Vicerrectoría Académica IP – CFT
Dirección de Desarrollo Curricular
Lesson 6 Reading 6
Directions:
-
Read the text.
Complete the activities.
Pre-Reading activity
With a classmate, answer these questions.
a) How is a short film different from a film?
b) What Genres there are for short films?
Reading
Short Films
A short film is any motion picture not long enough in running time to be considered a feature film. The
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that
has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits". In the United States, short films were
generally termed short subjects from the 1920s into the 1970s when confined to two 35mm reels or
less, and featurettes for a film of three or four reels. "Short" was an abbreviation for either term.
The increasingly rare industry term "short subject" carries more of an assumption that the film is shown
as part of a presentation along with a feature film. Short films are often screened at local, national, or
international film festivals and made by independent filmmakers with either a low budget or no budget
at all. They are usually funded by film grants, nonprofit organizations, sponsor, or personal funds.
Short films are generally used for industry experience and as a platform to showcase talent to secure
funding for future projects from private investors, a production company, or film studios.
All films in the beginning of cinema were very short, sometimes running only a minute or less. It was
not until the 1910s when films started to get longer than about ten minutes. The first set of films were
presented in 1894 and it was through Thomas Edison's device called a kinetoscope. It was made for
individual viewing only. Comedy short films were produced in large numbers. By the 1920s, a ticket
purchased a varied program including a feature and several supporting works from categories such as
second feature, short comedy, 5–10-minute cartoon, travelogue, and newsreel.
FGL 011 INGLÉS INTERMEDIO 2
Vicerrectoría Académica IP – CFT
Dirección de Desarrollo Curricular
Mark the following statements as true (T) or false (F)
1 ___ a short film is an original motion picture that has a running time of 10 minutes or less.
2 ___ All films in the beginning of cinema were very short, sometimes running only a minute or less.
3 ___ Short films are generally used for industry experience and as a platform to showcase talent to
secure funding for future projects from private investors, a production company, or film studios.
Match the words (1-8) with the definition (A-H)
1 ___ Reel
3 ___ Showcase
2 ___ Sponsor
4 ___ Funds
A) a person, firm, organization, etc., that supports the cost of a television program by buying time
for advertising during the broadcast.
B) A sum of money set aside for a specific purpose.
C) a roll of motion-picture film.
D) an exhibit or display, usually of an ideal of something.
Listening
Listen to the recording and choose the correct answer.
1.
a)
b)
c)
According to the recording, filmmakers are:
Photographers
Writes
Storytellers
2.
a)
b)
c)
According to the recording, the most powerful tool for filmmakers is:
A pen
A gun
A car
FGL 011 INGLÉS INTERMEDIO 2