What are the potential audiences for short films?

The growth of the interrnet has certainly had a huge impact on the potential audience's regarding short films. Before the rise of the internet, short films had very limited distribution. Short films were limited to DVD collections, film festivals/competitions and finally limited TV scheduling, the limited distribution meant that there was also a limited audience, which for the most part consisted of school students viewing educational videos or DVDs in class. The growth of the internet had a huge impact regarding the distribution of short films. Film directors now had the opportunity to distribute their short films at low costs and often for free on websites such as youtube, furthermore allowing them to monetize their content. Distribution through the internet has lead to a wider audience, the majority being youths, who are surrounded by the internet and different types of media, making it easier to view short films.

Fede Alvarez  and  Neill Blomkamp , examples of two film directors, who have had huge success due to the development of the internet and new media.

The BBFC plays a huge role in determining the potential audience of any film judging by the theme and the context they may contain. The majority of short films deal with many social issues within the society, that may not be suitable for the younger audiences, such as crime, sexuality, drugs etc therefore according to the BBFC classification the '15' certificate would be most suitable for the majority of short films and to some extent '12' may also be suitable. Despite this not all short films have a gritty nature to it, there are more light hearted short films, which contain mild themes created purely for the entertainment of the public, which could be suitable for all ages.

Due to the fact that we will be dealing with social issues surrounding the British society, we could possibly come across certain themes that are seen as inappropriate for the younger audience, therefore the '15' certificate could be the best choice for our short film. However if we aim to raise these types of issues in a more entertaining, targeting a wider range of audience ranging from all ages could be a possibility.