Short film conventions

1. Conventions of a short
film
Thomas Byrne – A2 Media Coursework

2. Future Shorts – The Black Hole

3. Narrative
 Like in The Black Hole, the majority of short films are focused on one central
idea that drives the story forwards. In The Black Hole which is less than three
minutes long, the story is about a worm hole on a piece of paper that is
printed with bizarre abilities.
 Many short films use the narrative rule of starting late and leaving early to
tell the most economical version of the story possible. The origin of the black
hole is never explained, nor is the final fate of the man who uses it
elaborated on.
 Leaving questions unanswered is very typical of short films – other examples
include Birdboy (Directed by Alberto Vázquez and Pedro Rivero) which decides
to leave the final fate of the main character unclear and also with AWAY by
Damien Colboc which spends the majority of the short presenting questions to
the audience and when the answer is given manages to ask even more
questions. Open-endedness and Ambiguity are common conventions of the
narrative of short films.

4. Settings
 It is difficult to effectively introduce a complex setting to an audience in a
limited timeframe.
 Most short films focus on a limited amount of settings that are already
familiar to the audience such as offices, bars ect. This works with budget
restraints too as it is easier to shoot in an existing set such as an office as
opposed to erecting a grand alien temple for a small scene.
 It is common for short films to be made entirely in one set, using it as a
backdrop to tell the story.

5. Characters
 The amount of characters in short films are often minimal – for budgetary
reasons and to make the story concise and effective as possible in its limited
timeframe. The majority of short films focus on one to three main characters
with any more than five being a rarity.
 Like settings, the characters presented often build on archetypes. Archetypes
are instantly known to the audience and allows the director or screenwriter
to establish characters quickly and efficiently in order to move on with the
story. The protagonist in The Black Hole is an example of this – he is the
typical bored office worker who wants more in his life, which is conveyed
immediately due to his gormless expression as he stands at the photocopier.