How Short Films Are Making A Boom During Covid-19 Pandemic

Short films have recorded a boom during the Covid-19 pandemic, and afterwards. With limited resources, the filmmakers have been coming up with short films which revolve around social issues. With the appetite for consumption increasing and attention span changing, audiences have become more receptive to the micro-content of short films. The digital content getting high viewership has led to the popularity of shorts which generally send across a strong message in a matter of just 15 to 20 minutes. The factors leading to the popularity of the trend are the emerging digital platforms, the new breed of audiences who understands good content and appreciates the craft and most importantly the pandemic has given time to the filmmakers and actors to churn out shorts within the four walls of the room with minimum resources.

Actor and now director Shefali Shah mentions that she made use of the time that she got during the pandemic to direct two short films 바카라�Happy Birthday Mummy Ji바카라� and 바카라�Someday바카라�. Both films are based during this time of the pandemic and they talk about isolation. She says, 바카라�The thought that recurred to me during the lockdown was if the disease doesn바카라�t kill you, the distance will surely kill you. And that is where my idea came from.바카라�

Director Adeeb Rais who recently made six short films for the anthology 바카라�Kaali Peeli Tales바카라� says that the reason he enjoys working on a shorter format is that as a filmmaker he gets to explore a story within a certain amount of time. He adds, 바카라�When I started this project a few years ago, anthologies with short films were not trending the way it is now. I am an independent filmmaker and I didn바카라�t have the resources to make a feature film. So, it was really one step at a time. We first did one film, then another one and then things fell into place.바카라�
Actress Sony Razdhan who was seen in the short film 바카라�Kaali Peeli바카라� feels the approach of acting doesn바카라�t change whether it is a short film or a feature film. 바카라�The only thing that changes are that I need to learn fewer lines which I am so happy about. But otherwise, both the mediums are great,바카라� adds Razdan.

Short films are not a new thing though. We did have filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Martin Scorsese who made short films which were iconic. But the pandemic has definitely increased the appetite of the audience for short films. Filmmaker Mansi Jain says, 바카라�The fact that short films went mainstream does speak that people have an appetite for shorter, faster and crisper content and with the rise of digital entertainment, it worked together beautifully to create this parallel industry.바카라�

Jain explains that for people like her, while she is doing a feature film or a series, she does have some content out of which she always wants to make something crisp and fun that doesn바카라�t require tons of money or time for production. Short films by nature have a twist at the end which is again very satisfying for the audiences. People can watch short films in between their meetings and they really don바카라�t need to take out ninety minutes of their time to go to the theater. And the best thing about it is that it is available online for free. Large Short Films released Jain's 바카라�Everything Is Fine바카라� on YouTube, which is an ode to motherhood and the silent struggles that come with it.

The reason why many filmmakers are taking interest in making short films is mainly because of the micro storytelling format and secondly, the production costs of short films are less. The pandemic has given us a lot of limitations and short films allow you to work within those limitations. Most of them are opting for a digital platform for the release of the films.

Reaching out to the audience which was the initial problem of short films, but now it is gaining popularity with many artists and the Indian audience taking interest in promoting short films.
Short film demands are also increasing with the emerging streaming platforms and an increasing online audience. 바카라�Highway Nights바카라� directed by Shubham Singh, was awarded the grand jury prize at Best of India Short Film Festival 2021. The film is produced by Akhilesh Choudhary along with Shubham Singh, had a theatrical release in Hollywood-Los Angeles. It will also be in running for the 2023 Oscars. Like all short films 바카라�Highway Nights바카라� too has a very strong message that talks about the abuse of women. Director-actor Prakash Jha who plays the role of a lorry driver in the short film says, 바카라�Highway Nights바카라� has a very strong message, and is a heart-warming story that talks about the abuse of women. The film is about an ageing, overworked lorry driver who gives a lift to a young, chatty sex worker (played by Mazel Vyas) one night and how they develop a bond over a small journey of a few hours.바카라�

Lockdown was a brilliant time for making short films. All short films have a social concept and all the short films made during this time revolve around the concept of social issues during the pandemic. A lot of people went out and used their cell phones to shoot in their own living rooms. Shah explains 바카라�In both the short films that I made; we were forced to question our relationships during the pandemic. Whether you are a homemaker, a mother or a wife, you are recognized by the relationships you have and everyone starts taking you for granted and more so, you start taking yourself for granted. The pandemic is an unprecedented situation and we never expected it to happen the way it has happened. It has changed all of us. The pandemic made us realize how unpredictable life is and what we have is 바카라�today바카라� and 바카라�now바카라�. So, that바카라�s where the idea of my short films came from.바카라�

The rise of domestic violence during the pandemic led Nandita Das to make the short film, 바카라�Listen to Her바카라�. Das had used her mobile phone and living room for shooting. Her son was a part of the film too and it was her cook who helped her with the making of the film. Divya Dutta and Annup Sonni바카라�s 바카라�The Relationship Manager바카라� was another that was based on the concept of domestic violence during the lockdown. In an interview with Outlook on his short film, Annup Sonii mentioned how one must take the step of walking off from an abusive relationship. Sonni mentions, 바카라�It was important to talk about domestic violence which had increased tremendously during the lockdown. And short films being a powerful medium, it was easy to reach the people.바카라�

Actor couple Rasika Dugal and Mukul Chadda바카라�s short film 바카라�Banana Bread바카라� which was shot during the lockdown revolved around how two lonely people came together during the lockdown. Dugal says, 바카라�When we were writing the script, we constantly kept talking about people who essentially live alone. We wanted to explore how they were coping with the situation. The trigger of the story was to explore characters, rather than trying to convey or highlight an issue. We were trying to understand what people living alone in big cities were feeling about social distancing and lockdown.바카라�

Narrating his journey into short films, filmmaker Sanjeev Vig who made short films like 바카라�Rogan Josh바카라� and 바카라�Call Him Eddy바카라� says, 바카라�My journey with short films was very simple, I was working as an assistant director and then one fine day my director told me to just go out and make a film. When I quit my job as an assistant director, I took the plunge into making short films. I wrote and directed Rogan Josh and Naseeruddin Shah played the main role. From then on my perception of a short film changed completely.바카라�

The film 바카라�Rogan Josh바카라� starts with the making of the titular Kashmiri dish to celebrate the 65th birthday of the Chef played by Naseeruddin Shah. It starts with dinner table conversation and it바카라�s only towards the last few minutes that the audience realises the twist which revolves around the tragic 26/11 Mumbai attack. November 26 is etched in the memory of many Mumbaikars who began their day like any other day. Hundreds of people were killed with the horrific terrorist attack in Mumbai. The movie touches upon this topic in a very subtle way.
When Vig made another short film 바카라�Call Him Eddy바카라�, he realised that content is king, but distribution is God. 바카라�Call him Eddy바카라� was on a professional cuddler which was a very unique out of the box concept and not many Indian audiences were aware of it. He feels one needs to make a short film within twenty minutes and not extend it to even 25 minutes because once you cross the time; you lose the patience of the audience. He says, 바카라�In the last two years short films with gripping content are increasing and the pandemic has given a boost of 20 percent viewership. And now Netflix is also making short films.바카라�

The best thing about the short film is it is quick and sharp. In a feature film, the director first builds up the plot and then starts telling the story. In a short film, there is no scope of beating around the bush. Chopra adds, 바카라�Chutney has 131 million views and it바카라�s growing. The word of mouth of a short film is huge and one person just needs to forward the link to another friend or family member. It바카라�s short, engaging and people love the snackable quality of it.바카라�

The platform Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films have seen a huge propeller of short films. Actor, director and writer Tisca Chopra says, 바카라�I ended up being a part of three short films with the platform. The first being 바카라�Chutney바카라� which is one of the most watched short films in the world, then 바카라�Chhuri바카라� and now 바카라�Rubaru바카라� where I am both acting and directing. It talks about an actress바카라�s inner life and how she tries to fight the system. I am happy that finally, a micro-content is finding its place in the sun. People these days have limited time and they want to use their time well and a short film of 10, 15, 20 minutes works really well.바카라�