1. Comparison
of
Studied
Short
Films
After
reviewing
several
short
films,
festivals
and
mini
dramas
like
the
Playhouse
Presents
series,
I’ve
decided
to
make
a
socially
realistic
film
based
around
family
life
and
the
corruption
or
breaking
up
of
families.
Here
I’ll
explain
why
I’ve
chosen
this
genre
and
how
I
think
it
will
be
most
effective
in
the
given
circumstances,
equipment
available
and
time
constraints
I
have
to
complete
the
project.
Simplicity
would
seem
to
be
the
number
one
criteria
for
short
films,
having
a
simple
storyline
and
basic
idea
is
common
to
every
short
that
I’ve
looked
at.
Generally
it
would
seem
that
this
is
largely
down
to
time
constraints
but
it
also
makes
each
short
applicable
to
a
wider
target
audience.
The
films
that
I
thought
were
most
effective
were
Unwind,
The
Return
and
Cargese.
These
three
were
all
dramatic
pieces
and
the
latter
two
were
social
realism.
I
found
them
most
captivating
and
exciting
because
despite
their
low
budget
their
combined
use
of
the
four
key
elements
(camera,
editing,
sound
&
mise-­‐en-­‐scene)
was
excellent.
The
films
had
clearly
been
meticulously
planned
and
thought
out.
Late
Bloomer
is
successful
in
subverting
two
genres,
it
creates
a
kind
of
dark
comedy
that
you
feel
you
shouldn’t
be
laughing
at
but
cant
help
doing
so.
This
is
done
by
contrasting
a
delicate
and
less
comical
subject
matter
(puberty),
with
a
brash,
in
your
face
display
of
it.
Specific
moments
such
as
when
the
class
is
circling
the
boy
with
an
up-­‐lit
angle
so
he
looks
like
some
kind
of
teenage
monster
at
8.43
is
an
ideal
example!
The
Playhouse
Presents
episode,
Cargese
was
described
as
‘experimental
art
house
theatre’
by
the
Telegraph
and
I
would
say
this
is
exactly
what
my
short
film
should
be
also.
Like
in
art
house
theatre,
the
film
should
be
as
much
a
spectacle
to
look
at,
as
it
is
a
story
to
witness.
The
best
art
house
theatre
captures
a
human
emotion
physically
and
exaggerates
reality
by
portraying
emotions
as
separate
things
from
the
human
body,
similarly
in
film
the
camera
can
let
the
audience
in
on
a
characters
feelings
and
emotion.
I
aim
to
make
the
camerawork
as
dynamic
and
true
to
the
characters
in
my
film
as
possible.
In
doing
this
hopefully
the
film
will
be
relatable
to
an
audience
and
make
them
feel
part
of
the
film.
The
camerawork
in
this
short
and
also
Unwind
I
think
is
most
exciting
of
the
ones
I’ve
seen.
More
and
more
in
urban
cinema
it
seems
important
and
exciting
to
make
the
audience
member
feel
as
much
a
part
of
the
film
as
possible,
especially
because
in
short
films
they
are
likely
to
be
watching
it
on
a
computer
screen.
A
common
idea,
most
obviously
displayed
in
The
Return,
is
two
storylines
playing
out
and
then
coming
together
to
form
one
at
the
end.
This
method
effectively
created
suspense
in
The
Return
and
left
us
unsure
of
what
was
going
to
happen
whereas
in
Unwind
for
example,
it
was
pretty
clear
what
was
happening
from
the
outset
of
the
film.
Because
of
the
obvious
time-­‐constraints
a
short
film
entails
most
of
the
short
films
I
watched
had
a
constant
soundtrack
or
non-­‐diegetic
soundscape
throughout
the
film.
This
added
greatly
to
the
overall
effect
of
the
film,
Late
Bloomer
for
example
is
a
perfect
example
of
a
well-­‐timed
soundtrack
that
aids
the
film
immensely
in
showing
the
lead
characters
emotion.
The
soundtrack
replicates
the
climatic
nature
of
the
film
by
building
in
volume
and
use
of
instruments,
by

2. Comparison
of
Studied
Short
Films
the
moment
shown
in
(the
picture
left),
the
film
has
reached
its
climax
and
the
soundtrack
is
at
its
most
dramatic,
using
a
heaving
drumbeat
and
overdriven
guitars.
Finally
the
film
ends
with
the
same
sound
of
eerie
apprehension
that
it
began
with,
using
one
echoing
instrument.
Unlike
Late
Bloomer,
Unwind
uses
a
soundscape
of
breathing
and
enhanced
diegetic
sound
to
give
the
same
effect
of
a
soundtrack
but
makes
the
entire
thing
feel
more
realistic
and
certainly
more
sinister.
Most
of
the
shorts
use
simple
but
effective
locations,
a
classroom,
a
derelict
building,
a
3-­‐bedroom
house
and
other
such
venues.
One
thing
that
certainly
does
not
differ
in
short
films
is
mise-­‐en-­‐scene.
Its
equally
important
for
every
aesthetic
in
the
film
to
work
towards
the
final
product
just
as
it
does
in
a
high
budget
Hollywood
film.
Although
it
was
filmed
on
a
much
higher
budget
than
I’m
using,
Concrete
had
an
excellent
variety
and
choice
of
locations,
the
hallway
of
lockers
for
example
is
something
that
excites
the
audience
because
you
would
never
see
it
in
day-­‐
to-­‐day
life.
Having
said
this,
audiences
are
often
captivated
by
familiarity
and
therefore
a
social
realism
piece
all
set
in
one
house,
such
as
Milo
can
be
equally
effective.
In
conclusion,
I’ve
found
the
genre
of
social
realism
to
be
most
effective
and
powerful
in
short
films,
although
I
value
the
quality
of
other
genres
of
short
I
think
the
only
one
that
makes
as
big
an
impression
as
a
full
length
film
is
social
realism
and
therefore
I’m
now
certain
that
this
is
the
best
genre
for
me
to
take
also
because
it
can
still
work
effectively
on
a
low
budget.
In
the
near
future
I’m
going
to
look
at
recommended
social
realism
shorts,
from
film
festivals
and
do
some
more
research
into
those
aswell
as
taking
a
survey
of
about
50
people,
seeing
what
they
like
about
short
films
and
how
they
think
short
films
are
different
from
feature
length
films.