Short Films Research Priority Area

The Short Films Research Priority area focuses on exploring, researching, practicing and promoting short films (40 minutes or less), from narrative, documentary, experimental to animation. While much scholarly attention has been dedicated to the feature film, short film remains an understudied area.

Our research group engages with short filmmaking from traditional cinematic approaches, documentaries, mobile filmmaking, to filmic content creation for digital, online, immersive, and experimental media. Our focus is to undertake and provide continued research, critical analysis, exploration of new technologies and storytelling methods, as well as engage with critical, cultural, social and industrial debates.

The Short Film Research Priority Area is a multi-disciplinary group, comprising of members across the globe engaged in various aspects of filmmaking and cinema culture. The research output of this group includes traditional and non-traditional forms.

The Short Film Research Group will support academics, film students, new filmmaking talent, researchers and creative practitioners to study, network, liaise and collaborate. To achieve this, the group will organise yearly conference, film festival, and events to facilitate wider discussion and collaboration specifically between academia and the industry.

The principal objectives of the research group are to:

  1. Create a physical destination for emerging and established short film researchers and filmmakers.
  2. Establish a short film library – organise regular screenings, and discussions.
  3. Conduct world-class research within the context of short films, with a particular focus on history, practice, screenwriting, current trends and technologies, mobile filmmaking, online storytelling, funding, distribution and screening (including online and OTT).
  4. Focus on inclusivity, diversity and equality through providing a platform to and promote storytelling and filmmaking for and by the marginalised groups and people.
  5. Organise symposium, seminars, conferences, and short film related events.
  6. Organise Film Festivals at local and international level, and partner with International Film Festivals.
  7. Build a network of short film practitioners, students, funding agencies, distributors, and OTT platforms.
  8. Help establish short filmmakers’ online and social media connectivity, and assess challenges, changes in the industry, and be future ready.
  9. Study the global landscape in short filmmaking practice, audience engagement, as well as changes in production practices and issues related to intellectual property and copyright.

Our areas of interest include (but not limited to):

  • Cinema
  • Short Films
  • Film Culture
  • Cinematic Representations
  • Short Film History and Archival of Short Films
  • Documentary and non-fiction filmmaking
  • Film Screening, Distribution and Funding
  • Independent Filmmaking
  • Budget filmmaking
  • Mobile Filmmaking
  • Filmmaking for Online Media
  • Crewing for Short Films
  • Storytelling and filmmaking for, of and by the marginalised communities and groups
  • Screenwriting
  • Non-linear editing, and editing on mobile devices
  • Lighting (Natural and Studio)
  • Film Festivals
  • Film Curation
  • Virtual and Motion Production
  • A/R and V/R

Lead –Dr Vikrant Kishore

Co-Lead – Dr Levi Dean