CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF

SHORT FILMS

SHORT FILMS COULD BE CONSIDERED AS THEIR OWN GENRE, SO WHAT ARE THE

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF SHORT FILMS?

MORALITYMORALITY COULD BE SEEN AS A CODE OF A SHORT FILM AS DILEMMAS INVOLVING MORALS ARE WIDELY USED IN CREAING THE NARRATIVE OF SHORT FILMS. FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE SHORT FILM “CARGO” BY POPGO, A MAN IS CHALLENGED WITH GETTING HIS INFANT DAUGHTER TO SAFETY EVEN THOUGH HE HAS BEEN BITTEN BY A ZOMBIE. IT MAKES US SEE THE WORLD IN A DIFFERENT WAY AS WE FEEL SORRY FOR THE ZOMBIE FATHER, WHICH IS UNUSUAL FOR THIS GENRE.

SATIREALTHOUGH SOME SHORT FILMS MAY FEATURE STORYLINES INVOLVING A MORALITY CODE, SOME MAY CHOOSE A MORE SATIRICAL APPROACH TO THEIR NARRATIVE. AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IS IN “POOL FART” BY ROCKET JUMP, WHERE HOMMAGE IS PLAYED TO THE POST-APOCALYPTIC GENRE WHEN A MAN LETS OUT A TOXIC FART AT A POOL PARTY.

SIMPLE NARRATIVE A SHORT FILM DOES NOT HAVE TIME TO INTRODUCE COMPLEX THEMES AND STORYLINES DUE TO THE SHORT LENGTH. THEREFORE THE NARRATIVE IS LEFT QUITE SIMPLE SO THAT IT CAN ALL BE FIT IN AND STILL BE EFFECTIVE AND UNDERSTOOD BY THE AUDIENCE. FOR EXAMPLE IN CARGO, THE GENRE IS INTRODUCED QUICKLY THROUGH THE MISE-EN-SCENE OF A WOMAN DRESSED AND MADE UP AS A ZOMBIE. THE MAIN STORYLINE IS THEN TOLD THROUGH THE MAKE UP OF A BITE ON THE MAN’S ARM AND THEN HIM WRITING A NOTE ON THE BABY TO GET HER SOMEWHERE SAFE.

LENGTH OF FILMIN A SHORT FILM, AS YOU CAN TELL, THE LENGTH OF THE FILM IS SHORT AND RANGES BETWEEN 5 AND 10 MINUTES. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF THE LENGTHS OF SHORT FILMS:

Cargo – 7:05 Vicky – 10:01Presto – 5:15

BUDGETSHORT FILMS TEND TO HAVE NO BUDGET AT ALL OR A LOW ONE, IF ANYTHING. THE FILMAKERS ARE USUALLY JUST STARTING OUT AND ARE NOT WELL KNOWN, SO THEY HAVE TO USE THEIR OWN FUNDS AS THERE IS NOT ANY BACKING FROM SPONSORS. THEY CAN KEEP DOWN THEIR BUDGET BY USING AMATEUR ACTORS. FOR EXAMPLE IN “THE BLACK HOLE” BY FUTURE SHORTS, THERE IS ONLY ONE ACTOR, WHO IS NOT WELL ESTABLISHED.

CHARACTERSMAIN CHARACTERS IN A SHORT FILM ARE KEPT TO A MAXIMUM OF 4 AS THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO INTRODUCE ANY MORE. IF THERE WERE TOO MANY MAIN CHARACTERS THEN THE AUDIENCE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RELATE TO THE CHARACTERS AND MAKE GOOD SENSE OF THE NARRATIVE. FOR EXAMPLE, IN “THE BLACK HOLE” THERE IS ONLY ONE MAIN CHARACTER SO WE HAVE TIME TO GET TO KNOW HIM AND HAVE SYMPATHY FOR HIS BOREDOM AT THE LATE NIGHT OFFICE.