Short films originally began in the 19th century. At the time, audiences believed that these were the standard length of films because technology limitations only allowed the films to be a few seconds long. To the audiences, they marveled at the 'new' technology and watched short clips of exotic dancers, circus acts, foreign cities and everyday people. The very first films were shown to the public through Thomas Edison's invention of a Kinetoscope which made the images look like they were moving by a picture reel being quickly passed infront of a light source. One of the best known, and earliest films, using this technology was Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1895) by the Lumière brothers’. Audiences ran away in terror as a locomotive came hurtling towards them on the screen.
These short films suited the Victorian entertainment industry as the films consisted of events that were already known and had been experienced by the public live. It was a new experience however for them to see them on the screen. Already the audiences could relate to the films being shown. Short films were the norm for them and were widely enjoyed.
However, in the early 1900s, advances in technology meant sound and image quality were better and films were made to be longer. Then, in 1910, audiences and theatres demanded that the films be made longer and feature films were produced. Feature films were considered to be more respectable than shorts as their length and more complicated narratives attracted middle-class crowds and helped to invent the "picture palaces" over the next thirty years.
During the Second World War, cinemas played feature films but short films were still made to introduce or warm-up the audience before the main film began - similar to how trailers are played before the main film of today. Unfortunately, shorts or short films were slowly on the decrease and by the 1950s and 1960s they ceased to exist in cinemas, although short cartoon films before childrens shows were still used up until the late 1980s.
Short films however are still about today though are more commonly found on the internet (such as YouTube) where new and old artists post their short films which can last anything from 40 seconds to 40 minutes! This way, they can gain recognition and receive feedback from the audience as to what will and won't work.
Codes/Conventions of a Short Film:
Characters: There is often a small cast and either one or two central protagonists. The story is often told from their point of view and follows their narrative throughout. By using fewer characters, it also helps to keep the duration of the film less and also allows the audience to follow the story easier.
Narrative: Because the films are often 5 minutes or so in length, to avoid disinterest there is often a twist or unexpected plot turn in the story. Often, the films represent every day situations with a slight difference but it also helps the audience to relate to it more.
Cinematography: Is often simple but uses a variety of techniques and shots to maintain interest. Also, because the narrative is often from a point of view of a character, a lot of point of view shots are used to help convey this.
Sound / Music: Voice overs are widely used because of the point of view style storyline and also to keep the audience following the narrative as not all of the story can be told, only assumed or suggested. Music is also common for short films, whether underlying a piece of dialogue on screen or to set the mood. This is because music can help create an atmosphere in a matter of seconds whilst mise-en-scene and cinematography would take more time.
Budget: Because they are only short and have a small cast, the short films often have a low budget.
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