Short Films; Definitions, Codes, Conventions & Other Relevant Things

What is a 'Short Film'?

Not all definitions agree with each other..

        Any film that has a duration longer than one minute and shorter than 15 minutes.  

                                                        - Definition Short Film / EICAR

If I were to put it into my own words I would say that a short film is one which does not exceed feature film length and will generally be no longer than 15-20 minutes (due to exceptions which are longer, but are not as long as a feature film). They will often have a simple storyline that can take place within the shorter amount of time the film length allows however more complicated short films have been made in the past. I would say the most common genre is 'Arthouse'; a great way of communicating an idea but not having to fully explain it. It's also a good excuse to take interesting shots and arrange the film in a way that may without any context struggle to make sense.*

*(A great deal of that paragraph was more my opinion of what the short film definition could be, and not what it exactly is.)

Codes & Conventions

Situation: generally normal. As the film develops the situation is likely to become unusual and less like our everyday lives.

Characters: 2 or 3 (not enough time to deeply go into too many characters)

A Plot Twist: there's enough time to fit one of these in and they make for more enjoyable viewing (the audience doesn't always expect it).

Budget: small. Most of the time independent film makers produce short films and therefore do not have a large budget. 

Length: short. The exact length itself is disputed generally but for the kind of shorts I will be researching into I would say around 10-15 minutes (or even shorter). 

Todorov 

This is a theory (Todorov's theory) that is generally applied to short films.

Equilibrium - normal.

Disequilibrium - not so normal (all go wrong).

New Equilibrium - back to normal (problem solved). 

Although the problem is solved there may be a noticeable change in from the normal at the start to the normal at the end. 

Art House

The narrative of this film genre is often in the social realism style and it encompasses artistic and experimental styles. 

The filmmaker follows their personal artistic vision and the film as a result is typically independently-produced.