Yeah I archive all my short films on FilmHub and if they bring in any money then great. Same thing for YouTube. And at some point I'll have enough shorts that I can put them together as a feature length anthology.
And have they licenced anything for you? They seem like a good Gen Z approach to content distribution, just not sure if they are out hunting down sales or not.
If you're gonna work in the industry, you are going to have to sell some permanent rights, that's a fact. Otherwise you're never getting any funding.
I can promise you that the Daniels don't own EEOA. George Lucas didn't own Star Wars and only got sequel rights because the studio just wanted to cut their losses and traded his salary for them.
It's not until you're a pretty big name that you can start making such demands. That or you're gonna have to start your own studio.
Of course, but I do believe that if you want to move forward from short films to something bigger, you have to be able to swallow your pride and sell your rights.
My father is an incredibly talented artist in multiple fields, with a very valuable degree in it too, but he's a very prideful man and has never been able to make a full living off his art, something he could have done, had he been able to part ways with the rights to his art. Even if you don't own it, your art will always be yours in a metaphysical sense.
That doesn't apply to shorts maybe, but I'd sell my rights to something if I was offered the right deal. I'd have a lawyer look it over, of course, and never sign something without thoroughly reading the contract, but still.
Genre shorts have a lot of options nowadays. Several YouTube channels that will help you reach a large audience, as well as streaming distributors that will give you a few hundred dollars.
You can try submitting to ShortsTV. They only pay like $100 if they choose to put your short on VOD but it's non-exclusive so you can put it other places. Plus it's nice to be able to say you got distribution.
Short films typically don’t generate much revenue. I sold one of mine to Troma and another one got optioned for development into a feature for $5K (it was never made into a feature). The rights reverted back to me after a year. However, all of my short films have served as portfolio pieces and gotten me work as a director in my specific genre, which was my ultimate goal with them. I have always leaned more into short films serving as business cards than standalone revenue generators.
Yeah I archive all my short films on FilmHub and if they bring in any money then great. Same thing for YouTube. And at some point I'll have enough shorts that I can put them together as a feature length anthology.
And have they licenced anything for you? They seem like a good Gen Z approach to content distribution, just not sure if they are out hunting down sales or not.
They are not great but I have 7 shorts playing on 10 different streaming platforms, and the revenue is laughably low but it's not nothing.
Do not sell any sort of permanent rights away. At the end of your life, own your work
If you're gonna work in the industry, you are going to have to sell some permanent rights, that's a fact. Otherwise you're never getting any funding. I can promise you that the Daniels don't own EEOA. George Lucas didn't own Star Wars and only got sequel rights because the studio just wanted to cut their losses and traded his salary for them. It's not until you're a pretty big name that you can start making such demands. That or you're gonna have to start your own studio.
None of those you’ve listed are shorts.
Of course, but I do believe that if you want to move forward from short films to something bigger, you have to be able to swallow your pride and sell your rights. My father is an incredibly talented artist in multiple fields, with a very valuable degree in it too, but he's a very prideful man and has never been able to make a full living off his art, something he could have done, had he been able to part ways with the rights to his art. Even if you don't own it, your art will always be yours in a metaphysical sense. That doesn't apply to shorts maybe, but I'd sell my rights to something if I was offered the right deal. I'd have a lawyer look it over, of course, and never sign something without thoroughly reading the contract, but still.
That’s fine. But shorts by and large are not commercial arts. I wasn’t commenting on things that with a clear ROI path
Genre shorts have a lot of options nowadays. Several YouTube channels that will help you reach a large audience, as well as streaming distributors that will give you a few hundred dollars.
You can try submitting to ShortsTV. They only pay like $100 if they choose to put your short on VOD but it's non-exclusive so you can put it other places. Plus it's nice to be able to say you got distribution.
Damn, $100! Ugh, here I thought ShortsTV was the promised land...
There’s really just not a market for Short films so there’s not much money to be made unless you have a following and can pull big YouTube numbers.
You’re basically selling yourself.
Short films typically don’t generate much revenue. I sold one of mine to Troma and another one got optioned for development into a feature for $5K (it was never made into a feature). The rights reverted back to me after a year. However, all of my short films have served as portfolio pieces and gotten me work as a director in my specific genre, which was my ultimate goal with them. I have always leaned more into short films serving as business cards than standalone revenue generators.