--
Embracing the limitations of short filmmaking --
Mon, 12 Oct 2015 13:54
--
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: Palesa Shongwe is the director of Unomalanga and The Witch, a short film which won the Best South African Short Film award at the 2015 Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) in July. Funded by the National Film and Video Foundation in partnership with production company Blingola Media as part of an initiative to develop emerging female writers and directors, Unomalanga and The Witch was part of a slate of female directed/ written films entitled Negotiating Spaces . Shongwe shares with Screen Africa her experience of creating a short film and how other filmmakers can benefit from working in the genre.
Can you generate profit or break even with a short?
I don t believe you can treat a short film as a profit-generating product but there are ways to make some of the money back. I think one could generate some returns from a short film, but I am not sure about making a profit.
One could at least break even. Short films cost less to make than feature length movies, and because they need less apparatus to move them around I mean in terms of marketing, distribution and exhibition you could sell your short film directly to your audience and conceivably make the money back.
The challenge with short films is that they are difficult to programme (they vary too much in duration for broadcasters with schedules to fill), so they mostly move through the festival circuit and through hands-on distribution. For broadcasters, a set of films that share similar themes could be programmed in the place of one feature film, which is one way that a short filmmaker can recoup costs.
What are some key points to consider when creating a short with regards to characters, story structure etc? Especially for a new generation of online viewers.
Viewing content online inevitably works differently from TV or the cinema. Arguably, the online viewer is more interested in control and instantaneity we want to choose what we view, when and how we view it and often, how much we view.
When writing a short film, however, I do think the writer should not limit their idea of where their film will be seen. The most important thing to consider for me is the story which needs to fit neatly into a short duration, capture the imagination, interest of the audience and move them in a short space of time. There are no formulas, I think, only parameters For me these have to do with finding the essentials of your story what are you saying and what do you need, in terms of scenes, characters and location, to tell this story?
The trick is to find the essence of your story and the most dramatic, high-impact moment(s). It s a great exercise in limitations and getting the most story out of the elements before you.
On which platform has your short received the most viewership or attention?
My film is still doing the rounds . It was well-received at DIFF, which is a select audience. It will be broadcast on SABC too.
Why create a short film? What is the take away for you as a filmmaker?
The short film is a great narrative exercise you have limitations in resources that translate to limitations in how you tell your story but not in what story you choose to tell. You can still achieve a powerful, provocative story, present compelling characters and say something important about yourself, society, etc, in this short duration. It does not limit your imagination and intention, but shapes it to take account of the limits in time and resources.
Shorts are a great way to keep making work when access to large budgets is limited. They are an important format in their own right and allow you to practice the story-telling craft more frequently and with more freedom. Because you can make more of them, they also present great opportunities for experimentation and aesthetic practice.
Because of the limits they place on you as a story teller, they encourage you to concentrate your abilities to tell better stories and to tell stories better. The visual medium is profoundly effective in conveying meaning and when you have less time to say what you intend to say, you have to find the most efficient, and hopefully, the most elegant way to do this.
How does creating a short differ from creating a long format film or programme?
I think the work that goes into a short is very similar to the longer format. The difference will be in how much time and money you have in preparation and in the creation of the film. All the steps are pretty much mirrored except for these differences.
Who do you really want to watch your films?
I look forward to making work that speaks to a wide cross-section of viewers. I consider myself a film scholar as well as a filmmaker, so my work will exist in both academic and commercial spaces. I also make work that will sit more comfortably in experimental or art spaces. I would like to look back on a body of work that appeals to a wide audience with different projects attracting audiences that are unique to them rather than on a career in which I have created work for pre- determined audiences.
Related Articles
Taking our short films to the worldThe Cape Town leg of the Shnit International Short Film Festival takes place from 7 to 11 October...
Read more...
Industry players discuss the role of short films Professionals in the film industry debated the role of the short film and the value which it offers filmmakers...
Read more...
Cinema Nouveau announces winners of The Short Film ProjectBenitha Vlok, has been announced as the overall winner of the inaugural Cinema Nouveau The Short Film Project...
Read more...
-- --
-- --
-- Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
-- 
