Short films have their won conventions which differ from that of feature length films.
One of the main differences is their length and duration. Feature length films are generally around 1.5 hours long, whilst short films are generally very short. They can be from 1 to 40 minutes in length. This is with the exception of short film documentaries which can be longer.
In relation to this, short films have a much lower budget. But they can still be substantial in cost, for example Whitestone Motions Picture’s “That’s Magic” was estimated by Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB) to have had $20,000 US dollar budget. This is still minuscule compared with the average budge of feature length films which in 2003 were $100million dollars. (This is according to BBC News, link below). However, the lower budget of short films means that they are accessible for anyone to make one.
Like feature length films, short films can follow different types of narrative. Most common is the linear narrative, consisting of equilibrium, disequilibrium and resolution. On the other hand, they can also start in medias res, where it opens within the middle of the story. The intention of many short films is designed to leave the audience to think about what happened and to present them with a moral message, and is thus the reason for short films not having definitive answers and conclusions to the stories.
They also normally consist of and revolve around one single concept or idea within the film. This then enables them to focus on the meaning of the story and symbolism within the plot of the film.
Short films they do not have to tell a conventional story, or a story at all. They can primarily focus on one concept including, proverbs, jokes and sayings, to name but a few.
All technical aspects are important within short film, similar to feature length, but within short films, they play and even more crucial part. This is because, it is though the connotations associated with specific uses of lighting, sound, camera angles, editing, colour, props, setting and mise-en scene, that information is given about the characters and plot within the story. This is a direct result of short films not focusing on the character within the story due to time limitations. They therefore use these elements to present to the audience as much about characters without deflecting from the story.
Due to the limited budget of short films, and the fact that they are not a publicised and famous as feature length films, they do not normally hire famous actors to star in them. This is with some exceptions, including “The continuing and lamentable saga of the suicide Brothers” which stared Keira Knightly. But also due to short films being made by non professionals, they cannot therefore afford, nor have the connections to hire a famous Hollywood film actor. Principally, it could also be that director’s want the plot of the short film to capture the audience, rather than just who stars in it, which could take the focus away from the actual content of the film.
Short films are not shown within cinemas or on televisions like feature length films, but are primarily placed on the internet where every body can upload their films and view other peoples. As a result, it makes the short film industry effective as it is accessible to all people to contribute to.
Short films allow directors to have more artistic freedom compared to feature length films which have to be regulated by regulatory bodies, such as the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) with the United Kingdom. This could then cause them to be censored or banned altogether. Short films on the other hand do not have to be directly regulated by boards, which mean that directors have more freedom of how they can express through their short films. Additionally, short films are normally crediting and renown for their artistic contents.
When making my own short film, I will take into consideration all these conventions and points which I have discovered and stated about short films and their contents.
No comments:
Post a Comment