9 Awesome Movies That Started Out As Short Films

Nobody expected a movie about drumming to be so compelling and powerful, but Whiplash was exactly that. A huge part of that is down to J.K. Simmons' Oscar-winning turn as Fletcher, the most demonic teacher to ever grace the screen.

What fans of the movie may not know is that in order to secure funding, writer/director Damien Chazelle put together an eighteen minute short based on his screenplay. The short follows Neiman’s arrival at Fletcher’s class and quickly learning that it’s not going to be much fun.

The short is essentially an extended trailer, and like the movie it’s dripping with tension. Simmons' also plays Fletcher here, and he's the same terrifying, hateful creature he is in the movie. It’s easy to see why Whiplash quickly got funded off the back of this short, and the movie’s extra running time really helped the story find the right tempo (sorry).

Can you think of any other great movies that started out as shorts? Share them with us in the comments below.