The prevailing wisdom is this: don’t do it. “It’s insane,” they’ll say. “A waste of money and time and resources,” they’ll whisper. Don’t make that short film. Don’t go to film festivals. Don’t pour ...

So here it is — the Raindance Seven guide to making a truly, spectacularly terrible short film and how to avoid it.

There is no one way to break into the movie business. But one of the most dependable routes for decades has been to make a short film, submit it to festivals, and then hope someone with money or power ...