Conventions of a Short Film

• A short film is any film not considered long enough to be a feature film. The academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits". Longer films were rare before the 1920's and short comedies were especially popular. They typically came in short series such as the 'Ou Gang' films, or the many outings of Charlie Chaplins 'Little Tramp' character. These series could be seen as somewhat of modern say sitcom. With the rise of the feature films short films seem to be a thing of the past and are often used for independent and speciality work.




• The conventions of a short film usually differ from that of full length film as the two serve different purposes. Short films often follow a linear narratives and have a small number of characters as not to confuse the audience and to make it easier to establish characters. In 'Veronique' by Patrick Bergh we see a classic linear structure as we follow the main protagonist on his journey to school where he falls in love with a girl he refers to as Veronique. Likewise in 'Gravity' we see a linear structure with the beginning of the sequence linking in with the end. Themes amongst short films often vary however they normally carry a message in them in which the audience understand come the end of the film. We see in 'Gravity' how the message is about teenagers and gun grime, which is a common topic in todays society. 'Veronique' takes on a less controversial but equally popular theme of teenage love in school life.



• Cinematography, sound, editing and mise en scene in short films also slightly differ from that of feature length films. Voice overs are a popular technique as seen in 'Veronique' as we can get inside the mind of the protagonist and understand their feelings. We also see a very French theme, accompanied by the use of a score, which sets up national stereotype of French culture. We also see the glamour of France against the awkwardness of the British through the characters behaviour and the use of mise en scene. In 'Gravity' we see a range of cinmetography techniques as the director Colin Hutton seems to experiment with different techniques. We see a p.o.v shot from the gun to add realism before we see a 180 degree tilt to show the impact of the gun being fired into the air, furthermore the use of cross cutting, which is a common feature film technique, adds to the tension of the film as we alter between two different scenarios which link in at the end through the use of an aural motive.



• Style and genres of short films vary depending on the directors choice of synopsis, however common styles and genres include comedy and thriller as seen in 'Veronique' and 'Gravity'. Titles are relavent to the story as 'Veronique' is the name given to the girl on the bus by the protagonist. 'Gravity' refers to the situation and the bullet incident following the saying 'what goes up must come down'.