We all start somewhere. It takes a lot of practice and study to become competent at anything. This is especially true of filmmaking. You might look at Nolan or Spielberg as masters of their craft, they weren't always so. While many directors come from different backgrounds, education and intelligence, many of the greats have a body of short films they made that predates any sort of exposure they had. Following up on how to direct your first short film, here is a look at some of the competition in your quest to take over the film world. What did master filmmaker's earliest works look like? What kinds of films were they putting together in their formative years? Well, allow me to show you. While planning a short film, it is important to do spades and spades of research. So why not take a walk through history and see some of the techniques these master filmmakers used when they were restricted by budgets, actors and equipment. Also, hopefully you will find it encouraging to see that even the best weren't at an unattainable level to begin with. Planning on making short films is a great thing to do but you should spend some of your time watching short films too. Otherwise you may well find that your short film is actually a feature film, just horrifically condensed. So why not jump into the world of short films by checking out some of the best directors in world cinema.
10. Alive In Joburg - Neill Blomkamp
Everyone is excited for Elysium. I have been waiting for the movie for four years myself. Blomkamp is a really special talent as he first showcased in the Peter Jackson produced District 9. Originally Jackson had put Blomkamp at the helm of a Halo movie that famously fell apart, but Jackson was so eager to get a Blomkamp feature made that the production turned into what is one of the best Sci-films of this millennia. But why had Jackson pushed Blomkamp so hard? And where did the idea of District 9 come from? That would be Alive in Joberg. It is a short film that is very clearly a direct predecessor to the feature (Even including Sharlto Copely) and you can watch it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le3y0QlLjJE Neil Blomkamp has a bunch of great short films. His vision and take on sci-fi concepts makes him possibly one of the most exciting directors working today. If you want to look further into Blomkamp's vision in further preparation of Elysium, look up Yellow and his Halo test footage.