Analysis of short film

Examples of short films and analysis of them.

Movie Mind Machine 

This short film follows the majority of the conventions listed above, it seems to have had a relatively low budget, it only has 2 main characters, it is an extreme situation and it fits into the appropriate time frame as well as being relatively basic in terms of mise en scene etc.

This is the title sequence, it seems to be extremely basic and this agrees with my assumption that it was made with a low budget, a typical feature of a short film in todays society.

These are the two main characters that the story evolves around, as seen in this picture they are breaking the 4th wall, a relatively unusual characteristic of a short film, however the majority of the short film does consist of regular camera actions which mean it does in fact go with the conventions of short films despite the breaking of the fourth wall.





This is where the majority of the short film is based, in the room where they watch the films, this appears to be a living room which again supports the idea that this is a realistic setting which can be conveyed on a low budget, as well as this is seems to also be created in a relatively high quality, which again conforms to the normal codes and conventions of short films.

Uncanny Valley

 This is the title sequence for Uncanny Valley, already this seems to go against the normal and seems to be a relatively elaborate opening sequence and it immediately sets it up as a sci- fi, a genre which is not particularly popular in short films. This goes against the codes and conventions.

Through this shot, and others similar that follow we get to see the two sides to this short film, there is the highly elaborate and impressive scenes when it is in the virtual world and when it is in reality the mise en scene is rough and dirty which is in order to convey the grim reality these characters are no longer used to.

These scenes obviously required a minimal budget and therefore follow the codes and conventions more closely than the scenes in the virtual world.

This shot allows us to see the high quality, high tech side of the short film, this is how the virtual reality is portrayed throughout and this type of style is extremely rare within short films in todays media age, this means it is in fact breaking away from the typical codes and conventions.

This is the closing scene in which we experience the cliffhanger, this is a typical short film feature and therefore this can be classes as following the codes and conventions as there is a twist within the storyline.

Traction

In Traction there are two main characters, this follows the codes and conventions set within short films, It is also set in a restaurant and again seems to be relatively low budget and as well as this it is a comedy which falls among one of the most popular genres however it can also be classed as a dramatic short film but this does not mean that it is not going with the codes and conventions.

 This is the title sequence for Traction, similarly to Movie Mind machine it is relatively basic, again this goes with the codes and conventions of short films as they are typically made with low budget and the budget is focused on the actual action occurring on screen.

At the very end of Traction there is a twist of the girl who previously took a stand against racist jokes, stereotyping a black man, this twist conforms to the traditional codes and conventions of short films.

Thunder Road

  

There is only one main character in Thunder Road, this again goes with the codes and conventions of short films, The film also is within the same time period allocated for something to be counted as a short film. It seems to meet every code and convention given to short films. As well as this is makes the character extremely relatable very quickly, this again contributes to making sure it does in fact stick with the typical codes and conventions.

This short film also has a twist in the form of the main character in an attempt to grieve for his mother, performs the Bruce Springsteen song Thunder Road and begins to dance causing what was a dramatic speech into a comical one, this is a typical short film characteristic.

At the very end of the short film we get to experience yet another twist, it contrasts the humour we seen previously in his performance with the negative emotion associated with his daughter turning away from him in his time of need.

Welcome to the last bookstore


This short film takes the form of a documentary, as shown is the screen shot they break the fourth way quite frequently within the film, due to the fact this is actually a documentary this is slightly more common than it would be in it was classed as a short film.
                           

In this documentary there is a lot of old footage throughout his life, mainly focused on his recovery from the accident that put him in the wheelchair, this looks like genuine footage and contributes to the idea that this was made on a relatively low budget, a typical characteristic of a short film/ documentary, it, as shown in the screen shot is extremely poor quality as well, this however does go against the codes and conventions however in the majority of the documentary this is not the case.

This is the bookstore in which the documentary is set, as shown it is extremely elaborate but again as this is a real life documentary we can assume to did not cost the film makers much to film here as the main character is the actual owner, and again the presence of only one person is a very typical characteristic of a short film.


The documentary also makes use of narration, another common characteristic of short films/documentaries however it does not involve a twist in the story line however this is simply because it is a documentary, not a dramatic film made to entertain.