At the birth of cinema, all films were short. Short films often comprise of twisted, or controversial themes that are observed in our society. Such themes may be displayed in a surrealistic nature. For instance, themes such as consumerism, unemployment, crime, and justice are commonplace. They are usually focused on contemporary British society and engage the audience with confrontational issues that many would rather remain oblivious to.
An example of a short film I analysed was "Sold," shot in linear, realtime with a circular narrative. In terms of British culture and identity, social realism and lack of community, as well as dreams and aspirations were themes that came up. It consisted of British characteristics that explored society and confronted the audience with these issues. There were only two characters within the short film, involving short burst of dialogue. There is also an element of voyeurism involved. The setting was in a dark small studio flat but in a short space of time, we discover that the main character is uninspired, wants a girlfriend, his mother to baby him, and a record deal. The message from this film reflects the consumerist attitude of society and the overall attitute brought about by programmes such as "X-Factor" and "Big Brother" which give people a claim to fame. Nowadays, people aim to become famous as a result of these shows, rather than to have a professional career in law etc. The audience is also shown a lack of community which is a very current issue in society as everyone very much does their own thing, even within households.
Another short film that I analysed was "Double Take," directed by Toa Stappard. It discusses and explores difficult issues of antisocial behaviour, vigilantism, crime and justice. It shows how there is a lack of community and the idea that you're never safe nowadays. For me, it was a reflection on society as I noticed that the film was shot in a way that the man was being watched. This links to society today with our every move caught on CCTV, limiting our privacy. It's almost a 'big brother' effect. The film is shot with a lot of kinetic movements and is gritty, with low key lighting with elements of voyeurism. There is a title shown briefly at the beginning, however, there is no dialogue and no score throughout which is not unusual in terms of short films.
The films I have analysed illustrate the conventions of a short film. They are short, shot in digital real time, and set out both to inform and educate, confronting the audience with issues to increase awareness. The style and genre of short films differ to a mainstream ones. They often play upon elements of surrealism but they use realism in terms of the situation. They are often gritty and shot kinetically with elements of voyeurism. There is often no dialogue, sometimes with a score, but often without. Little editing is done, even though its surrealistic. They usually follow linear and circular narratives. They have three part structures - a beginning, a middle and an end, as seen in Todorov's theory where there is a recognition of a problem, an attempt to resolve the problem and a resolution to the problem. However, they also can differ to mainstream films which tend to have a happy ending, as short films can end in suspense or on cliffhangers. Consequently, short films comprise of usually one or a small number of characters as it is hard to introduce and develop characters in so little time. The locations don't often change but they do not distract the audience from fundamentally confronting issues within society. Additionally, titles are usually left to the end.
Main full-length feature films are very different. They are interested in making money and entertaining the audience, not necessarily to educate them. However, some feature length films like Danny Boyle's Trainspotting do raise awareness of social issues.
By Jason Grandison
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