Northern Alliance - BFI

Appendix II Definitions
Exactly what constitutes a short film in the YouTube era is open to debate. There is
almost certainly a grey area between films made with the aspiration of becoming
professional in some part of the media sector, and user-generated content made
with no such intention in mind. For the purpose of this report, we have focused
exclusively on short films made with the serious intention of progressing to a career
in feature length theatrical filmmaking.
In discussions about short filmmaking there are often references made to talent, as in
talent development, and similar expressions. For the purposes of the report and in
the context of short filmmaking, we have adopted the following definitions.
Talent means, primarily, the directors of short films, though it will also include
writers, producers and members of the cast and crew who make a significant
creative contribution to the completed film.
Talent development means the development of the capacity of talented individuals to
make an increased creative contribution through their filmmaking careers, in
particular achieving a transition from making short films to making feature length
films.
There is a substantial grey area between talent development and skills development,
and that grey area also includes a wide variation in professional experience - from
inexperienced practitioners making their first short to people about to complete the
transition to feature filmmaking. For the purpose of this report, talent development
is regarded as something that accrues with practice and reflection, whereas skills
development requires practice and instruction, though the two are likely to be
intermingled to a greater or lesser degree.
Talent is not taken to include crew who make a primarily administrative or technical
contribution, no matter how significant or important that contribution is. This does
not mean, however, that there is no role for short filmmaking in terms of developing
set crafts and similar filmmaking skills, just that there is a degree of independence
between the manifestation of talent and the development of such skills. It may well
be possible for major administrative and technical contributions to be made to a film
that manifests little talent, whereas the greater the creative contribution, the greater
the film is likely to be; some great films are made despite significant administrative
and technical constraints.
Diversity refers to the characteristics of ethnicity, gender and disability.
Strategic partner refers to 104 Films, B3, Cinema Extreme, Mayavision and the
national and regional screen agencies that manage short film schemes (see p16).
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