Conventions of a Short Film

Duration: usually between 5-10 minutes, but can be any length up to 35 minutes. normally one off films, and not usually a sequel. 

We've All Been There

The duration of this short film is just just over 6:45, by being this length, it allows short and brief yet introduction to the characters, and allows parallel storylines to be shown, so Jess looking for some extra shifts for more money, and the lady's car breaking down, and Matt fixing it for free. Then things slowly piece together and the audience sees that Matt and Jess are in a relationship, and they know each other. The duration is enough to keep the audience interested, as the narrative is so gripping in such a short amount of time. In my short film it needs to be 5 minutes with 10% either way. I want to aim to keep as close to 5 minutes as I can.

Budget: Very low budget and basic, but creative using what the film directors already have, usually unknown actors, camera and equipment used is not high end, no CGI or green screens and such necessities feature films have.

Hire-A-Mum

This short film is made on a budget, as it has one prime location they used, which is their house. Every time the 'Hire-A-Mum' brings out props like cups, coats and items of clothing it is clear to see the director has just used items from their own house. There are only two actors in the film who are unknown, and were the director herself and her own mum. This is very cost effective, and the film would have been under $100NZ?, if that, to make. The whole tone of the film is relatable due to the fact the audience could produce something very similar themselves in their own house. By having a low budget when producing a short film, this means you can use what you have, making the most of the things you have around you, helping your film be creative YET the audience can tell like you've put deep thought into it, and it is personal to you.

Storylines: basic and not in depth, but they are very creative and the lengths you can go to with a short film are endless and their is no set structure. Todorov's theory almost always used to keep the film as short and sweet as possible. 

Granny Smith

This story is simple, it starts with a situation and a lie, that develops into a massive problem, going to a funeral of someone they don't even known, and pretending to be her grandson, and then gets worse at the end, by being caught out. The storyline hooked me from the first few scenes, Jason waking up with a hangover covered in weird body paint. This was intriguing, and easy to follow, and had my classmates and my own brain working to figure out what was going to happen next, and the funeral scenes left us on the edge of our seats trying to work out when the whole thing was going to be found out. I need an interesting gripping storyline in my short film, that is simple enough to compress into 5 minutes

Characters: Between 1-3 characters: established in present day, here and now.

Bamboozled

There are two main characters, Pete and Harry. By having only two this allows the film to focus on the relationship between them in such a short amount of time. If other characters were involved it would be too many people to get to know and uncover their back stories, in a short film, time is of the essence, and a whole story has to be created. There are no flashbacks in this film, even though there is a whole 'I used to be a woman' storyline, but this is a practical joke on Pete by his ex girlfriend. In my own film I want to make sure my characters are perfectly created to have enough back story to help them fit into the situations they uncover in the film, and hopefully are strong enough to have a good and clear relationship with a bond, be it a best friend / spouse / family member or teacher. I do not want to over complicate my characters, as the audience have somewhat empathise with them.

Twist: unexpected turn of events in the film, normality turned upside down.

The Alternate Life

The twist in this story is a straight couple living in a society where being homosexual is the NORM and being heterosexual is considered 'abnormal' and 'weird'. This is giving the straight homophobic man a taste of his own medicine, and opens up the audience's eyes to how homophobic comments are passed around in every day situations, such as eating dinner out in a restaurant and being gay in the eyes of the church. The audience can potentially gratify with this short film, especially if they are gay themselves, and have experienced a similar experience to the homophobic man. This is a twist on every day life, and it explores a change from homophobia to acceptance. By showing change in society, this can ignite change towards a big social change, hopefully the audience can listen to these messages and create change. I think a twist is a good way to grab the audiences attention and get them involved in a narrative, and the twist allows a subject that wouldn't usually be explored to finally be addressed. 

Abstract: ideas and themes thought up by a very creative film director who's mind is bursting with ideas, short films have no mould so the director can be as inventive as their mind lets them be.

Utter Catastrophe

In this short film, in the opening scene, the camera follows the glass as he takes it around his house and into the kitchen. He then fills a glass with milk and drinks it, only to put it down and be refilled magically with more milk. The fantasy idea of endless milk and being attacked by cats could only really be thought up by an absolutely crazy film director, in which his mind has been run riot and thought up an idea with endless milk. He even drinks shots of milk, squirts milk out of his nose. These weird and wonderful abstract films are definitely a talking point to discuss amongst friends and share online via social media sites. The audience can take a little bit of an escape from reality whilst watching this, it's a little bit comedic and has no boundaries. It is enigmatic, and the audience would ask questions where the idea stemmed from, which is what film makers want. 

Niche: explore issues that not really any other films touch upon, they are made by a niche director for a niche target audience.

She

This film is based on a niche story for a niche audience, so in this film it's aimed at the LGBT community, but especially for the lesbian audience. The film is very relatable, as it follows the story of two friends, they are both falling for each other, but one of the girls is probably questioning, and they kiss. The storyline is relatable, as it has happened to a lot of girls who date girls. I'd say this film would be showed at an LGBT film festival or Gay Pride or something. Only Lesbians could really understand what it's like for that sense of rejection, due to another girl experimenting. A niche film can only be created if you know what the audience want, or what goes on in their lives so you can create something amazing to appeal to them.

Emotional: usually these films show one type of emotion portrayed to the audience.

She's Lost Control (TRIGGER WARNING)

This short film is based on a real life mental illness, a form of OCD called Dermatillomania, and a girl who struggles with the condition everyday. This film was made to raise awareness of the condition. By having almost no sound, and minimal dialogue spoken, this deals with the harsh reality of having the condition. By seeing the young girl pick and scratch at her skin and looking at herself in the mirror, being unhappy with herself, really hit home. It's like I'm involved now and her story is now helping to educate people, including myself who have never heard of the condition. It allows the audience to see how the young girl copes, and also the reaction of her family, and how the condition also affects them. Like her mother being frustrated taking all the time to get ready in the bathroom, and her sister seeing her bloodstained shirt. It allows the audience to feel the harsh reality of someone else's pain and their families pain. I could use this convention in my film to pull at the audience's heartstrings and open up their eyes to things they don't usually hear about on TV or in the media. 

Sound: minimal dialogue used, voice overs are very common.

Hotel 22

In this short film there is barely any dialogue, the documentary follows real life homeless people on buses and the number 22 bus which goes to Palo Alto in California. The use of minimal sound helps the audience to really see the harsh reality of what it's like to be one of the homeless people. The sharp squeaking of the bus as it comes to a stop is a sound which rings in these people's ears as a bus pulls up, the rocky, jolty sounds of the bus really allows the audience to engage in the lives of these less fortunate people. I also think this allows people to think twice, and creates a clear message to the audience, just through the sound, how tough living on the streets is and maybe consider donating more to help homeless people, all over the world this message can be spread. The dialogue from the driver of the bus over the speaker system startled me, and I wasn't even on the bus. By having minimal dialogue, a harsh hitting reality is created to the audience, and a wild cat soundtrack allows every little sound the bus makes to be heard. I could potentially use this to allow the audience to see the reality of my idea, to hear words through pictures, to take some sort of gratification from it, such as they want to be a better person, and make their own and other people's lives better.