Comparison  of  Studied  Short  Films  After   reviewing  several   short   films,   festivals  and  mini  dramas   like   the  Playhouse  Presents   series,  I’ve  decided  to  make  a  socially  realistic  film  based  around  family  life  and  the  corruption  or  breaking  up  of  families.  Here  I’ll  explain  why  I’ve  chosen  this  genre  and  how  I  think  it  will  be  most  effective  in  the  given  circumstances,  equipment  available  and  time  constraints  I  have  to  complete  the  project.      Simplicity  would  seem  to  be  the  number  one  criteria  for  short  films,  having  a  simple  storyline  and  basic  idea  is  common  to  every  short  that  I’ve  looked  at.  Generally  it  would  seem  that  this  is  largely  down  to  time  constraints  but  it  also  makes  each  short  applicable  to  a  wider  target  audience.    The   films   that   I   thought  were  most   effective  were  Unwind,   The   Return   and  Cargese.   These   three  were  all  dramatic  pieces  and  the  latter  two  were  social  realism.  I  found  them  most  captivating  and  exciting   because   despite   their   low  budget   their   combined   use   of   the   four   key   elements   (camera,  editing,  sound  &  mise-­‐en-­‐scene)  was  excellent.  The  films  had  clearly  been  meticulously  planned  and  thought  out.      Late  Bloomer  is  successful  in  subverting  two  genres,  it  creates  a  kind  of  dark  comedy  that  you  feel  you  shouldn’t  be  laughing  at  but  cant  help  doing  so.  This  is  done  by  contrasting  a  delicate  and  less  comical  subject  matter  (puberty),  with  a  brash,  in  your  face  display  of  it.  Specific  moments  such  as  when  the  class  is  circling  the  boy  with  an  up-­‐lit  angle  so  he  looks  like  some  kind  of  teenage  monster  at  8.43  is  an  ideal  example!    

The   Playhouse   Presents   episode,   Cargese   was   described   as  ‘experimental  art  house  theatre’  by  the  Telegraph  and  I  would  say  this  is  exactly  what  my  short  film  should  be  also.    Like  in  art  house  theatre,  the  film  should  be  as  much  a  spectacle  to  look  at,  as  it  is  a  story  to  witness.    The  best  art  house  theatre  captures  a  human   emotion   physically   and   exaggerates   reality   by  portraying  emotions  as  separate  things  from  the  human  body,  similarly   in   film   the   camera   can   let   the   audience   in   on   a  

characters   feelings   and   emotion.   I   aim   to   make   the   camerawork   as   dynamic   and   true   to   the  characters   in  my  film  as  possible.   In  doing  this  hopefully  the  film  will  be  relatable  to  an  audience  and  make  them  feel  part  of  the  film.  The  camerawork  in  this  short  and  also  Unwind  I  think  is  most  exciting  of  the  ones  I’ve  seen.  More  and  more  in  urban  cinema  it  seems  important  and  exciting  to  make  the  audience  member  feel  as  much  a  part  of  the  film  as  possible,  especially  because  in  short  films  they  are  likely  to  be  watching  it  on  a  computer  screen.    A   common   idea,  most   obviously   displayed   in  The   Return,   is   two   storylines   playing   out   and   then  coming   together   to   form  one  at   the  end.  This  method  effectively   created   suspense   in  The  Return  and  left  us  unsure  of  what  was  going  to  happen  whereas  in  Unwind  for  example,  it  was  pretty  clear  what  was  happening  from  the  outset  of  the  film.    

 Because  of  the  obvious  time-­‐constraints  a  short  film  entails  most  of  the  short  films  I  watched  had  a  constant  soundtrack  or  non-­‐diegetic  soundscape   throughout   the   film.   This   added   greatly   to   the   overall  effect  of  the  film,  Late  Bloomer  for  example  is  a  perfect  example  of  a  well-­‐timed  soundtrack  that  aids  the  film  immensely  in  showing  the  lead   characters   emotion.   The   soundtrack   replicates   the   climatic  nature  of  the  film  by  building  in  volume  and  use  of  instruments,  by  

Comparison  of  Studied  Short  Films  the  moment  shown  in  (the  picture  left),  the  film  has  reached  its  climax  and  the  soundtrack  is  at  its  most   dramatic,   using   a   heaving   drumbeat   and   overdriven   guitars.   Finally   the   film   ends  with   the  same  sound  of  eerie  apprehension  that  it  began  with,  using  one  echoing  instrument.    Unlike  Late  Bloomer,  Unwind  uses  a  soundscape  of  breathing  and  enhanced  diegetic  sound  to  give  the  same  effect  of  a  soundtrack  but  makes  the  entire   thing   feel  more  realistic  and  certainly  more  sinister.      Most   of   the   shorts   use   simple   but   effective   locations,   a  classroom,  a  derelict  building,  a  3-­‐bedroom  house  and  other  such  venues.  One  thing  that  certainly  does  not  differ  in  short  films   is   mise-­‐en-­‐scene.   Its   equally   important   for   every  aesthetic  in  the  film  to  work  towards  the  final  product  just  as  it   does   in   a   high   budget   Hollywood   film.   Although   it   was  filmed  on  a  much  higher  budget  than  I’m  using,  Concrete  had  an   excellent   variety   and   choice   of   locations,   the   hallway   of  lockers  for  example  is  something  that  excites  the  audience  because  you  would  never  see  it  in  day-­‐to-­‐day   life.   Having   said   this,   audiences   are   often   captivated   by   familiarity   and   therefore   a   social  realism  piece  all  set  in  one  house,  such  as  Milo  can  be  equally  effective.      In  conclusion,  I’ve  found  the  genre  of  social  realism  to  be  most  effective  and  powerful  in  short  films,  although   I   value   the   quality   of   other   genres   of   short   I   think   the   only   one   that   makes   as   big   an  impression  as  a  full  length  film  is  social  realism  and  therefore  I’m  now  certain  that  this  is  the  best  genre  for  me  to  take  also  because  it  can  still  work  effectively  on  a  low  budget.    In  the  near  future  I’m  going  to  look  at  recommended  social  realism  shorts,  from  film  festivals  and  do  some  more  research  into  those  aswell  as  taking  a  survey  of  about  50  people,  seeing  what  they  like  about  short  films  and  how  they  think  short  films  are  different  from  feature  length  films.