Film shorts have traditionally been considered a loss leader. But “low-cost cameras and desktop editing have expanded the field beyond Hollywood aspirants to everyone from hobbyists to experimental artists. And online, sites like Atomfilms, iFilm, Clipland and Amazefilms, among dozens of others, have showcased shorts, transforming them from advertisements for one’s self to a form of self-expression in its own right. And along the way, they’ve actually managed what was long thought to be impossible: Making a little money along the way.”