2. LENGTH AND TWIST
Short films typically contain a twist, the reasoning behind
this is to quickly develop the plot and make the short film
more interesting and all of a sudden tense and throw out
this sense of equilibrium quickly due to time constraints, as
short films usually last from 5 – 30 minutes (anything
longer than 30 minutes is not considered as a short film).
3. LOCATION AND PLOT
Short films are generally set in
everyday situations and locations
that have been made or twisted
to become extraordinary (1 – 2
locations).
4. CHARACTERS
Due to short amount of time characters must be easily relatable to
and easy to read, to quickly develop the character. As they don’t
have the time for a lengthy character development like regular films
have.
Short films don’t have enough time to create deep back story or
history for the characters, therefore character numbers are kept low
in short films (2-3 main characters).
For example the short film “hirsute” has 2 characters both played by
the same actor who is also in fact the writer and director.
2007 by AJ bond
5. BUDGET
Short films typically have a small/low budget. This statement can be
proven by the fact that, commonly most short film directors are
independents and are not linked to a big studio. Therefore the revenue
wont be as high as a big budget Hollywood film as short films are
either only shown in a few cinemas or distributed online.
An interesting fact is that directors and actors would pursue to create
a short film to build a portfolio of experience. For instance actors
may even work for free to gain onset experience. And directors
sometimes use short films in order to build their portfolio, which may
lead them to work with bigger studios on larger productions.
