Randy Newman turned his satiric song “Short People” into a music video that appeared on MTV in the early 80s.  Not just short people make films; many people make short films.  In essence, a music video is just a new form of the short film, many of which — including those by Randy Newman — have been made by both short and tall people.  The short film is also a forgotten art form that deserves a return to mass-market theaters.  

In the days before satellite and pod casting, the only place to see moving images was at a theater where not only feature length films were shown but a variety of news, information and entertainment films — with the majority being short.  Many a Clark Gable picture would be preceded by a newsreel, a cartoon, or a non-fiction short, which in today’s media milieu would be analogous to a piece on a TV magazine show like 20/20.  When the medium of television infiltrated American living rooms, the short film slowly faded away as a theatrical presentation, turning into an Oscar category that pool players dread each year.  

What many people may not know is that the short film is as challenging to make as any feature or more so, whether a narrative or documentary.  The advent of cable TV has allowed for some new venues to show some short films, such as The Sundance Channel and the Independent Film Channel, and shorts have become the darlings — and saviors — of film festivals around the world.  Shorts have also become calling cards for unrecognized filmmakers that enable them to show off their abilities, even if those are shortsighted.

Having just finished presiding over a short film showcase in my small town of Moorpark, California, I have been reassured that our youth is still interested in making short films and are doing so in droves.  Of course, with technology making it easier for even Aunt Mabel to make, edit, and distribute a digital film, all from the comfort of the den, there’s also a lot of garbage that should never have been burned to a DVD, let alone shown to the general public. But the cream always moves to the top, as they say.

And speaking of cream, the short film thrives in the form of activist propaganda pieces, and I don’t mean that in a negative sense.  The short film allows the individual filmmaker or one representing a group to get out a point of view in a concise, viewable, and entertaining manner.  Case in point is a 14-minute film made by award-winning filmmaker and founder of the Webby Awards, Tiffany Shlain called Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness.  The smartly made film uses a humorous approach to advocate the issue of a woman’s right to choose.  The film was an official selection of the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and finally has its television debut on The Sundance Channel this month (see below for dates).  I’m all for independent, artistic freedom of expression and know a film can be enjoyed even if the viewer does not totally agree with its politics, but all I ask of filmmakers is that they entertain, as well as advocate.  Ms. Shlain achieves this wholeheartedly, and like the old Michael Moore on the feature front, uses the form intelligently and without boring us out of our minds.  Not to be short, but you better not miss this great example of length-challenged filmmaking.  

Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness airs on The Sundance Channel on October 26 at 7:15 p.m., October 29 at 7:45 p.m., and October 31 at 10:45 a.m., all times Eastern. Check the schedule for other times.

Rich Burlingham