The document discusses conventions of short films, including focusing narratives on a central idea, starting late and leaving early to tell a concise story, and leaving some questions unanswered. It also notes that short films typically use a limited number of familiar settings that can be shot easily, have few main characters often based on familiar archetypes to establish them quickly, and focus on being effective given their short timeframes. Understanding these conventions helps filmmakers develop stories suited for the short format.

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.

6. Why is this important?
• Being aware of the conventions of short films helps directors
and screenwriters develop effective stories suited to the
medium.
• It is important to be aware of the rules and how things are
typically set out before one attempts to break or subvert
them.
• Looking at these conventions has helped me develop my
concept of a short film into a script that utilizes the format of
a short film as much as possible – for example, the single
setting and the focus on two characters. Similarly, I’ve also
left the ending open for interpretations of what happens
next in the way many short films start late and leave early.