Click the links below to read each Masterclass. Each month, we'll bring you a step-by-step guide to every aspect of short filmmaking.

MASTERCLASS ONE:
WHAT MAKES A GOOD SHORT?

MASTERCLASS TWO:
CAN YOU MAKE A SHORT FOR £100?

MASTERCLASS THREE:
THE SHOOT

MASTERCLASS FOUR:
PROMOTING YOUR SHORT

AFTER DARK MASTERCLASS FOUR:
PROMOTING YOUR SHORT

Dawn Sharpless:

Many of the terrestrial channels who used to commission and pay for shorts no longer do; they are the first things to be axed if there are any cut backs. Secondly, the TV channels who are paying for them today are now paying a lot less. Distributors are getting more creative too, Warp Films released Chris Morris' BAFTA winning short My Wrongs in record shops, Cinema 16 have done very well with a DVD collection of short films from international film makers. In terms of mobiles, everyone will probably have a videophone in two years time, although I think it will take a while for people to get into the habit. Personally I suspect that people prefer watching shorts on a computer or on TV. Film festivals are one of the most important platforms for shorts. You get to see how an international audience reacts to your film and if there is a market attached to the festival, as there is with Berlin, Cannes and Clermont- Ferrand, your sales agent can sell your short to buyers from all over the world. Also, it's great fun. Festivals often accommodate short-listed directors (less often producers, sadly) and organise talks and receptions to go to. If the British Council likes your short they can contribute to the cost of entering festivals and staying there. The excellent website: www.britfilms.com lists all the festivals worth considering. You have to use your imagination. I've seen film-makers hand out cool badges or giveaways that get their film's title in people's minds. At Clermond- Ferrand I try and get there a three days early and get my postcards and posters all over the best walls. Is it worth trying to get a short on at the cinema? Getting a short film in front of a feature film is not really an earner for us, or for the cinema. The cinema are losing advertising space by putting one on and we don't get any revenue but it's well worth doing. Some critics like Time Out review shorts and you can use their quotes to help sell the film down the line. Do you need a print? So many cinemas have excellent video projectors and if your film is shot on DV you won't see the benefit. In terms of the internet, there's not much to be made there either at the moment. Companies usually offer you a one off fee of around $300 to $500 per title for a non-exclusive license. It's more about profile. One short called "Virus" recently got around 20,000 hits in 24 hours when it premiered on Atom, which is great for the film-maker's standing.

Onedotzero:
From day one, keep your audience in mind. So many film-makers just launch in with no idea about who is going to see their film, apart from their friends. If you know who it is aimed at, you will have an idea how to get it to them. Festivals are a great way to reach people but too many people don't do enough research. At onedotzero, we get hundreds of entries that are entirely inappropriate. We don't charge, but most do, so you can waste a lot of money if you do not study the entry guidelines. Don't just think about the big glamorous international festivals, check out the smaller more focussed ones too - these have audiences growing year on year.

Firstlight:
Build into your budget the cost of promoting your short as well as shooting it, otherwise no one will see it. That means DVD copies, sleeves and boxes, postage, mail outs, creating a website, cast and crew screening, even if it's in your local pub, and so on. Do everything else that's low cost or free. Texts, virals, e-mails. Understand that festivals are the best way to promote your short. They are seen by an audience, on a big screen and the festival publicises them. Your film will be on their website and catalogue which they send out to thousands of people you won't even have heard of. But it takes time and money. I spent a year and almost £1,000 researching the festival circuit, chasing up entries, going to festivals and then following through on sales for the film. And it is a ‘circuit'. It took some time to get into one festival, then as soon as Palm Springs took it, other festivals started showing an interest, like they didn't want to miss out.

Intrepido:
We found that a good website is crucial. Attending festivals is also vital to understanding where your short might play best. Breaking Out played best in French speaking territories, so we went after sales in those territories. A good distributor might be able to screen your film with other shorts and create a real buzz about it. Otherwise you can try and do this yourself. If you have no money, the least you can do is write a good press pack, complemented by good stills, nicely laid out (and don't forget to spell check!) with the synopsis of the film, information about cast and crew, list of festivals, and production history.