Conventions of a short film

Thomas Byrne – A2 Media Coursework

Future Shorts – The Black Hole

Narrative Like in The Black Hole, the majority of short films are focused on one

central idea that drives the story forwards. In The Black Hole which is less than three minutes long, the story is about a worm hole on a piece of paper that is printed with bizarre abilities.

Many short films use the narrative rule of starting late and leaving early to tell the most economical version of the story possible. The origin of the black hole is never explained, nor is the final fate of the man who uses it elaborated on.

Leaving questions unanswered is very typical of short films – other examples include Birdboy (Directed by Alberto Vázquez and Pedro Rivero) which decides to leave the final fate of the main character unclear and also with AWAY by Damien Colboc which spends the majority of the short presenting questions to the audience and when the answer is given manages to ask even more questions. Open-endedness and Ambiguity are common conventions of the narrative of short films.

Settings It is difficult to effectively introduce a complex setting to an audience

in a limited timeframe.

Most short films focus on a limited amount of settings that are already familiar to the audience such as offices, bars ect. This works with budget restraints too as it is easier to shoot in an existing set such as an office as opposed to erecting a grand alien temple for a small scene.

It is common for short films to be made entirely in one set, using it as a backdrop to tell the story.

Characters The amount of characters in short films are often minimal – for

budgetary reasons and to make the story concise and effective as possible in its limited timeframe. The majority of short films focus on one to three main characters with any more than five being a rarity.

Like settings, the characters presented often build on archetypes. Archetypes are instantly known to the audience and allows the director or screenwriter to establish characters quickly and efficiently in order to move on with the story. The protagonist in The Black Hole is an example of this – he is the typical bored office worker who wants more in his life, which is conveyed immediately due to his gormless expression as he stands at the photocopier.