Conventions of a short film

Short films have several key conventions that really distinguish them from the feature length films. These differences can range from simply being the amount of characters to the budget and most importantly the length of the film because that's how it is identified as a short film.

·         Characters - The characters in the short film are probably one of the most important things in the film. This is because the film relies on the appeal of the characters and the way that the actors can portray the characters. The heavy reliance on the characters stems from the lack of time that the short films allow directors. For example;

o   A feature length film starring Tom Cruise such as Oblivion has the ability to feature boring and plane 1 dimensional characters because people are not paying or wanting to see interesting characters, most of the audiences for the big budget action flicks want to see explosions, intense action and a dramatic conclusion. For them it is more so about the ride than about whose nit with them. On the other hand, certain feature length films can fully develop anything between 1 and 10 main characters fully as thy have the time.

o   However, Short films have the potential to develop one or two characters, if that! This is because of the time constraint that is placed on the short films.

·         Plot Twists – short films require a dramatic flair that can be added through the use of a twist. Without the aforementioned twist a short film could be preserved as boring or uninteresting. Of course twists happen in feature length films but the twists are almost a necessity for short films.

·         Budgets – In terms of budget it is fairly obvious that short films contain lower budgets. Short films are normally restricted to a small budget as they only tend to be little projects. As with everything there are films that break these conventions but it is quite rare to see a short film with a big budget.