Codes and conventions of short films (SHORT FILM)

Forna: (Leeds Met short film compilation DVD)

• The film open with a look at the main protagonists.
• There are lots of mid shots close ups and two shots used to show emotions and conversations.
• You get the feeling the film is aimed towards an adult audience.
• The narrative is very strange and it's hard to understand the preffered reading.
• The film immediatley begins with a sense of dis-equilibrium as lots of short films do.
• As the film finishes there is still no re-equilibrium. the central protagonist doesnt seem to have sorted anything out in his life.

Cherries: (Tom Harper 2009) 

• Opening shot of the main protagonist.
• Lots of high rise building and concrete suggests the film is set in a major english urban city (London)
• There are lots of different races of people at the school and there is tension with the boys.
• The narrative is very strange and hard to follow. Also the twist in the film completely changes the target audience.
• There are lots of close up shots used throughout as the twist causes lots of different expressions shown on the kids faces.
• It seems quite high budget for a short film as there are alot of actors and extras involved. And they also have used a school to film in.
• The twist seems to be more of a moral, the kids were taking the war in iraq and afghanistan for granted but when they hear they will be involved in compulsary military training it's seems to scare them alot.

Mr Eryams: (Fangoria Blood Drive DVD)

• You can tell the film is low budget as there are very few actors invloved and the majority of the film is set in a small house.
• Blonde attractive women is speaking to a similar aged male psychiatrist.
• There are alot of two shots to show conversation and the 180 rule is also used.
• The twist causes a huge sense of dis-equilibrium and changes the feeling of the genre from a thriller to a horror.
• Lots of dark lighting and vry few bright colours also leads to the suggestion that it is a horror film.
• There are lot's of eary sounds used throughout the film again tomake it a horror but it also adds to the tension for the audience.
• The audience for the film is again an adult one as there is a high level of gore.

One to one: (Isabel Anderton 2005)

• Uk film council film
• Young teenage girls as main protagonists suggest youth teenage audience.
• Text noise and animation used to spell out the name of the film, this reiterates it is a teenage audience.
• There are alot of two shots and close ups as the girls converse.
• The narrative is very simple and easy to follow.
• The film uses lots of short, quick takes again pointing towards a young (teenage audience).
• The film is a teen drama genre.
• Unusually there is no twist in the film unlike most short films.
• End credits and music cme up, they are very basic and suggests that it is a very low budget film.

EEL Girl: (Paul Campion 2009)

• Costumes have been used, men in white labratory coats and a women in military style uniform along with the title hint towards this being a sci-fi film.
• Very well designed scary, slimey set for the eel women. High budget.
• Digetic bleeping sounds creates tension and suspense as we wait to see eel girl
• Nude women, adult audience.
• Strange non digetic music come on that doesnt fit in with ther film.
• Soft music to create romance changes the feel of the film.
• Very good CGI as a man is eaten alive agin suggests high budget film
• Lots of mid shots used throughout the film.
• The narrative is again very strange like alot of short films.
• There is also special effects used on the end credits to give the sci-fi appearance.

A fairytale of forgotten things: (Toby Meakins 2005)

• It begins a with a young boy whispering a voice over and there are long drawn out sound, these first few seconds suggest that the film is a horror.
• The location and props look like a middle class family home.
• There are long slow takes which point towards this being for an older audience.
• There is now piano music which changes the feel of the film from a horror to a romance.
• There is a shaky handheld camera to give the protagonists point of view.
• There is no real solid narrative it just seems to be more like a riddle.
• The film looks reasonably low budget.

Avow:  (Tony O' Reilly 2004)

• Opens with lots of simple text and photos to suggest it is a low budget film.
• Eary sounds point towards this being a horror film.
• Shaky handheld voice and narrative text changes the feel of the film to a documentary.
• There are lots of fast cuts and there is also a spooky staggered voice.
• Again there is a strange narrative that seems to be more like a riddle.
• The film is about a murderer's confession, this is very spooky and the fact that the ending is made very short and hardhitting because there's no end credits adds to this effect.

Bent Double: (Anton Short 2007)

• Uk Film council and Screen Yorkshire.
• Begins with very loud sounds that give a sense of panic and unrest, this immediatley seems to be a horror or phycological thriller.
• An old women is the main protagonist, this is very unusual and suggests the film may be for an older audience.
• There are lots of P.O.V shots of from the main protagonist.
• You can tell because of the location and the actors this is a very low budget film because there are so few of both.
• The film is very short and barely qualifies as being a short film at just 2 mins long.
• The narrative is again very strange and it's hard to put the film sdown to a genre.

Chain gangs: (Scott Mann 2004)

• The name of the film is introduced on a computer screen with some cleverly worked computer animations.
• The film is set in a mans office and he's on the computer, this suggest computers will feature heavily in the film.
• early on there are quite alot of drawn out spooky sounds that suggest the film is of the horror genre.
• There are some slow takes and and wide range of camera shots being used.
• There is a big stunt involving a man being runover a car, this shows the film is quite high budget.
• There are lots of quick shots to unrest the audience. This also makes it seems more like an action film.
• There is a good clear narrative to the film.
• Music has being specially recorded for the film which again shows that its high budget.

Cheese makes you dream: (Kara Miller 2006)

• The film opens with a shot of an old man who is the main protagonist. This hints it may be for an older audience.
• There are very basic opening credits which shows that the film is low budget, however this is i think contradicted by the fact that the two protagonists in the film are famous, the old man is from the football factory. But there is still a sense it's low budget because actors have being know to do low budget short films as a way of brushing up their skills and gattin their faces out there.
• A strange turn of events in the film gets sinister and suggests that it is a thriller/horror film.
• There is quite alot of blood being used and this suggests it's for an adult audience.The old man does a voice over that makes the film seem more like an advert.
• The film is set in a low class flat.
• With the twist it makes the narrative very strange.
• There is some pianomusic over the end credits which gives a phycotic feel to the film because the old man had just murdered someone.

Christmas Merry: (Robin Baker 2005)

• Social realism genre
• There are alot of mid shots and close up used in the film.
• From the props and location you can see that the film is low budget.
• The narrative seems to be very strange as there is no real point to it.
• Again there is a familiar face, the women on of the central protagonists plays a police women in shameless.

Deja Voodoo: (Zadoc Nava 2005)

• Opens with a littered table in a mans flat, The main protagonist is seen through a fish tank. Suggest of lower social class.
• Drawn out spooky sounds suggest horror/thriller.
• CGI as main protagonist appears twice in the same shot.
• There is non digetic jazz style music played over which sounds like a comedy film.
• There is no dialouge throughout the film but this is made up for by an effective narrative.
• Reasonably low budget film.

Double Take: (Toa Stappard 2005)

• Lots of long takes.
• A man wearing a baseball cap steels a bag in a busy area this shows its a crime genre.
• The film is very low budget and you can tell this from the lack of locations and actors.
• The nnarrative is confusing and more like a moral, What goes around comes around.
• It seems much more like an advert against crime that a short film.

Dragonfly: (Kim Albright 2009)

• Opens with fairly fast music with young oy about 11 running fast this suggest its an action film.
• As the boy runs through a parking lot there is potential reference to a version of Angel by Massive Attack.
• The main protagonist is very young suggesting it may be for a young audience.
• The genre is social realsim, the young boy faces drunk violent parents at home.
• The music continues throughout the film and the lack of dialogue makes it seems more like a music video.
• Very impressive special effects at the end as the young boy turns into a draginfly, this suggest a high budget.

Envy: (Sam Hendi 2009)

• The main protagonist is a women in her mid 20's, this is the desired age of the audience.
• The main protagonist introduces herself to the audience through a camera, thsi makes it look like a documentary.
• There are some eary sounds throughout the film and with it the title of the film being envy there is potential for it to be a horror/thriller film.
• You can tell that the film has a low budget because there is a real lack of actors, props and locations.
• Again the narative of the film is confusing a in this case doesnt seem to be complete because more like a film trailer it leaves you on abit of a cliff hanger.