Meet MMC's distribution guru...

... David Russell, Mini Movie Channel's resident expert on short films.

MMC: What made you want to work in short film distribution?

David Russell: I worked in the feature film business until about 1996. That year I happened to check out the Palm Springs Short Film Festival and I was amazed at the amount of people who were paying to see films that they had never even heard of. It occurred to me that I could try to market them and increase their exposure. Then the dot com boom hit and short films were big for a while, so I kept waiting for other markets to open. Of course the industry eventually slowed down and it’s been quite a challenge since then.

MMC: With media companies doing more business on the Internet, do you foresee that short films will gain a significant online following?

David Russell: Definitely. The Internet has already done a lot to give short films exposure over the past few years. Unfortunately, companies have struggled to turn a profit for these films because of limited ad revenue.

MMC: Do directors have to worry about copyright infringements when they include music or brands in their films?

David Russell: Yes. That’s one of the major challenges of making a short film. Even if a film is fabulous you can’t show it if you don’t own the rights to all the material. Directors have to own their films. Young filmmakers have to learn to make films fully legal by having written consent for everything they use. This means that they have to be creative and often use lesser-known music and avoid using brand names.

MMC: Short films seem to be stepping stones for younger directors on their way to making features. Are there any directors who specialize in shorts?

David Russell: There are a few directors who prefer to make them for various reasons. Bill Plympton comes to mind – he’s an animator who has made short films his entire career. The problem, once again, is that feature films and TV attract most of the industry’s talent because they are the most lucrative.

MMC: What about playing short films before features at the theater like they did in the past?

David Russell: I’ve been trying for years to convince theaters to do that. It’s not that they don’t like the idea; they just don’t know how to make it profitable. People won’t pay to see short films at the theater. The dilemma for the industry is to find an audience that’s willing to support the films, and it’s been quite a challenge. As distributors we have to think outside the box and expand to different markets. For example, we’ve been trying to arrange deals with airlines to show films on flights.

MMC: Doesn’t the ITunes store sell short films?

David Russell: Yes they do, and they have plans to expand their offerings. Unfortunately they just don’t have the time to focus on that part of their business at the moment. The other problem is that Apple wants the films to be over ten minutes but filmmakers are trying their best to make films under ten minutes! In any case the ITunes store is an interesting model, although so far people have primarily downloaded Oscar-nominated material. Furthermore, Apple wants only exclusive material and filmmakers are generally not prepared to grant them that privilege.

MMC: How is Mini Movie Channel helping the short film industry?

David Russell: Mini Movie is an exciting platform, and if the company grows like projected it should bring in enough revenue to maintain a consistent home for these films.