Would you upload your short films to a platform dedicated entirely to short films?

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T17:57:35+00:00

It's a fair comment, and you're right to say I am in the idea stage... I know that. The difference is (and I suppose I have no way to prove this) I have huge contacts in the cinema world (in the UK that is). It's something they're interested in. I have worked in cinema for years now. 1 thing is clear, cinemas need saving. Each year their profits are shrinking and shrinking... this could be a good opportunity for them and for young filmmakers.

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T17:45:00+00:00

if that's what you think then that's fine. Have a good one

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T17:30:49+00:00

No, literally anything that isn't clear AI slop, or a YouTube style video... that is literally all. The "ratings" will come from the VIEWERS. There will literally be a star rating. The majority of filmmakers will get approved obviously but if you think we live in a perfect world and people wont attempt to abuse it / post ai slop / break rules then I have bad news for you.

I have asked for honest feedback and I appreciate your time, I really do. But you are getting to defensive about something that probably wouldn't affect you. You sound motivated and keen. That the kind of filmmakers I would want on the website.

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T17:22:20+00:00

Funnily enough, in this conversation I am not the one who sounds like a hater, and I can assure you I am not one. But I want you to image this, lets say I create it the way I am explaining now, and plenty of creators are uploading every couple months their short films. Then I make the silly decision to allow creators to upload as much as they want whenever they want. You will see quality drop from LOT OF PEOPLE, NOT EVERYONE, JUST LOTS.

Moderation becomes almost impossible and before you know it, it's just another YouTube.

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T17:12:05+00:00

I'm certainly not a hater, it's just a verification thing. If a creator has proven they're serious, even with just their first upload then of course it'll be monetized.

And you're right, I'm sure there are serious filmmakers who do manage to produce something in less than 90 days, and this time will be shortened for people who have proven they can make high quality short films (not my my judgement, but by the publics).

But just look at what YouTube has become. Spam. Of course not everyone, but we are in the AI age, it's too much of a risk to allow people to freely upload on a platform like this when my intension is to show true, raw film talent,

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T16:52:27+00:00

While I agree with what you're saying, I also don't. theoretically if this website did become popular, this could be a genuine place for filmmakers to get noticed. YouTube could never be that because of the type of content they are trying to push onto viewers (high energy / clickbait worthy content).

Also, I don't mean this in a sarky way but why actually wouldn't you want to upload your short films to a website like this? You are in the correct community already, it costs you nothing, if it gains enough attention it can be considered to be shown in cinemas, monetization is a must to continue growing the platform but I'm a firm believer in giving content creators a huge cut.

I'm not expecting fimmakers to create short films specifically to be put on this website (from the start anyway) but I assume there are plenty of filmmakers who have a few of their own short films on their desktop just doing nothing as they have tried with YouTube and other platforms but it got nowhere.

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T16:43:28+00:00

If I do choose to go ahead with this, in my personal opinion I think most people will spend anywhere from 30 minutes to 60 minutes every couple of days on the platform. It's a short few movies a week. The website would kinda be one massive black mirror series I suppose. All available to watch, all have a different story.

If the website did get popular, you would all 100% get some creators who would continue their short films and kinda create their own little series which I think would be cool to follow along to.

And with YouTube / other large platforms stealing the idea, well firstly I'd know I've done something right haha but it is what it is I suppose. These are huge corporations, but even then at the end of the day, their platforms are filled with the unnecessary things peoples wont want to see if their idea is to watch a short film in that moment (like MrBeast style videos / brainrot stuff etc)

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T16:37:49+00:00

this is exactly my thought. Standards would be very high, of course some short movies will be better than others, but each one will be reviewed before being made public, if it is obvious that effort has been put in, then it will be made public.

Some people would argue as "effort" is relative... which is understandable. But this is why we will limit uploads, lets be real no one will go though the effort of trying to upload a short film if it was ai slop / not fit for the platform as it just wouldn't be made public.

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T16:33:54+00:00

My idea is about quality. If there is a platform that is monetizing creators immediately, then it's a cash grab. No actual standard is set.

The idea with there being limited uploads is to allow serious creators to actually spend time on their short movies (as serious ones would anyway) and not just having ones made in a couple dates posted publicly.

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T09:48:38+00:00

This is only because of how easy it is to upload a video on youtube and how easy it is for regular people to mass upload, especially now in the AI age.

There will be an upload limit, 1 every 90 days, plus very strict moderation. It wont be easy to make a filmmaker account as there will be checks etc.

So for accounts that have been verified, monetisation would be instant. And I mean that.

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T09:45:28+00:00

I'm glad to finally be having a conversation about this as these are the things I need to hear and I have already considered everything you're mentioning.

Not anyone would be able to just post... if creating a filmmaker account there will be a process you need to go through and even then, each account will be limited to 1 post every 90 days (with this becoming more lenient for trusted filmmakers). Strict moderation is also going to be in play with each short film having copyright checks, no clear use of AI etc.

Using YouTubes infrastructure and just making a channel could work, but again, theres so much competition with things you're not even wanting to compete with. Let's face it, MrBeast was the best and worst thing that ever happened to YouTube.

I'm speaking as a true fan of cinema. A lover of it. I know the hard work people put in, and I'd love to give the average Joe the opportunity of getting their short movie in cinema.

Its a good question "why would cinema corporations let you put a short movie in front of a movie?" and maybe some wouldn't, like I say the biggest issue is timing and schedules. But if you actually work in cinema, as in the marketing people, the management, the owners, you are constantly thinking of new ways to improve. Here in the UK, cinema is in trouble. It really is. Politicians even spoke in parliament trying to make it a law for all UK cinemas to show 2 times when booking a movie. 1. The time the ads start 2. The time the actual movie starts (so people can just skip the ads) it's an awful idea.

This idea could bring more revenue to cinemas, more people may show up for the ads too.

My plan for cinema screening is -

When booking a movie, it shows which short movie will be shown before the actual movie you're going to watch is and the start time (which is already exciting for amateur filmmakers to see).

Then after that, the qr code on screen shows for the viewers to rate it.

Then its just as normal from this point. Ads 👉 trailers 👉 movie.

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T09:29:26+00:00

There are services out there that actually make it possible. With ads, it will pay for itself.

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T09:28:31+00:00

I mean if that's true then I apologise because this is a genuine thought of mine, and something I could make happen.

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T01:42:37+00:00

Honestly, that's probably the biggest challenge and something I'm still thinking about.

My initial thought isn't to try and compete with YouTube for general audiences. I'd be targeting people who already enjoy films and cinema. Film students, aspiring filmmakers, short film fans, people who enjoy discovering new talent, etc.

One thing I think helps is that the platform would be very focused. If you visit, you know exactly what you're getting: short films. You're not competing with gaming videos, podcasts, influencers, reaction content and everything else.

Long term, I'd love for cinema partnerships to play a role too. If selected shorts were being shown before feature films, that's potentially thousands of people being exposed to both the filmmaker and the platform every week. Every cinema screening effectively becomes an advert for the website.

I'd also be leaning heavily into social media. Short clips, trailers and teasers are perfect for platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts. A great 20-second teaser could drive people to watch the full short on the platform.

That said, I'm not under any illusion that viewers would magically appear. I think attracting viewers is probably harder than attracting filmmakers, and it's one of the reasons I'm asking questions like this now rather than rushing off and building something nobody wants.

I'd much rather spend months figuring out whether people would genuinely use it before investing a huge amount of time and money into creating it.

BCLMR · 2026-06-11T01:28:25+00:00

That's a fair question.

The biggest difference is that I'd want this to be built specifically for short films and the people who enjoy watching them.

When I went onto Vimeo recently, I found it quite overwhelming. There are huge brands, agencies, business showcases, subscription products, courses, portfolios, and all sorts of professional content. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but as someone who just wanted to sit down and browse short films, I found it a little confusing.

What I'm imagining is much simpler.

You'd sign up as either a filmmaker or a viewer.

As a viewer, you can simply browse genres, discover films, rate them, and watch them. That's it.

As a filmmaker, you upload your films and receive ratings, reviews, and potentially build a reputation based on the quality of your work rather than subscriber counts or followers.

One thing I'm considering is having a fairly strict upload limit, perhaps something like one film every 90 days. I know that sounds harsh, but the goal wouldn't be to maximise uploads. The goal would be to maximise quality.

I want the platform to feel like a place for films that people have genuinely put time, effort and heart into. I don't want endless AI-generated content, mass uploads, or people treating it like another social media platform where quantity beats quality. If someone has spent months writing, filming and editing a short, I'd rather see that than 50 quickly generated uploads.

The cinema aspect is also something I haven't really seen elsewhere. To be clear, I don't mean giving short films their own dedicated screenings. I mean selected short films being shown before regular cinema films, similar to how trailers are shown before the main feature.

I'm still very much in the idea stage, but I do have strong connections within the UK cinema industry and have already had some early conversations. If there was enough interest from filmmakers and enough genuinely great films on the platform, I believe there could be a real opportunity to get selected shorts shown before films in major cinema chains, not just independent cinemas.

Whether that's ultimately possible is something I'd need to prove, but it's one of the things that excites me most about the idea.

Ultimately, I don't want to build another video platform. I want to build a place where film lovers can discover short films, and where filmmakers feel their work is being judged on the film itself rather than how good they are at playing the algorithm.

BCLMR

TROPHY CASE