What is a short film and what are its benefits?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as 'an original motion picture that has a running time of forty minutes or less, including all credits', but this definition is flexible, as it has never been agreed exactly where the boundary lies. Most short films will use a narrative structure, but this will often be more basic than one in a feature film.

For film-makers attempting to get into the highly competitive film industry, short films are highly beneficial, as they provide a cheap and easy way to expose their work to the world, and this is even easier in the modern day due to video-sharing sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. They also take up less time to make, allowing amateur film-makers to work part-time on another job. Finally, they provide a good learning-ground for film-makers to make mistakes and attempt new techniques.

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Response to 'The Arrival' by Daniel Montanarini

In 2016, Daniel Montanarini directed a short film called 'Arrival' which follows a pregnant woman's inner monologue as she waits in a cafe to tell the man this news. She debates in her head whether or not to keep it, eventually coming to a decision at the end of the film, just before the man arrives. This film is, overall, theatrical. It consists entirely of the expressions of the woman (Anna) and her inner monologue conveyed with a voice-over. It is like the cafe is her stage, as everything from the spotlight on the lead actress to the over-the-top expressions to the well blocked extras in the background exudes drama. Montanarini's camerawork is effective. He uses a simple zoom-in as the scene progresses, building to the climax of the film which is a train going past the window as Anna reaches her decision (whether this is literal or metaphorical or both seems ambiguous). I think all of these features achieve what Montanarini was trying to which, as he said in an...

Response to 'Echo' by Lewis Arnold

In 2011, Lewis Arnold directed a short film called 'Echo'. It follows Caroline, a 17 year old girl, who gets a phone call informing her that her dad has been in an accident. However, as the film continues we learn that, though this event did happen, Caroline was pretending to get the call again to con people in the street into giving her money. The film is an interesting exploration of grief and the ways people deal with it, but the most interesting element, I feel, is the narrative structure. In an interview I watched, Arnold explains that the film was written in three parts; three phone calls, the first using long takes to be the most objective, and allows the audience to take the place of pedestrians on the street so that the scene remains ambiguous, to leave the viewer wondering what exactly is happening. Then, when the second phone call takes place, the audience enters the scene from the point of view of Caroline's younger brother. This makes it clear that no...

Building Character in Screenplays

There are three main details to include in a screenplay to develop a character: 1. The impression they create- their appearance; costume, makeup, actor, age 2. Their attitude- their personality and temperament 3. The world they inhabit- where and how they live; setting, props The most important element of a character is their personality, which is what you should develop first. To do this you could place them in scenarios and imagine their reaction. These may be unrelated to your narrative but might help you come up with ideas, or you could place them a scenario you already want to include in your screenplay, helping you to build a scene as well as a character. Some scenarios might be: - What would the character do if they were cheated on? - What would the character do if they were mugged? - Would your character accept a bribe and why? Other questions you could ask about your character to develop personality are: - Why are they interesting? - How does their personality...

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