Josh Brown A2 Media Studies

1. Josh Brown
RESEARCH ON THREE GENRES
AND THE CODES AND
CONVENTIONS OF FILM
Josh Brown

2. I have decided to research British Film
Genres as it is relatable to my proposed film
based in Manchester – a British location with
a lot of people who thrive on traditional
British cultures and mannerisms compared to
Americans or other English speaking
colonies.
The first film I have chosen to look at is
Trainspotting. It follows a group of heroin
addicts in a late 1980s economically
depressed area of Edinburgh and their
passage through life. Beyond drug addiction,
other themes in the film are exploration of
the urban poverty in "culturally rich"
Edinburgh. This is relatable to my idea as I
am also looking to base my film in the 20th
Century with a working class main character.
BRITISH FILM

3. I have decided to research Crime
Genres as it is relatable to my
proposed film – My main
character will be making illegal
decisions that could pose
problems for himself.
The first film I have chosen to look
at is The Firm. It follows a group of
London football Hooligans in a
late 1980s/Early 1990’s. This is
relatable to my idea as I am also
looking to base my film in the 20th
Century with my character who
follows the same crowd culturally.
CRIME

4. I have decided to research Drama as
it is also relatable to my proposed
film – My main character will be
making controversial decisions that
will pose difficulties for himself and
leave the audience feeling emotions
towards the text.
The first film I have chosen to look at
is Forrest Gump. It follows the life of
a man who works his way threw the
inevitable highs and lows involved
in being human in recent societies
gone by and this is relatable to my
idea as I am also looking to base my
film on the events occurring to one
person over a space of time and the
response to society.
DRAMA

5. Length
Usually between two mins and 20 mins, anything shorter than a
feature film.
Niche Audience
Short films have a lot smaller and niche audience than
mainstream due to the creative nature, length and simple
storyline. Although largely accessible, many are not aware of
short film. This is laregly due to popularity decreasing through
the 30’s onwards, and the limited access in mainstream forms
such as prime time television and cinema. Short film also
varies in genre and style and will appeal to a much more
specific audience.
CONVENTIONS

6. Characters
Only usually one main character with a couple of add ons, to gain that
audience actor relationship in a small amount of time.
Online distribution
Unlike mainstream film, short films are largely accessible for free through
the internet. There are many sites who distribute short films online from
independent to established sites such as the BBC. This is the easiest and
most effective way for short film to reach audiences as they are very rarely
shown at cinemas or on television. DVDs can be brought with selections of
short films on, however, they are most widely accessed over the web. As
short film is based much more on creativity and expression rather than
mainstream and profit, it is much more important for the film maker to
reach a wide audience and distribute films to them for free.

7. Opposition to mainstream
All of these codes and conventions largely make short film in opposition to
mainstream. They hold a very different format and style to each other and
short film will usually try to give audiences a different outlet of film to the
mainstream
Emotion
Short films are used to convey a strong emotion to the viewer whether this
is laughter, pleasure, sadness or anger, sometimes making comments on
morals or society in the process. Short films can be a lot more powerful in
this way as it is easy to make something appear differently to how it is or
to get the audience thinking about a particualr topic without having the
time to make up their minds while watching, leaving them to contemplate
after the film has finished. There will also usually be a stronger connection
to the characters as they are shown closely throughout, with the creativity
allowing for more humour and pleasure.