Duration
A short film is defined as being any film that is under 35 minutes long but is usually between 5 and 10 minutes
This film follows the general trend of most films by being on 8 minutes long it does this by having a short simple story and not giving the characters any backstory. The impact this has on the audience is that it does not require as much concentration and effort to watch as a feature length film would be meaning they can just watch the film without needing to free up 3 hours of free time. I could use this by making my film short and would do this by giving it a simple narrative where a guy is running away from an angry duck.
Budget
Short films are usually very low budget which we can see in their use of mise en scene, equipment and cast.
We can see in this film they are using a small budget as they actors are not very well known and so would work for cheaper. The locations are real and not sets which saves costs, the mise en scene is very basic and thereis nothing too extravagant for example she wears a hoodie for most of the film.The quality is quite good but high quality digital cameras are not that expensive especially if rented. They would use a small budget simply because they did not have access to large funds. The impact a small budget film like this has is that it could take away from the verisimilitude of the story but a small budget performed well can avoid this like this film does and you don't really notice the small budget unless you're looking for it. In my film I'm going to have to use a small budget and will only be given the equipment, everything else like mise-en-scene and actors I will have to find myself most likely for free. I would do this by making a film set in this area with actors who are around the ga eof myself and my friends so I could include them in my film, to do this I could make a film about a student failing at school.
Storyline
The storylines of short films are usually basic as they only have a short time to establish it but it can still be quite hard to interpret. Some can follow the traditional todorov narrative, a more unconventional storyline.
This film is an example of how short films normally have a very simple narrative as this film is about 3 boys waiting for their friend to get ready while they talk about tight jeans. The characters backstories are not established and it doesn't even tell us where they are waiting to go to. The effect this has on the audience is that it makes watching the film a lot easier and don't have to think too much when watching and can just enjoy. I would definitely use this style in my film as our film has to be 5 minutes long so a complex storyline would not work a film with a story like this would be perfect. For my short film I would create a film where two groups of boys in a park fight over which football is there as they look the exact same.
Characters
There are usually between one and three key characters and little background is given.
https://vimeo.com/117849018 (full film)
Skyborn is a short film about a father and son set in a post apocalyptic world and these are the only 2 characters in the film. We don't know what happened to the mother or where the fog came from. The impact this has on the audience is that may find it harder to relate to the characters as the reason for their motives aren't always clear but I think Skyborn still gets it across very well and we can understand why they do what they do. For instance you don't need any backstory to get across how much the Dad loves his Son in this film. I would only use a maximum of 3 main characters in this film who would get most of the screen time but not give any of their background and just show them as who they are now. The story would centre around these characters and any interaction with another character would be brief.
Twist
Short films usually contain an unexpected turn of events which breaks up the normal day which begins the film
In this film we see that a man finds out he has a terminal illness which forces him out of his normal mundane day to day life which is the twist of the film.Why short films do this is because firstly a twist sets up a story really well and like this film him finding out he has cancer creates an realistic reason for him to go as crazy as he did which was more entertaining than his normal life. .The effect this has on the audience is that it keeps them interested and is the hook that makes them follow the film throughout. I would use a twist early on in my film to set up the story that will follow for instance I will have someone find a million pounds in the street.
Abstract Creativity
Ideas, themes and ideology in short film are often abstract, even controversial.
https://vimeo.com/37463920 (full film)
The Park is a film which deals with abuse and homosexuality two very controversial topics in today's society. It also creates a twist in that one of the boys is being abused by their mother not their father which is what is stereotypically seen in film. One of the boys who brags about the amount of girls he gets is actually homosexual but is trying to hide that fact about him. Short films tend to do this a lot more than feature length films as films that deal with controversial topics don't get a large audience and so won't get the money back that it cost to make, however short films are generally cheaper so can deal with controversy without worrying about money .Dealing with controversial topics in films impact the audience in many different ways. The creator may have chosen to make the film so controversial as to sway people's opinions about certain topics like abuse or homosexuality. I would use this in my film and a controversial topic I might feature is abortion and have a girl who becomes pregnant when she is teenager face the choice of aborting it or not.
Niche
Short films often tell stories with little to no mainstream appeal, lacking traditional film sellability.
Spirit Stones is a film that looks at and explorers Aboriginal Culture which is not that apparent globally and only has a small society in Australia, so to most people this film would not appeal to them especially when we don't fully understand the ritual that is taking place and what the people are saying. Like with a controversial film and niche one would exist as a short film and not a feature length film as money is not as much of an issue and so not getting it back is not as problematic. The impact a niche film like this is that it could bore them as they do not understand what is going on and they don't relate to it or it could teach them about it like the Aboriginal culture. I could use a Niche style of making my film about a relatively unknown character from history that would not hold much appeal as not many people would know about it.
Emotional
Some short films usually convey a very clear singular strong emotion to the audience
This film you wanna get pizza has one constant emotion running through and that is being high and the typical conventions of it as 'having the muchies' as the entire film is about the dilemma of ordering a pizza. Short films normally only get across one emotion like this and have it as a main drive to the story as it allows the audience to relate to the characters quicker and understand their motives if they can see what emotion they are feeling easily. The impact this has on the audience is that it makes the film more enjoyable for them and easier to follow as if in a 5 minute film there was many emotions it would be too complicated for the audience. If I was to make a short film the focus I might choose to focus on is happy as I think in order to do a sad emotion in a film is hard enough and it being limited to 5 minutes make its harder whereas happiness and putting the audience in a better mood is much easier. I could do this by making a film about someone finding a million pounds in the streets.
Sound
Some shport films often have very little dialogue and a lot use voice overs to convey the story quicker. Music is a large part of most short films as it helps establish the mood in a way dialogue can't
This film has no dialogue and the story is told by the characters actions and facial expressions. The repetition we see everyday means that when the repetition is broken we know something is wrong like when we think the kid has died but then in reality we see that he just got better and is out of hospital. Having no dialogue is a short film is used because sometimes dialogue can take too long to explain what is happening in the film and just seeing it happen is a much quicker and better way. Sometimes however the story is just set up so that it works better without dialogue and I think the bond made between these two characters is much stronger because they don't talk. The impact this has on the audience is that they feel more involved in the film as they have to carefully watch it to understand what the characters are feeling. A short film I could produce where there is no dialogue is where two people working in a office only communicate by exchanging post it notes to each other and are love interests to each other.
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