How To Kick-Start Your Filmmaking Career (With Just Your Phone And Five Spare Minutes)

This post is presented in collaboration with Optus.

Martin Scorsese. Andrea Arnold. Steven Spielberg. Adam Elliot. John Lasseter. Taika Waititi. Lexi Alexander.

Between them, they've won Oscars, directed Marvel movies and founded Pixar. But besides great films and impressive careers, what do they have in common? They all made their names with short films.

If you’re eager to join their ranks, though unsure where to begin (and perhaps unwilling or unable to study filmmaking), take inspiration from the simplicity of some classic short films below. Then, consider entering Optus’ five-minute video competition, Connect5, which has a grand prize of $US30,000 to help fund your Hollywood dreams.

From Little Things, Big Things Grow

At this year’s Oscars, Louis C.K. joked that directors of short films “cannot make a dime” in their industry. However, that doesn’t mean a short film can’t establish a profitable career.

Before she made The Babadook, Australia's own Jennifer Kent produced the short Monster, which showcased her spooky skill and style (without a big budget).

Wes Anderson started out with the 13-minute short Bottle Rocket (starring his then-unfamous buddies Luke and Owen Wilson).

He used that short to secure funding for a feature adaptation – which, okay, flopped – but earned one significant fan: Martin Scorsese. After getting Scorsese's endorsement, the rest of Hollywood began paying attention. The rest is history.

Even Marty Scorsese, once upon a time, couldn’t give away his feature film ideas; it was only after he made some memorable shorts at New York University’s film school that he could move on to Mean Streets, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas.

In fact, as he revealed in a 1990 interview, he might’ve ended up becoming a priest if he hadn’t discovered filmmaking at NYU.

And long before Hunt for the Wilderpeople, New Zealander Taika Waititi made Two Cars, One Night. Those eleven humble minutes secured him an Oscar nomination. In 2017, you can watch his next project: Thor - Ragnarok. Maybe you’ve heard of it?

Okay, But How Do I Make One?

Fair question. Last century, it would have cost aspiring directors an arm, a leg, and probably another couple of arms to pay for equipment just to record a few minutes of footage.

Today, that’s not the case. Provided you have a good idea, a shooting script (remember, one page roughly equals one minute) and some friends or colleagues who are eager to lend a hand, you need not break the bank on renting the right equipment. Not only are cameras cheaper than ever, you already probably have a great one in your pocket.

In 2011, Oldboy director Park Chan-wook shot Night Fishing entirely on his iPhone 4; a device most would consider prehistoric today. And last year, a movie titled Tangerine took Sundance by storm. That one was entirely captured on director Sean Baker's iPhone 5s. Again, that's already several generations old. There are eleven-year-olds walking around today with more sophisticated filmmaking devices.

Television producers have even followed suit, with one Modern Family episode filmed entirely via iPad Air 2s and iPhone 6s.

What If No One Watches It?

So, you’ve made your short and uploaded it to Vimeo. Virality awaits, right? Probably not. Still, you shouldn’t be disheartened if you don’t get to 100,000 views in the first 24 hours – or even 10 views.

Often, short films can act like calling cards (or easy-to-watch video resumes) for those hoping to show off their talent to time-poor producers and financiers.

Plus, with Optus launching a five-minute video competition, Connect5 (offering $AUD5,000 to two Aussie winners and, as mentioned, a grand prize of $US30,000 up for grabs at the regional finals), you’ve got a chance to score some additional funding for another motion picture in the future.

Remember, you need not create something as detailed as a Disney-Pixar short for your first effort.

Nor do they have to be as simple as this:

If you feel like you have a great short film idea, there’s very little standing in your way to execute it.

After all, if two Mississippi kids could figure out how to remake Raiders of the Lost Ark, what excuse do the rest of us have?

Optus is inviting filmmakers of all levels to create a five-minute film that ties in to a special theme. This year, it's all about Connecting Lives. Find out more here and share your submission before September 30.

Photo: ABC.