Many directors start out making short films as a way of experimenting and honing their craft. A director’s early works – some released to critical acclaim and well-deserved publicity – provide a glimpse of the filmmaking greatness that is to come.
Some of those directors whose short films catapulted them into the limelight are now big names in the filmmaking industry. Some have even revisited their origins by continuing to make short films. Let’s look at how these great directors got their big break with a humble short film.
Spike Jonze, ‘Ciao, L.A.’ (1994)
After spending years directing music videos for the likes of Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys, R.E.M., and Weezer, Spike Jonze tried his hand at directing films; his first was the outstanding Being John Malkovich. This was followed by Adaptation. and Her.
His first short film was the bizarre Ciao, L.A. made for the Beastie Boys (Adam Horovitz, Michael Diamond, and Adam Yauch), who play three up-and-coming actors appearing on the fictional talk show, “Ciao, L.A.” Fun fact: Sofia Coppola – another director who appears in this list — appeared in the short film.
Michel Gondry, ‘Human Behaviour’ (1993)
Like Spike Jonze, French-born Michel Gondry entered the world of filmmaking through music video production. The music videos Gondry produced for his band, Oui Oui, drew the attention of Björk, who approached him to direct the video for her debut single, "Human Behaviour."
Gondry’s movies have been inconsistent. His first feature film, 2001’s Human Nature, was not well-received. Gondry redeemed himself with the critically acclaimed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) before making the universally panned The Green Hornet (2011).
Sofia Coppola, ‘Lick the Star’ (1998)
The first film written and directed by Sofia Coppola, Lick the Star is a 14-minute-long black-and-white short that explores isolation, a theme that would appear in Coppola’s later feature works.
Coppola directed The Virgin Suicides the following year, followed by Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, and, more recently, On the Rocks.
Stephen Daldry, ‘Eight’ (1998)
Stephen Daldry’s feature films Billy Elliot, The Hours, The Reader, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close have all garnered him Best Picture and Best Director Oscar nominations.
But Daldry’s first award was a 1999 BAFTA nomination for his touching 13-minute short film, Eight, about a soccer-obsessed 8-year-old (Jack Langan-Evans) who must come to terms with living in a new town following the death of his father.
Martin McDonagh, ‘Six Shooter’ (2004)
Martin McDonagh — responsible for the feature films In Bruges and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri — directorial debut was the short film, Six Shooter.
About an Irishman called Donnelly (Brendan Gleeson) who, after learning that his wife has died, takes a train ride with a chain-smoking kid (Rúaidhrí Conroy), the tragicomedy Six Shooter won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film in 2006.
F. Gary Gray, ‘It Was a Good Day’ (1993)
Yet another movie director who cut their teeth making music videos, F. Gary Gray started his journey to the big time with Ice Cube’s It Was a Good Day.
After pumping out music videos for the likes of Coolio, OutKast, Whitney Houston, Babyface, and Queen Latifah, Gray went on to direct classics like The Italian Job, Be Cool, Straight Outta Compton, and Men in Black: International.
Neill Blomkamp, ‘Alive in Joburg’ (2004)
South African-born filmmaker Neill Blomkamp started his career as a visual effects artist with a background in music videos and television advertisements. Deciding to branch out, in 2005, he made Alive in Joburg, a six-minute mockumentary about an alien invasion.
When Peter Jackson saw the film, he invited Blomkamp to work for his New Zealand-based visual effects company. Alive in Joburg would eventually be expanded to become the hit movie District 9, which Jackson produced, followed by Elysium and Chappie.
Lynne Ramsay, ‘Small Deaths’ (1996)
Small Deaths, Lynne Ramsay’s film school thesis short, set the tone for the features that followed. The 11-minute film about three key moments in a young girl’s life highlights the director’s creative use of composition, color, music, sound, and arresting imagery, producing an immersive cinema experience.
Since her 1996 short film debut, Ramsay has continued to shine with movies such as Ratcatcher, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and the outstanding You Were Never Really Here.
Jared Hess, ‘Peluca’ (2003)
Peluca, the 2003 short film by Jared Hess, was an assignment piece while he was studying at Brigham Young University, Utah. The movie features Jon Heder as Seth – the character that would be developed for Hess’ first feature film, Napoleon Dynamite (2004) – who skips school with his two friends, Pedro (Greg Hansen) and Giel (Chris Sanchez).
Hess, along with his wife Jerusha, would go on to make Nacho Libre, Gentleman Broncos, and Masterminds.
Paul Thomas Anderson, ‘Cigarettes & Coffee’ (1993)
Paul Thomas Anderson, the director responsible for such greats as Boogie Nights, Magnolia, The Master, and Licorice Pizza, had humble starts, too.
Anderson pooled borrowed money with his college fund to create the short Cigarettes & Coffee, starring Kirk Baltz, Philip Baker Hall, and Miguel Ferrer, in 1993. He submitted the film – about a group of people who find themselves at a roadside diner – to the Sundance Film Festival, kick-starting his feature film career.
George Lucas, ‘Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB’ (1967)
While a film student at the University of Southern California in 1967, George Lucas directed his dystopian sci-fi short with a long name, Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB. The following year, the film won first prize at the National Student Film Festival, which was seen by Steven Spielberg.
The praise generated by the short film convinced Lucas’ friend and fellow film school student, Francis Ford Coppola, to fund a feature version — shortened to THX 1138 — and set Lucas up for bigger, better things.
John Lasseter, ‘Luxo Jr.’ (1986)
In 1986, Steve Jobs bought the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm, Ltd. and renamed it Pixar Animation Studios. Jobs had one of his animators, John Lasseter, create a two-minute animated short film that showcased what the company was capable of.
And that’s how Luxo Jr., about a lively little lamp, was born. That lamp would become Pixar’s corporate identity, and Lasseter would go on to direct the Pixar standouts Toy Story and Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life, Cars, and Cars 2.
Martin Scorsese, ‘The Big Shave’ (1967)
To the sounds of upbeat jazz, a young man (Peter Bernuth) shaves, cuts himself, and continues to cut himself. A commentary on the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War, Martin Scorsese made The Big Shave while he was a film student at New York University.
The director would create many masterpieces throughout his filmmaking career, including Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Aviator, The Departed, and The Wolf of Wall Street.
David Lynch, ‘The Alphabet’ (1969)
David Lynch’s highly experimental four-minute short film, The Alphabet, combines live action with animation to convey a man’s nightmare. Lynch was awarded an American Film Institute (AFI) production based on the merits of his short film.
Lynch followed up with The Grandmother, another short worth checking out, before cementing his place in Hollywood with movies that embrace the weird: Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Lost Highway, and Mulholland Drive. Lynch has continued to make short films throughout his illustrious career.
Christopher Nolan, ‘Doodlebug’ (1997)
The mind-bending narratives that Christopher Nolan is famous for are on full display in his short film, Doodlebug. This three-minute psychological thriller is about a man who suffers an identity crisis while trying to kill a bug in his apartment.
After Doodlebug, Nolan continued to hone his craft, giving us Memento, Interstellar, Inception, and Dunkirk, not to mention the Batman Dark Knight trilogy.
Taika Waititi, ‘Two Cars, One Night’ (2003)
For his 2003 short film, Two Cars, One Night, about two boys and the women they meet in the carpark of a New Zealand pub, Taika Waititi was nominated for an Oscar.
With the international recognition that followed his Oscar nomination, Waititi set about making feature films, including What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jojo Rabbit, and, for the MCU, Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder.
Wes Anderson, ‘Bottle Rocket’ (1994)
Wes Anderson met Owen Wilson in a playwriting class in 1989, during their sophomore year at the University of Texas, Austin. The pair wrote a script about three would-be criminals — Owen and his brother Luke Wilson and Robert Musgrave –— that would become the short film Bottle Rocket.
Although the film did not generate much critical attention, it attracted producer James Brooks who funded the 1996 feature of the same name based on the short. And the rest, as they say, is history. Anderson went on to make The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and, more recently, The French Dispatch.