stage32, be aware that some executives will pass on your material even if they give it high marks. It simply means the story doesn't resonate with them.” - Elie de Rosen
“Find funding. Get sponsors. Find grants via Women in Film Org. Find great scripts! Make your films. Go to NaFF and get your films in it as soon as possible, even this last short, because if you make it into NaFF you are eligible for Oscar noms. Then you can do what you want. Make friends who get you, they are priceless. Get a good attorney. Pray. Good Fortune!” - Esseri Holmes, Producer and Composer
“Be as organized as possible and make sure whoever is in it, you schedule it all within the next few months. Make sure you have the budget for it and don't keep reshooting things and changing actors if you can avoid it, or be prepared to change your script!” - Anthony Rory Tran
“The way I have always moved is through social media, networking, and having coffee meetings with interesting people. It is always about who you know or your contacts know. You already have the experience; now it's your turn to promote yourself, talk about what you can do, and meet the right people.” - Rosa Camero
Bonus recommended media
Mark Duplass at SXSW in 2015, “The Cavalry Is Not Coming” recommended by Mike Hodge
Filmmaking (Actually) podcast Episode 19, “How Do You Actually Make a Feature Versus a Short” recommended by Koura Linda, Writer, Producer, and Editor
No Budget No Script No Permission ”Making Gods of Their Own Religion,” recommended by Sharoz Sheikh, Producer, Director, and Actor