Short Film - Codes & Conventions

I have analysed the codes and conventions of both film posters and reviews, yet there is a gaping hole in my research into the codes and conventions for the actual product I am making, a short film. This is a significant area of research that needs to be completed, as this will decide and infer how I will appropriate, transform and subvert the codes & conventions to engage and interest my audience without alienating them from the traditional and the norm.

The last three posts (post one, two and three) have been me identifying from 30 short films the technical areas that were present in each from the aspects of miss-en-scence, cinematography, editing, sound, narrative and genre. However now I need to collate all this information into the conclusion, deciding what the codes and conventions actually are for short films.

From my watching and analysing of short films I have distilled that-

Miss-en-scence:

The aspects of decor, setting, costume, space and acting - all depend on the plot of the short film and can change according to the genre which is being portrayed.

However between low and high-key lighting, the majority of short films use high-key lighting. This could be for several reasons the first, and probably the main reason is due to the genre of the short film. However another reason could be that because short films usually have a low budget and therefore lighting rigs may not be able to be acquired, and therefore is usually shot in natural light in which itself is high-key.

Cinematography:

Between focus of deep and shallow most of the short films that I have analysed use shallow focus rather than deep focus - the most logical reason that I can see for filmmakers to use shallow focus over deep focus is that within a short film there is limited amount of time that bonds and connections can be made between the audience and characters. Therefore shallow focus is implemented to quicken this relationship building, progress quickly towards the main story of the film.

The other qualities of cinematography (e.g. Colour) depends on the style of filming that the short film is trying to go for.

Between the framing of high and low angle I discovered that I have noticed more high angle framing in short films them low angle. I can't see any logical reason why the angles would be so vastly different, although they are used for different aspects of filmmaking they portray a similar meaning (the position of the person in the film).

The whole range of scales were used for the cinematography from extreme long shot to extreme close-up, it depended on what needed to be represented. However from the range of scales there could be a medium shots was the most used throughout all of the short films that I analyse, and then close-ups, long shots and mid-close shops and then mid-long shots. I believe that medium shots are used for the same reason as shallow focus was, to build bonds and connections quicker between the audience and the characters.

Finally every possible movement of the camera was used in the range of short films, however tracking shots featured most often followed by steady cam, tilts, pan and zooms. The most likely reason for this is that tracking shots is the most classical and traditional form of movement within cinema and also is the easiest movement, in terms of integrating it seamlessly with the action of the film.

Editing:

Through my analysis of short films I discovered that editing was kept to the simplest and central elements within short films. The 180 degree rule was used to not disorientate the audience from the action, continuous editing was used to create a seamless narrative combined with cheat cuts to keep the pace quick and shot reverse shots to show action and dialogue in a simple yet sophisticated way.

Sound:

Similar to editing, the sound was kept simple very often using parallel sounds with the action of the scene and again some did and some didn't use diagetic or non-diagetic sound within the film. The sound was used to complement the genre and narrative of the short film rather than instead.

Narrative and Genre:

The genre was open for choice there was no strict convention for what the genre had to be in regards to short films. In a similar way there was no strict guidelines for what the narrative had to be. However, usually I have discovered that most short film have a closed narrative referring to there being a definite conclusion at the end.

I think I have identified the key areas that are consistent to short films, I can now decide if I want to appropriate, transform and subvert these codes & conventions. However I do still think I need to identify the effect for the codes & conventions for five short films on the audience.