Short Film Research

Initial Idea

Last year I came up with an idea to create a music video for my final major project, though later I changed my mind and produced a feminism documentary. I kept the notes I made when I originally came up with the idea earlier this year. Therefore, I am revisiting my ideas and altering them o fit the format of a short film. I am still using the music video 'Cool Blue' by The Japanese House as a reference to the types of shots I want to achieve and the effects I would like to learn and use. 

The general idea for my short film will be about young adults figuring out their futures, exploring and expressing their feelings. I want the end result to look authentic, handmade and effortless.

In terms of the story line, it will follow the (Todorov's Theory - http://mikedyera2mediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/p/todorovs-theory.html) structure of:

• Equilibrium
• Disequillibrium
• New Equilibrium

Once I concluded that I was going to create a short film in which the surrounding topic would be 'youth', I found it difficult to specify he genre. It doesn't fit into common and often-used genres such as:

• Horror
• Comedy
• Action
• Animation
• Slasher
• Rom-Com
• War etc.

I found that 'Short Film' was a genre within itself so I then researched the codes and conventions of a short film.

Short Film Codes and Conventions 

Key Links Used:

• https://www.emaze.com/@AZWCQZ/Short-Film-Codes-and-Conventions
• https://www.slideshare.net/Jesse2203/codes-and-conventions-of-short-films?next_slideshow=1
• https://www.slideshare.net/tds14/codes-conventions-of-short-films

The links above were useful as they allowed me to easily understand the codes and conventions of a short film.

From my research into codes and conventions of a short film I have discovered that there is usually a maximum of three characters, and then other background characters to make it realistic. Short films only tend to include three characters as there is not enough time to create and portray a in depth back story to each character shown. One of the three characters is usually the protagonist and the one character the audience can relate to. Therefore, this allows a creation of a relationship between the audience and the protagonist in a short amount of time.

Within a short film, there is commonly a twist involved within the narrative. If the short film was to lack a twist, there would also be a lack of interest from the audience. A twist is used within the narrative to create an impact that will remain with the audience. Common twists can either use humour or shock.

As most short films are created by mostly independent directors, there is no sufficient funding for the production. Therefore, there are only limited characters, a maximum of two locations, specific props, basic editing. Alongside this, short films usually don't have a soundtrack or a score due to budgeting.

In terms of the length of short films, the maximum lengths would be around 35 minutes. If the film was to be longer than 35 minutes, it would be classed as a feature length. However, the typical length of a short film is 5-10 minutes.

The director must produce a situation in which the captivates the imagination of the audience and include a narrative in which the audience can relate to. The narrative most commonly takes an everyday situation and then produces a creative outlook on it. Again, this is to ensure the short film is appealing and enthralling. Finally, there is a limited amount of dialogue due to not having enough time to create an in depth and lengthy background to characters included.

No CGI such as explosions and fantasy magic is incorporated into the short film, due to budgeting. The only basic technical equipment used in production is an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) and a tripod. Voice overs are often used to give the audience information easily and quickly. 

Examples of Short Films:

From this information I have researched and collected, I can use this effectively and to my advantage to create a piece where it can be quickly identified by the audience as a short film.

After looking through different film genres, I found that my short film can be a hybrid genre of drama and action. I briefly looked through the odes and conventions of these genres and found that I can use them to create my short film,, although I will need to alter the codes and conventions to ensure I fit the specification of the short film genre.

Drama Codes & Conventions

• https://www.slideshare.net/shabanjahan/drama-convention-powerpoint
• https://bubbl.us/MzkxNDQ3My83NzQ5OTg2L2U2ZTY0NzhkY2M3MDdiOWZhNWZhOGYzMjg4MjhkOWU1-X

From these links I found that the drama genre includes a number of things such as:

• The drama genre includes neutral and low key lighting
• In terns of character's costume, it has to reflect on the characters personality e.g. bright clothing suggests a happy person, unique and quirky clothing suggests an artistic character and dark clothing insinuates a troubled character.
• The narrative often includes tension that eventually reaches a climax or crisis. From the first link I found that there are two different types of conflict, external and internal. External conflict is usually the character vs the environment or character vs "outside forces". Internal conflict covers the characters relationship with their mental and emotional struggle. Relationships between characters are also explored within the drama genre. Tension can be created my the unknown and use of emotion between characters. The narrative have a part where there is a sense of realisation towards the end of the production, which is usually a result of a journey. Another way the audience can relate to the narrative is by including realistic situations and locations.
• Drama genres, like most genres, include characters in which the audience can relate to, the production of the format must allow the audience to feel the characters emotion and the situations they are in/going to be in. Their tends to be a main protagonist that is facing a struggle, this could be with things such as cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and weapons, or their mental and emotional state.
• In terms of sound, there is often diegetic dialogue, a voice over by the protagonist and a non-diegetic emotional score.
• Editing and camera work for the drama genre includes eye line match, POV, fast paced editing, close ups and hand held camera movement. I believe these camera shots are used in particular to portray the sense of a genuine and realistic story line. 

From this research I can now built some ideas on my characters, locations, editing and lighting etc.

21/10/17

When I began to come up with ideas for my narrative, I found a website (https://www.raindance.org/7-rules-for-writing-short-films/) that discussed points to consider when making a short film, and how to make a successful one. From this website I noted:

• "Show, don't tell"
• "Film is about telling stories in pictures"
• Create visual back stories for your characters
• Beware of cliches
• Short films are often one moment that is "played out"
• Engage the reader
• Work towards a meaningful and satisfying ending

I watched a short film called 'Apricot', and it made me think of a very good idea for my short film, and one that I believe could work incredibly well. As I would like my short film to focus around mental health and teen stresses and reliefs, a simple conversation where the two characters could take turn in going through flashbacks could be simple, effective and engage the audience.