What is a short film?

"A short film is a short story told in images" - Ken Dancyger and Pat Cooper 2005

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TYUs0fvl9JMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=writing+the+short+film&hl=en&ei=zGuoTMCEFc6gOtDTtcEM&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

When coming up with a concept for our own short films we first had to explore what a short film was and what its conventions. Therefore we looked at codes and conventions explored in Ken Dancyger and Pat Cooper's book 'Writing the short film'. Within which they describe a short film as having:

• A simple plot
  
• Few locations
  
• Few characters (no more than three of four)
• There are a few secondary characters
  
• A sub plot
  
• The story must be dynamic
• The character must be moved in the course and experience of the story
  
• Fast paced

In addition to this we also came to the conclusion that short films should contain a 3 part structure, beginning middle and end. In which there must be a 'catalyst' or revelation which starts the narrative, a form of conflict and an ending resolution for the character. 'Often a story will revolve around a choice that presents itself to the character, who never returns to his or her former state; closure is obtained by virtue of making or avoiding that choice'.

Moreover in class we began verbalising some idea's from film makers that related to our own ideas. Fro instance also in Dancyger and Cooper's book I found the quote, 'The freedom of short film relative to long lies in the possibility of using metaphor and other literary devices to tell the story'. This related directly to my idea of using a pond scene as a metaphor for my characters revelation that her life isn't ideal but in fact 'shattering' like the ripples of the pond.