How to make the industry better; a shorts story

Wes Anderson recently won his first Oscar! Known for visionary auteur films such as The Royal Tenenbaums, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom, it came as a surprise to many that his first Oscar win was for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, a live-action short film. 

I was happy for Mr. Anderson, and reminded that 'the short' is often an under-appreciated piece of art.  

Epoch Films works primarily in the ad space, however we have also successfully ventured into features, docs and short films. From a company perspective, shorts have real value. These projects can often be incubators for developing talent and ideas, creating deep partnerships that will likely pay off for the production company and director. 

These films can be a great showcase for a story idea, a director’s distinctive talent, voice and artistic craft… and generate new opportunities by appealing to decision-makers in TV, film and advertising. 

Above: Wes Anderson this month picked up his first Academy Awards for live-action short, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. 

Value for brands

We made our first short film in 1989, the year we founded Epoch Films. Titled House of Tres, Jeff Preiss, my original partner at Epoch, co-directed the piece with Diane Martel. We produced it for Minneapolis Public Television. I adore this film! 

Centred around the underground New York voguing scene, and released one year prior to Paris Is Burning, the short is, at once, of its time, ahead of its time and, now, a historical cultural reference about its time. A relevant life span of 30+ years. In fact, just this month HOUSE OF TRES was featured on Le Cinema Club (a streaming platform that screens one film per week and their March theme is dance). 

Brands that are aligned with art feel bigger than the products they’re selling.

Something to know about Le Cinéma Club is that it is 'presented with the support of Chanel'.  That’s right, a streaming platform sponsored by a brand that sees the value in short films (in this case, one that is 30 years old!). I read recently that advertisers feel increasingly pressured by audiences burnt out on overt branding. By audiences that crave a shift away from sales-based ads towards more authentic, filmic narratives. Is this wishful thinking? I don’t think so. Brands that are aligned with art feel bigger than the products they’re selling. Something Chanel surely understands. 

Above: Diane Martel and Jeff Preiss' short, House of Tres was made by Epoch Film in 1989, the year the company opened.

Value for filmmakers & producers

From a director’s perspective, shorts are an invaluable opportunity to expand on their advertising work, thanks to more flexibility in time and untethered creative freedom. The best tip I can give any director is to make sure you have a good script. Yes, especially for a short. Assess the script together with your production company’s producers and ask yourself: 'Why am I making this? What am I trying to get out of this? Why would anyone want to watch this?' and, 'Can we produce something great within a tight budget?'. 

Filming a short that successfully reflects a director’s unique point of view can build stronger production teams and help everyone involved to grow creatively. 

One recent example is a short we made with a relatively recent addition to our director roster, Kate Jean Hollowell. Kate came to us with a script for a dark comedy short that captures her distinctive voice about her dead friend who comes back as a port-a-potty. Say Hi After You Die just played at the Short Film Program at Sundance where it won Short Film Jury Award: US Fiction before it headed to play at SXSW. We are already seeing the effect of this project and its power to attract more interesting, formidable advertising work.   

This is just one short film project among several recent examples that I could gush about for pages. But I’ll just say that the entire process of making a short film with a director, and as a production company, is a masterclass for everyone involved because making a short is ultimately a trust exercise between the director, producers and crew. In the end, filming a short that successfully reflects a director’s unique point of view, and which is produced with intention, can build stronger production teams and help everyone involved to grow creatively. 

Above: Kate Jean Hollowell explains the thinking behind why she made her short film, Say Hi After You Die.

Value for agencies

Fashion brands have made short films successfully. One of the best in this category is the Kenzo piece directed by Spike Jonze. When I saw it, I didn’t want it to end and, every time I rewatch it, I see new details and feel pure happiness. Prada and Mui Mui have also made beautiful short films. 

Why not hire a highly motivated and innovative director to shape their spot/short from the get-go? 

This could be a godsend for clients and agencies, who spend a lot of time and money on commercial concepting and development. Why not hire a highly motivated and innovative director - based on their short-film aesthetic - working with the director to shape their spot/short from the get-go? You know, let the creatives be creative. In fact, it’s often how we earn our biggest campaigns and win awards for them. Why? Because the ethos of 'no risk, no reward' doesn’t just apply to business strategy, it lives and breathes in the creative world, too.