Codes and ConventionsOf a Short Film

The LengthObviously as it is a short film the length is not

going to be as long as a normal film. The average short film is between 5-10 minutes. With it being so short, it needs to be fairly easy to follow and the narrative should NOT drag as it will become

tedious, leaving the audience bored.

Katie Murdoch

Our short film will last approximately 5 minutes, following normal conventions.

CharactersKatie Murdoch

With it only being around about 5 minutes, the maximum characters you should have is 3; this is

because you need to know all about the characters. If there were more than 3 characters, the audience would not know a lot about them

making it difficult to follow.

We have decided on having 3 main characters who the short film is based around so the audience can

get to know these better as oppose to having 6 or 7.

Katie Murdoch

The ConceptAs they are only 5 minutes long, the subject

matter is typically normal day-to-day things such as being in your house, going to school, going out with friends etc. This is so the audience can relate

to it, as it is familiar environments that they are used to in their lives.

We are basing our short film around the main characters everyday life therefore it will be in places

such as their homes, school etc.

Katie Murdoch

Todorov’s TheoryTodorov’s theory is used in practically all films:

1. Equilibrium – everything is normal at the start2. Disruption – something happens to spoil the balance3. Thwarted Attempts/Realisation – characters' try to restore the balance but are

unsuccessful 4. Struggle and Resolution – eventually characters succeed in restoring the balance5. New Equilibrium – new order is created, sometimes back to the first equilibrium

We are also going to follow Todorov’s theory when making our short film.

Katie Murdoch

A TwistPractically all short films include a twist to its plot;

this is an engaging device to keep the audience alert and interested because if it was just running smoothly it would be pretty boring. They can be

abstract or fairly normal.

We will include this to our stinger so it is engaging.

BudgetShort films are normally low budget films created

by normal people. However there are also sometimes big companies such as Film 4 who have created short films, which are similarly low budget

in contrast with the price of normal films.

With us being students producing a short film for a school project, it will obviously be low budget.

Katie Murdoch