They may be short, but they're perfectly formed

Some of our most imaginative film-makers are working within the confines of the short film format, as two new television slots show. By Meg Carter

THE SHORT film was once seen as a director's calling-card for a Hollywood career. Now it is being recognised once more as a fully developed creative format in its own right - thanks, in no small part, to the dogged support of British broadcasters. For proof look no further than three high-profile schemes running on network TV this month.

Last week, Channel 4 launched the fourth season of Shooting Gallery, a showcase of some of the world's best short films. It also saw the return of The Talent, a shorts award-scheme-cum-showcase run by BBC2. Coinciding with this is the theatrical release of the winner of the Jerwood Film Prize for young scriptwriters, whose backers include Channel 5.

"There has certainly been a renaissance," says Jacquie Lawrence, Channel 4's deputy commissioning editor for independent film and video. "Cinema distributors are now putting on shorts - not just at festivals, but out in the market-place. And compilations are now appearing on video." Broadcasters, meanwhile, acknowledge the short as a useful testing-ground for new production talent and, of course, a colourful source of innovative programming.

The BBC has national and local initiatives to develop shorts and The Talent season draws on many of these. Fourteen films were selected out of a shortlist of 33 from initiatives including 10x10 (BBC Bristol), Tartan Shorts (BBC Scotland), Northern Lights (BBC Northern Ireland) and Pics (BBC Wales).

"Everyone thinks shorts are made only by film-school graduates eager to make their mark, but we have had shorts submitted by people from a broad range of backgrounds," says Angie Daniel, series producer for The Talent.

Duck, a comedy about two Glaswegian alcoholics having a bad day, was directed by an ex-joiner; John McKay, director of Wet & Dry - the tale of an Egyptian mummy's search for skin-restoring ointment - is a former stand-up comic. In fact, only one of the films in the current season - Lynne Ramsay's Small Deaths - is a graduation piece.

The Talent's format differs from Shooting Gallery by placing each short in context with an accompanying film exploring a particular aspect of the production.

"We treat the shorts like feature films, with an introduction to linger on each for a little longer - often, you get far more out of a second, or even third viewing," Daniel says. Each short and its accompanying documentary is introduced by Mark Lawson - who brings a rather different tone to that of Shooting Gallery, which is introduced by Kathy Burke.

Channel 4's agenda is less discursive and "artsy", with a greater emphasis on showcasing the talent, Lawrence says. With more than 80 shorts chosen to be broadcast in two seasons this year, you could be forgiven for thinking that the producers would end up scraping the bottom of the barrel. But far from it, she insists. "There's greater interest and commitment to making short films now than there has been for many years," Lawrence says. "This year, I've been knocked out by the British selection. And it's incredible who's getting involved."

In spite of shoestring budgets - pounds 30,000 is average for a 10-minute film - big names, including David Thewlis and The Full Monty writer Simon Beaufoy, have films scheduled in the new season. Love Story, to be broadcast tonight, is directed by Nick Love and features his estranged wife Patsy Palmer (Bianca in EastEnders). The End is about a sick man attempting suicide. He scores drugs off his young neighbour and goes out with - quite literally - a bang. It was written by Kathy Burke.

"There's been a significant turnaround recently in the way people approach shorts," Lawrence adds. "Once it was about gaining an entree to Hollywood. Increasingly, it's about individuals wanting to tell their own stories in their own voice." Furthermore, impressive talent is coming through because film-makers now see TV as a desirable home for their work. Likewise, funders are more prepared to invest if they can see a potential TV slot. But, above all, it makes sense for the broadcasters. "Apart from giving us access to new talent," Lawrence says, "it's great for growing our younger audience."

`Shooting Gallery' is on Channel 4 tonight at 11.55pm. `The Talent' is on BBC2 this Friday. `Eight' will be shown in Warner Village Cinemas with Nicole Kidman's new film, `Practical Magic', from Friday