What does Featurette mean?
Featurette is a short film — typically between 15 and 45 minutes in length — that falls between a short film and a feature-length production. Featurettes have been produced for theatrical release as supporting content for main features, for home video and streaming platforms as supplementary content, and as standalone productions for broadcast and streaming. They are also commonly produced as promotional content — ‘making of’ featurettes that document the production of a larger film or television series. For child actors, featurettes offer opportunities for substantial screen time and creative challenges in a compressed format.
Example:The streaming platform commissioned a featurette companion piece to the main series — a 25-minute dramatic short set in the same world with some of the same characters, giving the child actor a more prominent role than her recurring appearance in the main series.
Example: The film’s home video release included a 30-minute making-of featurette documenting the production — including interviews with the child actors and footage from the set that provided context and behind-the-scenes access for audiences who had connected with the film.
Did you know?
The featurette as a theatrical companion piece has largely disappeared since the decline of the double bill — the practice of showing two films together for a single ticket price that was common through the 1970s. In the double bill era, the shorter film was often a featurette or short designed to accompany the main feature. The format has found new life on streaming platforms, where content of any length can be presented without the theatrical need to fill a specific time slot.
You can also find “Featurette” and related terms in this category: Distribution and Exhibition.
