What is a short?

Before I can even consider producing my own short I first need to research and look into 'what makes a short, a short'. I can do this by looking at things like the history, popularity, existing media and breaking down what each existing short includes working out all of the generic conventions.

Firstly I am going to be looking at the history of short films by seeing how long they have been around and weather they are different to our modern day version. i will then see how popular they are as a media product and which iconic people could a have had a big part in doing so.

Brief History of Short Films

In the early 1900s, recording and editing technology had advanced allowing filmmakers to produce much longer, multi-shot films which was a big change compared to the one shot films produced initially. In 1910 onwards studios competed as audiences demanded they make longer, multi-reel films this was when features were born. Therefore before the 1910’s short’s were the only type of films, which were showcased. In 1920s, tickets purchased to watch a feature included several supporting works, which generally included many short films.

Popularity of Short Films

 Charlie Chaplin’s career was built from short films. The short film considered an art house form of media is experiencing wider audiences than ever before. Improvements in the technology used and the growth of the Internet are both leading factors to this, but this being said their popularity is more due to the progress in digital production. 

I am now going to find some short films which i can watch and deconstruct.

The first place I looked was on video hosting websites and found a wide range of different genres and styles. The two which seems the most popular on YouTube were 'What's Virgin Mean?' which involves a small cast of two people (mother and daughter) set in a family kitchen and 'The Black Hole' which has a smaller cast with just 1 actor in the role of an office worker and is set in one location which an office.

Whats Virgin Mean?

The Black Hole

A third Short i found is called Sight which is has a futuristic style and doesn't follow the conventions as closely as the first two which i shall go into later on in this post.

Sight

Conventions of a Short Film

• A short film must be a specific length to be classified as a 'short'. Generally shorts tend to last from 2-10 minutes. If they are any longer they could be classed as a feature film. Having a 2-10 minute film should generally enable someone to show a well though-out story line which flows without feeling rushed.
• Most shorts have some sort of twist which surprises the viewer. For example in the shorts 'The Black Hole' and 'What's Virgin Mean' both have a small twist at the end. The Black Hole's is where the protagonist ends up locked in a safe out of his greed for money and the other occurs when the mother misinterprets what her daughter is asking. These are both amusing twists as both have comedic elements.
• In general the cast within a short film is very small ranging from 1 to 3 actors. This is mostly because there is not enough time to develop many characters identities whereas in a full feature length film you would have over an hour to be able to get the audience to start to understand more characteristic providing more characterisation. In a short they would tend to use a lot more symbolism and imagery within the set. This could include things such as props, costume, appearance,etc
• Low budgets are a result of having a smaller production as there is less costs when hiring things like actors, props, sets and costumes.
• Short films tend to revolve around everyday situations which will allow audiences to relate to what is going on but then it will be flipped to keep the viewers interested.
• While looking up the conventions I came across Todorov's theory of equilibrium which is applied to the narrative where the film starts off at an equilibrium then there is a disruption in the action then the disruption will be recognised and then furthermore resolved bringing them back to there initial equilibrium.

Does 'The Black Hole' and 'Whats Virgin Mean?' follow the conventions?

The Black Hole

• Lasts 2 minutes 49 seconds which would class it as a short in terms of length.
• It has the twist at the end where he is locked in the safe also following the general conventions.
• There is only 1 middle aged, male actor which would be the smallest a cast could be.
• As there is one location, 1 actor and most props would have been included in the location it would lead you to believe that there was a small budget
• It revolves around his everyday life at work but flips it by it not being his 'typical' day at work.
• It follows Todorov's theory apart from we don't find out if the problem is resolved but the action and fluidity definitely comes back to an equilibrium once he is trapped inside the safe.

What's Virgin Mean

• Lasts 2 minutes 32 minutes making it the right length to be a short.
• It has a twist at the end when the daughter says 'so whats extra virgin mean?' as we find out she is on about oil.
• There are only two actors cast in this, A middle aged mother and a young daughter which is following the general 1-3 actors convention
• It revolves around every day life and people can relate to it as children are always asking awkward questions and it is set in a kitchen while the mother is baking and the daughter is doing her homework.
• This short also follows the whole of Todorov's theory as there is an equilibrium until the question is asked then there is a problem trying to answer it then after the questions answered it is resolved and it goes back to it initial equilibrium. 

Sight

This short doesn't follow the conventions as closely as the other short films. Yes, it has a small cast and revolves around a futuristic way of life but the editing within this short looks very advanced and would have possibly taken a lot of time and money to do. This short film as-well doesn't have much of a twist at the end as we know all the way through that he is playing a 'Dating app' so when the female finds this out it isn't much of a shock. The short film has a duration of 7 minutes 50 seconds so it is still classed as a short but is much longer than the other two. Finally it doesn't generally follow Todorov's theory of equilibrium as the film is at its equilibrium for the majority of the film until the very end where she finds out and it is resolved straight away.

Therefore in conclusion these are very good examples of a short film which isn't following all the conventions and some which are following all the conventions. Now that I have done this research I now feel comfortable and able to look at my own idea and check that I have incorporated each of the conventions.

Now that i have done some research on short films I can now start to create some ideas for my own, firstly though I shall introduce my new production team as all three of us will need to create our own ideas.