3. Make a Short Film, Trailer, or Proof of Concept Video
The old “Go make it yourself” comment is all too often a naive go-to. It takes time, talent, and often lots of money and resources to make something that catches Hollywood’s eye.
With all due respect—and keeping it real—a lackluster and amateurish short film, trailer, or proof of concept video isn’t going to do much. But if you have filmmaking talent, resources, and the funds to make something special—or can partner with those that have that—it has proven to be a very resourceful way to break through.
SMILF
Frankie Shaw was a struggling actress when she wrote a pilot for a series based on her life experience as a single mother—SMILF. She couldn’t get it read so she decided to take one of the scenes from that pilot and create a short film of the same name, directed by and starring herself.
That short film went on to win an award at Sundance in 2015, which resulted in the 2017 Showtime series SMILF.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg8lF5n1W7k
“Sundays”
Award-winning commercial director Mischa Rozema was looking to break through into features and decided to partner with his Amsterdam-based PostPanic team to use Kickstarter to crowd-fund the $50,000 production costs for a 14-minute short film entitled “Sundays.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucTH_QcWQqc
After the short swept the internet, studios were jumping at the chance to get the rights. Warner Brothers closed the deal with Rozema after a bidding war in 2015.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was originally a proof of concept short created by Kerry Conran in the late 1990s.
A producer picked it up as he and Conran developed it into a feature film that was ahead of its time and attracted some of Hollywood’s biggest talents.
District 9
District 9 screenwriter and director Neil Blomkamp first worked in the Hollywood industry as a 3D animator. His animation credits include Stargate SG-1, First Wave, Mercy Point, and Aftershock: Earthquake in New York. In 2000, he garnered his first role of lead animator for James Cameron’s Dark Angel TV series. He was then the lead 3D animator for 3000 Miles to Graceland. His work in animation lead to some directing jobs, which included three stories set in the Halo universe to promote the release of the Halo 3 game.
But it was four short films that garnered the attention of director and producer Peter Jackson. The four shorts that got him noticed included Tetra Vaal, a faux advertisement for a third-world police robot that established Blomkamp’s signature style of mixing lo-fi production with seamless CGI; Tempbot, an Office Space-esque spoof; and Yellow, a short film based on the colour yellow for Adidas’ “Adicolor” campaign by digital studio Idealogue, which portrays a globe-trotting android gone rogue; and Alive in Joburg, a gritty “documentary” about extraterrestrials marooned in Johannesburg.
That last piece was later adapted into the science fiction hit District 9. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay for Blomkamp.
While it is true that these shorts were directed by very technically talented auteurs, anything is possible if you have a talent yourself, challenge yourself to see if you have such a talent, or partner with people that can help. There’s crowdfunding, indie filmmaking, film school resources, and many other options and networks that you can use to your advantage to get your stories out there.
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