Researching Short Films

I have been researching popular short films in order to discover their typical conventions to help with the producing of my own. I wanted to investigate what it was that made them work so well and, resultantly, why they were so popular.

 

I found that the best short films had a clear sense of narrative as a result of refined setting, props and costume in order to enhance mood and atmosphere. The most entertaining short films often had a twist in the narractive by which the audience were initially lead to believe one thing before the narrative turns this idea around and tricks the viewer, playing with their expectations.

 

I have selected three of my favourite short films that I came across whilst researching them, below:

How They Get There

I particularly liked this short film because of the way the narrative took a simple concept of everyday life of which we all familiar with though can never explain and provided a possible, albeit extravagant, explanation. I also liked the way in which the narrative was slightly ambiguous at the beginning which left the audience eager to discover what was going to happen next. The sudden shift in the tone of the film from the comical nature of the male and female mimicking one another to the complete opposite tragic nature of the car accident was very effective and made the climax seem even more dynamic and dramatic, enhancing the viewing experience. What was also interesting about this film was that it continued no dialogue and only a music score and yet the it was still equally as effective due to changes in the tone and tempo of the score to suit the action on screen, therefore, I have learnt that it is not always essential to include dialogue as short films can be just as effective without. This is something to bear in mind when planning my own short film.

 

Spin 

I loved how dynamic and ambitious this film is. I also liked how the film incorporated several different tones meaning the mood was constantly shifting, keeping the audience on their toes with the tension. The initial coincept of the film is actually considerably dark with a sense of danger considering the lead character is playing with the rules of life and death, however the film still manages to contain subtle use of humour throughout in order to lighten the mood such as the ending in which the character has to run off before he sees another accident to meddle with which I feel works really well. The use of special effects in this film is spectacular and truly helps to bring the narrative to life and, whilst I myself will not have not have access to professional effects nor the ability to apply them, this film has provided me with inspiration to strive and and be as ambitious as I can be.

Partly Cloudy

This animated short was created by the popular film producer Pixar Studios and aimed at an audience of children. Similarly to the style of 'How They Get There', the film adopts the approach of examining an everyday aspect of life - new birth, often a confusing concept for young children - and provides an explanation for it. This film is particularly clever as it combines too concepts not normally connected and provides its own fictional connection to form the fantasy genre which appeals to small children. The biggest thing I learnt from watching this short film was the importance in appealing to a specific audience and ensuring that the film content is appropriate meaning if i chose to aim my short film at an audience of teenagers, I will need to make sure that both the narrative successfully appeals to that age category.