Conventions of a Short Film

Hello, today I'm going to be talking to you about the conventions of a short film.

The length of a short film is crucial to maintain. Short films should last between 5-40 minutes and contain a strong, yet simple, narrative. For a successful production, the short film must have a theme or message for the viewer. An example of this would be the theme of greed from the short film 'The Black Hole' (2008) by Future Shorts, or the informative and encouraging message about learning about what you're entitled to from the government and claiming it in Million Youth Media's 'Eviction' (2017). The majority of short films focus on social realism as a meaning, however, some short films are produced in an abstract form, resulting in an absent meaning/theme.

Indicated by these two media texts, a short film should consist of few characters - no more than 3, as it is quite difficult for multiple characters to be explored in the designated time frame. As well as a small number of characters, there should also be few locations in the short film. This is so that there is familiarity throughout the text, and that the director and producer can ensure that the narrative is concentrated in these particular areas. The few locations keep the short film compact and speed up the filming process as cameras and other equipment don't need to be transported to multiple places. This saves money, which is beneficial for short filmmakers as short films are usually produced by independent companies.