Northern Alliance - BFI

Appendix VI The economics of short films
There are few active UK distributors of short films, either theatrically or in the form of
DVD compilations. At present, the main suppliers in this limited marketplace are the
BFI along with Dazzle Films and Shorts International. Short films make up a
significant proportion of the catalogues of publicly subsidised distribution/touring
agencies active in artists‟ moving image such as Film and Video Umbrella and
Onedotzero. Many short filmmakers are left with little option but to self-distribute
their own films, though whether this is an effective model is open to question.
“If there is an economic model for short films, it is perhaps via a brand such as
Cinema 16. People can be reluctant to pay for short films because they have to filter
through a plethora of films, but where that has been done for them and the films
come with a stamp of quality I think people will pay for them.”
Mathieu de Braconier, The Bureau
There are few short films screened in cinemas in the UK or internationally outside of
film festivals. 81 Even though acquisition budgets for short films have been shrinking
in recent years, television remains the most important source of income for most
sales agents representing short films. 82 Mainland European broadcasters, particularly
Arte, Canal+, RTI and ZDF, are significant purchasers of short film, while Australia,
Canada, Japan and South Korea are also fertile territories. In the US, the Independent
Film Channel, Sundance Channel and PBS are the key outlets for short films.
There is evidence of increasing demand for animation and similar, family-oriented
short films. Some of this market growth is likely to be a consequence of the growing
number of specialist children‟s channels on television. Specialist short film channels
such as Canada‟s Moviela, 83 France‟s ShortsTV or the UK‟s Propeller TV have had
various degrees of success; however, none of them are able to pay fees that match
the mainstream channels.
Profit margins from selling DVD compilations of short films are narrow, and some
producers of short film DVDs say that their releases are about raising awareness as
much as they are about generating revenue. Short films have not yet made an impact
on mobile platforms, because of the unwillingness of consumers to pay for content,
as well as the limited availability of content suitable for viewing on a handset, long
download times and limits on file sizes.
81 This and the three paragraphs that follow are a highly abridged version of Short Film Export
(2008), UK Film Council Film Export Group, which provides a detailed overview of the key markets for
short films.
82 Average broadcast fees for shorts range from €40-€60 per minute.
83 Moviela has around one million subscribers.
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