(22) Forms and Conventions
Research into the Conventions of Short Films and the Application to My Short Film
Forms, codes and conventions are important to consider and understand when constructing a film, particularly an amateur one. Firstly, there is a reason as to why they are conventional in the first place: they confer a sense of familiarity on the audience. This familiarity is important to help the audience understand something. They can work as short-cuts; by employing something the audience already understands it allows you to build on them to create your own original work. For example, take genre conventions. If you're creating a sci-fi film, you will likely include settings and props etc. that are easily identifiable to the sci-fi genre, such as space or aliens etc. This immediately allows the audience to identify the film as a sci-fi film, therefore, they're almost immediately familiar with the landscape on which your film is set (eg. alien or far away). This means you don't have to spend loads of time making sure your audience understand that the location is far away from the earth; this has already been established by the genre conventions, which, as a result, allows you to develop on your storytelling further.
Conventions don't just work as short-cuts, however; the conventions adopted - or even subverted - can carry significant meaning. They can work as subtexts for which the audience can find meaning from as an extension or enhancement of the narrative.
While the use of conventions can be applied for meaning or familiarity, they can also be used more simply. Often or not, directors employ particular conventions out of the simple fact they look good or professional. For example, the use of shallow depth-of-field: it's a common convention in cinematic pieces because it looks cool, however, its presence has no other reasoning behind it, it doesn't aid storytelling or anything. This technique is often accused of being lazy by film critics. Personally, I don't like this technique, as I feel it is both lazy and unimpressive. After all, it's all well and good producing something because it looks good, however, it won't be memorable to the audience because it has no substance. I firmly believe that everything you place in your film has a purpose further than "because it looks cool", this applies to the conventions you both adopt or challenge too.
So, now that we've established the significant effect of employing common codes and conventions to film, we can actually begin to discuss the conventions surrounding short films.
Short Films and Conventions
Short films are more problematic when it comes to pinpointing conventions. This is because of the humble and obscure nature of the short film industry: they don't have a particularly wide audience, especially in comparison to their feature-length counterparts. Furthermore, because of their short run-time, they don't really have the time to include enough information that can be, firstly, identified across numerous short films and therefore be considered a convention in the first place. Secondly, because they're short they don't have enough time to cover the basic theories etc. that surround feature films. All of these factors contribute to the fact that short films aren't held to the same rigorous expectations that feature films are. For example, because feature films are so widely consumed, they ought to be used to teach a lesson. To be even more specific, binary opposition is a common theory applied to feature films because it helps the audience determine good from bad. Whereas, short films don't have the audience or run-time to do so and therefore usually put forward more grey characters or plots that aren't labelled 'good' or 'bad'. They're less formulaic and because of this, don't really carry many conventions that define them.
What exactly defines a short film is often debated, however, the most widely accepted definition is 'a motion picture that is too short to be considered a feature film'. According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a short film lasts up to 40 minutes, including all credits. This definition is rather broad and suggests no other conventions that characterise a short film as a short film. This being said, the term short film is merely an umbrella term, short films of different genres, functions and categories will likely hold many conventions.
In order to identify conventions that I can apply to my short film, I have conducted research into both the professional short film industry as well as student-made short films. By comparing multiple short films I can draw links between each short film and identify conventions based on these.
Professional Short Film Conventions/Compared to my Film Idea
Having watched numerous short films, there have been multiple aspects I have picked up on. One of the first things was that they tended to not conform to typical narrative structure and theory, they were less formulaic than feature films tend to be. The narratives aren't often constructed from a string of logically connecting events in a sequence, often or not, nothing will really happen across the entire video. However, a story is still told. It tends to not be a case of 'this happens, then this, then this', and will sometimes even be set over the space of one scene: for example, a single conversation between two characters will make up the entirety of the film. Perhaps nothing will change in a character's life, there won't be a journey etc. Anything can really happen in a short film because it's not dictated by formulaic narrative structures. I have chosen to subvert this in my film, however. This is because by applying narrative structure to my film, the familiar method of storytelling will be comfortable to the audience, which therefore allows me to get my message across efficiently. If I decided to employ a very unusual narrative structure, this method may distract from the message I'm trying to convey. However, because my film is short, I will not uphold to formulaic structures too closely. This is because I don't have time.
Another thing I noticed in professional short films is that they don't necessarily have a moral framework or message. A lot of them just tell a story about a person for entertainment value or an emotional response. In features, a lot of the stories told can be interpreted as a moral message. Literature, particularly since Christianity, has been moralised: stories teach people that good gets rewarded and bad gets punished. This philosophy has been transferred over to the film industry. However, short films often don't abide by these concepts, they challenge this idea and because of this often present more realistic characters and situations because they're not painted with black and white labels of good or bad. In my short film, I have adapted on this convention. While I wanted to involve black and white characters in my film to create real conflict and really enforce my political message, my message isn't quite as simple as good=reward and bad=punishment. Because the philosophy of my film draws from topical issues, the message is more complex.
Another convention seen in almost all short films is the amount of characters and complexity of the plot. Because they often have low budgets and run for a short amount of time, they tend to contain a few main characters: approximately 3 or less. I have chosen to use this convention because it will make filming so much easier and it means I won't have to rely on loads of people at once. On the other hand, in terms of the complexity of the plot. My plot is more complex than most short films. However, each scene is necessary to my story.
Again, because of the low budgets of short films, not many (if not, none) special effects are used. If they are then they're usually quite subtle. If I can, I intend to use some special effects (though not many) such as fire. However, depending on the difficulty, I may avoid special effects altogether.
A lot of short films stick to realistic concepts and apply realism due to the low budget. I intend to challenge this convention as my film will be set among fantasy tribes and not in a realistic setting. This is because by setting something outside of our society, it makes the political message both universal and timeless. Although I won't be applying realism to my project, I will involve naturalism in terms of acting style.
In terms of distribution and target audience, short films are generally distributed through film festivals, but they often get put online after making rounds at festivals. Common platforms on which short films are streamed are on Vimeo and YouTube. I intend to put my film on YouTube and am therefore adopting this convention. Similarly, my film's target audience will likely be filmmakers and enthusiasts, which is the general target audience for short films.
Student-Made Short Film Conventions/Compared to my Film Idea
From watching numerous student-made short films (especially OCR brief media students) I soon realised that the conventions among these differ significantly from professional short films.
One of the first things I noticed were the contents' subjects; often or not, the films would tackle teenager-oriented issues such as peer pressure, drugs/alcohol abuse, body image or mental health. This is expected as the creators would have been dealing with issues they personally had experience or knowledge in because they're most affected by it. I will challenge this convention, however, as I want to address larger societal issues as opposed to smallscale teen problems.
Another convention I noticed was the concentration on visuals and, in the process, neglecting the story. Not only this, but they often employ cinematography, composition and mise-en-scene techniques for the sake of it, assumedly with no purpose other than it looking good. This is one of my biggest annoyances in film, as the overuse of effects numbs their impact on storytelling and makes them cliche for other filmmakers who intend to use them with purpose. Frequent techniques I've seen used for the sake of it in student films are pointless close-ups and filler shots, shallow depth of field, pretty but irrelevant (to the narrative) locations and so on. I intend to completely subvert this convention by only employing techniques that apply meaning to my film. For example, the use of locations won't be chosen because of their prettiness but on their significance in the narrative. For example, I intend to use a river as one of the main locations in my film. The reason for this is not because they're aesthetically pleasing but because rivers divide land, and, therefore, represent division and reinforce key themes in my story.
While this isn't really a convention but more of a common mistake, something I've noticed is poor production quality. This includes bad audio, poor acting, choppy editing and awful framing. These mistakes are common because of lack of experience and expensive products. While I can't avoid the latter, I can try my hardest to identify these mistakes and work out how I can avoid them in my own work, such as taking my time during the production and planning stages as well as gaining practice elsewhere.
Another convention I've noticed is the incorporation of teenage actors. This is likely because the students are using their friends to act and have no other choice. Unfortunately, given my circumstances, I am going to have to use teenage actors as I don't know of any other actors available and willing.
Lastly, a convention I have picked up on is dialogue scenes: they are almost always stilted or too long. I will avoid this by careful script writing to avoid including any unnecessary dialogue. Afterall, it's better to show your audience rather than telling.
In short:
Forms, codes and conventions are important to consider and understand when constructing a film, particularly an amateur one. Firstly, there is a reason as to why they are conventional in the first place: they confer a sense of familiarity on the audience. This familiarity is important to help the audience understand something. They can work as short-cuts; by employing something the audience already understands it allows you to build on them to create your own original work. For example, take genre conventions. If you're creating a sci-fi film, you will likely include settings and props etc. that are easily identifiable to the sci-fi genre, such as space or aliens etc. This immediately allows the audience to identify the film as a sci-fi film, therefore, they're almost immediately familiar with the landscape on which your film is set (eg. alien or far away). This means you don't have to spend loads of time making sure your audience understand that the location is far away from the earth; this has already been established by the genre conventions, which, as a result, allows you to develop on your storytelling further.
Conventions don't just work as short-cuts, however; the conventions adopted - or even subverted - can carry significant meaning. They can work as subtexts for which the audience can find meaning from as an extension or enhancement of the narrative.
While the use of conventions can be applied for meaning or familiarity, they can also be used more simply. Often or not, directors employ particular conventions out of the simple fact they look good or professional. For example, the use of shallow depth-of-field: it's a common convention in cinematic pieces because it looks cool, however, its presence has no other reasoning behind it, it doesn't aid storytelling or anything. This technique is often accused of being lazy by film critics. Personally, I don't like this technique, as I feel it is both lazy and unimpressive. After all, it's all well and good producing something because it looks good, however, it won't be memorable to the audience because it has no substance. I firmly believe that everything you place in your film has a purpose further than "because it looks cool", this applies to the conventions you both adopt or challenge too.
So, now that we've established the significant effect of employing common codes and conventions to film, we can actually begin to discuss the conventions surrounding short films.
Short Films and Conventions
Short films are more problematic when it comes to pinpointing conventions. This is because of the humble and obscure nature of the short film industry: they don't have a particularly wide audience, especially in comparison to their feature-length counterparts. Furthermore, because of their short run-time, they don't really have the time to include enough information that can be, firstly, identified across numerous short films and therefore be considered a convention in the first place. Secondly, because they're short they don't have enough time to cover the basic theories etc. that surround feature films. All of these factors contribute to the fact that short films aren't held to the same rigorous expectations that feature films are. For example, because feature films are so widely consumed, they ought to be used to teach a lesson. To be even more specific, binary opposition is a common theory applied to feature films because it helps the audience determine good from bad. Whereas, short films don't have the audience or run-time to do so and therefore usually put forward more grey characters or plots that aren't labelled 'good' or 'bad'. They're less formulaic and because of this, don't really carry many conventions that define them.
What exactly defines a short film is often debated, however, the most widely accepted definition is 'a motion picture that is too short to be considered a feature film'. According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a short film lasts up to 40 minutes, including all credits. This definition is rather broad and suggests no other conventions that characterise a short film as a short film. This being said, the term short film is merely an umbrella term, short films of different genres, functions and categories will likely hold many conventions.
In order to identify conventions that I can apply to my short film, I have conducted research into both the professional short film industry as well as student-made short films. By comparing multiple short films I can draw links between each short film and identify conventions based on these.
Professional Short Film Conventions/Compared to my Film Idea
Having watched numerous short films, there have been multiple aspects I have picked up on. One of the first things was that they tended to not conform to typical narrative structure and theory, they were less formulaic than feature films tend to be. The narratives aren't often constructed from a string of logically connecting events in a sequence, often or not, nothing will really happen across the entire video. However, a story is still told. It tends to not be a case of 'this happens, then this, then this', and will sometimes even be set over the space of one scene: for example, a single conversation between two characters will make up the entirety of the film. Perhaps nothing will change in a character's life, there won't be a journey etc. Anything can really happen in a short film because it's not dictated by formulaic narrative structures. I have chosen to subvert this in my film, however. This is because by applying narrative structure to my film, the familiar method of storytelling will be comfortable to the audience, which therefore allows me to get my message across efficiently. If I decided to employ a very unusual narrative structure, this method may distract from the message I'm trying to convey. However, because my film is short, I will not uphold to formulaic structures too closely. This is because I don't have time.
Another thing I noticed in professional short films is that they don't necessarily have a moral framework or message. A lot of them just tell a story about a person for entertainment value or an emotional response. In features, a lot of the stories told can be interpreted as a moral message. Literature, particularly since Christianity, has been moralised: stories teach people that good gets rewarded and bad gets punished. This philosophy has been transferred over to the film industry. However, short films often don't abide by these concepts, they challenge this idea and because of this often present more realistic characters and situations because they're not painted with black and white labels of good or bad. In my short film, I have adapted on this convention. While I wanted to involve black and white characters in my film to create real conflict and really enforce my political message, my message isn't quite as simple as good=reward and bad=punishment. Because the philosophy of my film draws from topical issues, the message is more complex.
Another convention seen in almost all short films is the amount of characters and complexity of the plot. Because they often have low budgets and run for a short amount of time, they tend to contain a few main characters: approximately 3 or less. I have chosen to use this convention because it will make filming so much easier and it means I won't have to rely on loads of people at once. On the other hand, in terms of the complexity of the plot. My plot is more complex than most short films. However, each scene is necessary to my story.
Again, because of the low budgets of short films, not many (if not, none) special effects are used. If they are then they're usually quite subtle. If I can, I intend to use some special effects (though not many) such as fire. However, depending on the difficulty, I may avoid special effects altogether.
A lot of short films stick to realistic concepts and apply realism due to the low budget. I intend to challenge this convention as my film will be set among fantasy tribes and not in a realistic setting. This is because by setting something outside of our society, it makes the political message both universal and timeless. Although I won't be applying realism to my project, I will involve naturalism in terms of acting style.
In terms of distribution and target audience, short films are generally distributed through film festivals, but they often get put online after making rounds at festivals. Common platforms on which short films are streamed are on Vimeo and YouTube. I intend to put my film on YouTube and am therefore adopting this convention. Similarly, my film's target audience will likely be filmmakers and enthusiasts, which is the general target audience for short films.
Student-Made Short Film Conventions/Compared to my Film Idea
From watching numerous student-made short films (especially OCR brief media students) I soon realised that the conventions among these differ significantly from professional short films.
One of the first things I noticed were the contents' subjects; often or not, the films would tackle teenager-oriented issues such as peer pressure, drugs/alcohol abuse, body image or mental health. This is expected as the creators would have been dealing with issues they personally had experience or knowledge in because they're most affected by it. I will challenge this convention, however, as I want to address larger societal issues as opposed to smallscale teen problems.
Another convention I noticed was the concentration on visuals and, in the process, neglecting the story. Not only this, but they often employ cinematography, composition and mise-en-scene techniques for the sake of it, assumedly with no purpose other than it looking good. This is one of my biggest annoyances in film, as the overuse of effects numbs their impact on storytelling and makes them cliche for other filmmakers who intend to use them with purpose. Frequent techniques I've seen used for the sake of it in student films are pointless close-ups and filler shots, shallow depth of field, pretty but irrelevant (to the narrative) locations and so on. I intend to completely subvert this convention by only employing techniques that apply meaning to my film. For example, the use of locations won't be chosen because of their prettiness but on their significance in the narrative. For example, I intend to use a river as one of the main locations in my film. The reason for this is not because they're aesthetically pleasing but because rivers divide land, and, therefore, represent division and reinforce key themes in my story.
While this isn't really a convention but more of a common mistake, something I've noticed is poor production quality. This includes bad audio, poor acting, choppy editing and awful framing. These mistakes are common because of lack of experience and expensive products. While I can't avoid the latter, I can try my hardest to identify these mistakes and work out how I can avoid them in my own work, such as taking my time during the production and planning stages as well as gaining practice elsewhere.
Another convention I've noticed is the incorporation of teenage actors. This is likely because the students are using their friends to act and have no other choice. Unfortunately, given my circumstances, I am going to have to use teenage actors as I don't know of any other actors available and willing.
Lastly, a convention I have picked up on is dialogue scenes: they are almost always stilted or too long. I will avoid this by careful script writing to avoid including any unnecessary dialogue. Afterall, it's better to show your audience rather than telling.
In short:
Professional Short Film Conventions
|
My Film
|
Student-Made Short Film Conventions
|
My Film
|
Lasts from 3 to 40 minutes
|
Will last approximately 10 minutes
|
Lasts approximately 5 minutes
|
Will last approximately 10 minutes
|
Doesn’t conform to typical narrative structure and theory
|
Will conform to theory and structure but not as rigorously as feature length films
|
Tackles teen-oriented issues such as mental health or drug/alcohol abuse
|
Tackles larger topical issues than small scale teen problems
|
Doesn’t always convey a moral message
|
Carries a moral message
|
Pointless techniques used for style and ‘aesthetic’
|
Only employs techniques if they’re relevant/aid storytelling
|
Not many main characters
|
3 main characters but lots of background extras
|
Teenage cast
|
Teenage cast
|
Little-to-no special effects
|
Some special effects where necessary
|
Poor production quality
|
Hopefully good (as possible) production quality
|
Realism
|
No realism - fantasy tribes
|
Long/unnecessary dialogue
|
Only included dialogue where necessary
|
Distributed online and at film festivals
|
Distributed online
|
Distributed online
|
Distributed online
|
This is a plan I made:
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