Social media proves to be a boon for short films

When the new millennium dawned on us fifteen years back, it brought a lot of new avenues to the masses in several different aspects. With this new age, the perception of many viewers changed regarding the films too. Bollywood took a leap and landed into the digital era that they adapted like second nature. And because the glamorous industry made everyone see the outstanding reach of this sector, others like makers of documentary and short films also took to it and discovered what they were missing before..

The efforts of filmmakers that go in making this type of parallel cinema is widely recognised today mainly due to these films getting more and more popular through social media sites. 

Today, anyone who wants can express their creativity through so many mediums. And this surely is a boon for the young, visionary filmmakers who aspire to come into the industry, doing what they love to do, without any contacts or connections. How social media has helped directors can be explained with just this one example of a short film called 'Bypass' by Amit Kumar that was made in 2003. He made the film starring actors like Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui who were not big names back then but are quite well known now. The movie was hard-hitting and won several accolades internationally but the Indian audience was not aware of it. Now, because of the reach of social media, the fifteen minute flick is all over the internet and the video is embedded on many sites for people to see. 

There are quite a few filmmakers who are thankful of social media for helping them create a sense of acceptance for this kind of realistic cinema. The feature films still have to go through the ordeal of censorship to be showcased in the theaters but sky is the limit for the directors who release their short and documentary movies on the internet. 

With sites like Youtube, Facebook and Twitter being extremely popular and giving free access to the audience, these movies can be easily made available for the people who opt to watch short films online. It gives a free advertising opportunity too, as the word of mouth spreads and viewers share the videos to a whole new set of people when they like it. Now the masses have started to actually look forward to these films and hence the trend for short movie trailers is also catching on, giving the followers a glimpse of what is to come that creates curiosity and stir amongst them.

Many renowned personalities from the Bollywood industry are also coming forward and participating in the short film sector these days resulting in a wider audience reach. Things are falling into place for people with artistic ambitions who get to make the kind of movies they believe in. So let's hope that this boon is here to stay so that the creativity that comes with these fresh minds keep on entertaining us.