Ok, the Guillermo del Toro story was clearly after a screening of a feature, not a short. But I have to say I love seeing a short before a feature at a festival, and even attend a shorts program if I can. It’s generally still people who love film who attend.

As far as ROI on producing short films, I’m not sure most short films are made with that calculation in mind. Many are made to tell a good story.

But I see your point, that short form content that might have otherwise been pushed to the festival circuit can have a better chance at exposure, broad audience and shelf life on the web. YouTube’s new Screening Room is a decent start in this direction from a site still heralding “The Evolution of Dance” as its most viewed video of all time.

I think that true filmmakers, those that tell stories cinematically, still find that their audiences are at the festivals. There is an interactivity and intimacy at the festivals, like the post-screening Q&A with the filmmakers and cast that you just can’t get anywhere else.

I remember asking Guillermo del Toro a question at the AFI Film Festival a few years back and was thrilled with that instant candid response from him.

I really haven’t seen an outlet on the web that can recreate the festival experience in terms of picture quality, interaction, film discovery, and of course the parties.

I think there’s one exception to this, however, and that’s the animated short film festivals. People come out in droves for cartoons, and they are inherently short. In that case, I think the brand of animation is actually bigger than the shorts themselves, which drives attendance.

Kind of like how Comic-Con is bigger than the comics themselves.