OCR A2 Media Studies Conventions of a short film

1. Conventions of a short
film
Jack Girvin

2. Characters
 Short films tend to have a maximum of 2 or 3 main characters
which is due to the short length of the film, it doesn't give
you enough time to introduce multiple characters as you
need to get across a story.There isn't enough time to give
back-stories and histories to characters.

3. Plot / Story
 In terms of plot short films often have a defining twist in the
plot that changes the events of the film to make almost two
distinctive halves of a short film.The plot and story of a short
film has to be a simple one due to time constraints and has to
be quick to "set up" the story and scene.

4. Budget / Production Cost
 The budget for short films is naturally lower than feature
films but also from a minute by minute point of view short
films have a lower budget as often the narrative and the
locations are simply and short filmmakers often try to keep
costs to a minimum as revenue for short film is low.
 For the short film I’m making on the BFI Residential at the
NFTS we are getting £1300 which I’d say is quite a significant
budget for a 5 minute short. Often budgets will be smaller.

5. Conclusion
 I intend to follow these three conventions in my short film to
make it as professional as possible.