Short Film Codes and Conventions

1. Short Film Codes and
Conventions
By Ana Vasilescu

2. Storyline
● Since short films lack length and stay at an average of 5-15 minutes, the central theme must include
one original idea and one major character
● Avoiding cliches
● Ideas inspired from everyday life and personal experience & anecdotes (ie. newspapers, magazines,
the tv..etc)
● Looking a situations from a different angle (biased opinion/a critical view on society) or with a different
technical method
● Stories must also have a flow and a logic that the audience understands

3. Good, Script and High Production Values
● Bad acting can destroy the audience’s view on the film and could lead to the audience ignoring the
good production and writing
● The actors chosen must also represent the characters well, in regards to age, sexuality, ability and
ethnicity. This will allow the audience to truly believe the story
● A good and developed script is the key to a narrative based short film
● Short films must have condensed story as there isn't time to drag out the storyline
● The script must also be able to develop and describe the character in a very short amount of time

4. Todorov’s Theory of Equilibrium
The narrative theory can be broken down into 5 stages:
● Equilibrium: when a state of balance and equality in present among the character(s) and within the
plot
● A Disruption: a distortion of balance and equilibrium, a twist or problem that appears in the plot
● Realization: the problem a=has been recognised and acknowledged by the characters and the plot
● Restored order: The period where an attempt has been made to bring back equilibrium in the plot or
between the character(s)
● Equilibrium: new balance is established in the story
● In this narrative in not linnears/horizontal process but a circuit-like one and the ciculation is driven by
the will to bring equilibrium again, however not the same equilibrium
● Characters have been molded and shaped into a differrent view of the initial character by the twist