Short/Sell Full Length

B

BusterHamilton

I am in the process of writing a short suspense script. I will also, be turning the same concept into a full length script. The idea is to screen the short at festivals and see how it is received, then to try and market the full length script to a production company. Is this a good idea or a bad one? If I am trying to sell a full length script, should I make the short public?
Thanks folks
 
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It's not unheard of. And I'm sure folks will come along and give some success stories (District 9 was a short first, I think).

If your story is great and you do it well, and put your blood sweat and tears into making it good and marketing and fund raising, then you've got a chance. :)

The only thing that never seems to work (afaik) is when someone films a trailer for a movie that hasn't been made.
 
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Just make sure you bring your short to places with people who have deep pockets. Sam Raimi took his short to doctor and dentists conventions.

AFM is a good place from what I'm told.

I'll be bringing mine to NATPE because all the deep pocket people and distributors go there.

If you bring it to a festival where all you see are other starving actors, you have defeated your goal.

Neither NATPE nor doctors and dentists conventions are festivals by the way.
 
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Dreadylocks said:
It's not unheard of. And I'm sure folks will come along and give some success stories (District 9 was a short first, I think).

If your story is great and you do it well, and put your blood sweat and tears into making it good and marketing and fund raising, then you've got a chance. :)

The only thing that never seems to work (afaik) is when someone films a trailer for a movie that hasn't been made.
Click to expand...

SAW (2004) and Sling Blade (1996) are other examples of features that were spawned by short films.


As for fake trailers, Hobo With a Shotgun is the notable entry there, that got started as a fake trailer.

The other story that falls between the two is "Panic Attack!" which was a like 3-4 minute short with robots invading, no story or anything like that, but Raimi picked the idea up from the filmmaker and Ghost House is now making a $22 million feature out of it.

So the moral of the story is, if it's good, it can go far. No matter the medium.
 
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Even in a short, name talent is a big plus because it opens more markets because it increases your chances for distribution.

My DP recommends it. And, it does help. The only problem is most of us can't afford name talent.
 
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