SHORT FILM CODES AND CONVENTIONS

BY MOHAMED AHMED

Short films are mostly about the everyday life, which people can relate to, however there’s always a twist which makes the plot more intriguing.

Short films are obviously short, therefore they usually only last for about a maximum of 45 minutes. Many short films are between 5-10 minutes as well.

Obviously the film would have characters however they would have a small amount, for example 2-3. This is because they can’t get really deep into a story due to the time, with a small amount of characters it allows the audience to relate to them more.

In most short films there is a twist in the middle of the film to make the story line more interesting and keep the audience entertained. For example, in the black hole, the film is about a regular day in the office, however a black hole suddenly appears onto a piece of paper.

The films are low budget mostly as well. This is because the directors of short films are usually independent and do not have any financial backing. They usually just get one or two characters sometimes as well because it’s not expensive, however in many short films the actors are usually not getting paid at all. For example, the black hole only has one actor, which shows that it’s a low budget film.

The films are not distributed in big cinemas or TV. They are usually shown in festivals furthermore most short films are distributed on the internet, for example through Youtube. This is because there are a lot of people on the internet, and it can be hard to find people to view it due to the budget.

There is usually a niche audience because of the creativity, length and plot of the film. A lot of mainstream shows on the TV would attract a mass audience, however the popularity since the 1930s for short films has been decreasing.

Todorovs theory of equilibrium is in many short films as well.