Codes and conventions of short films

2. SHORT FILMS COULD BE
CONSIDERED AS THEIR OWN
GENRE, SO WHAT ARE THE
CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF
SHORT FILMS?

3. MORALITY COULD BE SEEN AS A CODE OF A SHORT FILM
AS DILEMMAS INVOLVING MORALS ARE WIDELY USED IN
CREAING THE NARRATIVE OF SHORT FILMS. FOR
EXAMPLE, IN THE SHORT FILM “CARGO” BY POPGO, A MAN
IS CHALLENGED WITH GETTING HIS INFANT DAUGHTER
TO SAFETY EVEN THOUGH HE HAS BEEN BITTEN BY A
ZOMBIE. IT MAKES US SEE THE WORLD IN A DIFFERENT
WAY AS WE FEEL SORRY FOR THE ZOMBIE FATHER,
WHICH IS UNUSUAL FOR THIS GENRE.

4. SATIRE
ALTHOUGH SOME SHORT FILMS MAY FEATURE
STORYLINES INVOLVING A MORALITY CODE, SOME MAY
CHOOSE A MORE SATIRICAL APPROACH TO THEIR
NARRATIVE. AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IS IN “POOL FART” BY
ROCKET JUMP, WHERE HOMMAGE IS PLAYED TO THE
POST-APOCALYPTIC GENRE WHEN A MAN LETS OUT A
TOXIC FART AT A POOL PARTY.

5. SIMPLE NARRATIVE
A SHORT FILM DOES NOT HAVE TIME TO INTRODUCE
COMPLEX THEMES AND STORYLINES DUE TO THE SHORT
LENGTH. THEREFORE THE NARRATIVE IS LEFT QUITE
SIMPLE SO THAT IT CAN ALL BE FIT IN AND STILL BE
EFFECTIVE AND UNDERSTOOD BY THE AUDIENCE. FOR
EXAMPLE IN CARGO, THE GENRE IS INTRODUCED
QUICKLY THROUGH THE MISE-EN-SCENE OF A WOMAN
DRESSED AND MADE UP AS A ZOMBIE. THE MAIN
STORYLINE IS THEN TOLD THROUGH THE MAKE UP OF A
BITE ON THE MAN’S ARM AND THEN HIM WRITING A NOTE
ON THE BABY TO GET HER SOMEWHERE SAFE.

6. LENGTH OF FILM
IN A SHORT FILM, AS YOU CAN TELL, THE LENGTH OF THE
FILM IS SHORT AND RANGES BETWEEN 5 AND 10
MINUTES.
HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF THE LENGTHS OF SHORT
FILMS:
CARGO – 7:05 PRESTO – 5:15
VICKY – 10:01

7. BUDGET
SHORT FILMS TEND TO HAVE NO BUDGET AT ALL OR A
LOW ONE, IF ANYTHING. THE FILMAKERS ARE USUALLY
JUST STARTING OUT AND ARE NOT WELL KNOWN, SO
THEY HAVE TO USE THEIR OWN FUNDS AS THERE IS NOT
ANY BACKING FROM SPONSORS. THEY CAN KEEP DOWN
THEIR BUDGET BY USING AMATEUR ACTORS. FOR
EXAMPLE IN “THE BLACK HOLE” BY FUTURE SHORTS,
THERE IS ONLY ONE ACTOR, WHO IS NOT WELL
ESTABLISHED.

8. MAIN CHARACTERS IN A SHORT FILM ARE KEPT TO A
MAXIMUM OF 4 AS THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO
INTRODUCE ANY MORE. IF THERE WERE TOO MANY MAIN
CHARACTERS THEN THE AUDIENCE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO
RELATE TO THE CHARACTERS AND MAKE GOOD SENSE
OF THE NARRATIVE. FOR EXAMPLE, IN “THE BLACK HOLE”
THERE IS ONLY ONE MAIN CHARACTER SO WE HAVE TIME
TO GET TO KNOW HIM AND HAVE SYMPATHY FOR HIS
BOREDOM AT THE LATE NIGHT OFFICE.