Short films usually have between one and five characters due to limited time. The document focuses on interviews with five characters to provide insight without extensive character development. Channel 4 airs documentaries on very niche topics through its Three Minute Wonders series to inform audiences of unfamiliar subjects and possibly broaden their interests. Per its mission statement, Channel 4 shows international documentaries to give audiences a wider global perspective beyond what they normally study. Channel 4 also produces many documentaries on British culture that its domestic audience can explore in greater detail due to existing familiarity with the topics. The student's own production incorporates niche subjects to provide new information and aspects of British music that may be difficult for unfamiliar audiences to understand fully.

1. Conventions of Short Film

2. Characters within Short Film
Due to a short film being short by nature, there is usually
between one and five characters, as the length of the
production wouldn’t give enough time to properly
develop a large number of characters.
My production focuses on five characters through
interviews who give the audience a slight insight into her
they are. I used a larger amount of people as their
opinions are more important to the audience than their
identity.

3. Niche Subjects
Channel 4 often airs documentaries which
focus on very niche topics. They have a series
known as ‘Three Minute Wonders’ which focus
on very niche subjects.
A shot from a Three
Minute Wonder on
street art
A shot from a Three
Minute Wonder on
niche music
Three Minute Wonders helps to inform Channel
4’s mass audience of topics they wouldn’t
normally study, possibly broadening their
interests.

4. Internal Perspective
As stated in their Mission Statement, Channel 4
promise to show documentaries with an
international perspective. This gives audiences a
wider knowledge of topics they wouldn’t usually
get to study.
This is an advert for a Channel 4 documentary on the 2011 Japanese Tsunami
and Earthquake. This shows that Channel 4 are producing high quality
documentaries on international affairs.

5. Productions Within Britain
Channel 4 also produces a vast amount of
productions on British culture. As they are a
British company, their audience will already have
an understanding on their topics, meaning they
can explore them in greater detail.
This production focuses on a figure of British history, meaning that non-British
audiences may have initial confusion towards the production, but Channel 4’s British
audience would already have at least a basic understanding of the subject.

6. My Production
My own production incorporates several of these
aspects. Firstly, it focuses on a very niche subject,
meaning it can give completely fresh information to
almost everyone who watches it. Secondly, it has
several connotations of Britain and the local music
scene that may be difficult to understand for
people who aren’t already familiar with these
aspects.