- Question
- Are short films worth watching?
- Position1 of 2›
- Yes, short films are worth watching
Short films allow filmmakers and actors to showcase their talents in order to secure funding from studios or private funding. By supporting a short film, you could support a filmmaker's chance at future features.
The argument
Short films can provide a gateway for new filmmakers into the world of features. They allow these people to enter festivals, get their foot in the door to the industry. A lot of filmmakers get noticed at short film festivals, including notable directors such as Lee Daniels and Paul Thomas Anderson. Short films also allow filmmakers to build their portfolios, improves their craft, and show what they can do. Original reels are made of short film material and allow new creatives to show what they can do.
Premises
Counter-arguments
Breaking into the industry through short-filmmaking is so rare. It's more likely for someone to make it by working their way up through the ranks of a set, starting as a PA and finally making connections.
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P1] Two directors named decades apart is a selection from the successes, and the premise offers no sense of how many filmmakers take this route relative to how many try — so it shows the path exists rather than that it is a reliable gateway. [Rejecting P2] The conclusion is about the wrong party: portfolios, reels and craft development are benefits to the filmmaker, and nothing about a work serving as a career step gives an audience a reason to watch it — which is what the position claims.