Research- Short Films

As we are making a short film, we thought it would be appropriate to research the genres included in short films, as they could alter from cinema. I went on sites like Independent Lens, an online film festival, and Youtube. They were both useful as they hosted a number of short films ranging in subject matter and lengths.

The first film we viewed was called Bullet-proof vest and was created by May Lin Au Yong, a graduate of documentary film. The short film provides an incite into the lives of two young children living in Richmond, California, one of the most dangerous cities in the US, with an average of ten homicides every ten days. The long shots, typical of the documentary style, make the children's words even more poignant as we understand what they mean from the images. Having the children discuss such a serious and deadly situation makes the documentary more raw and sinister as we feel empathy towards the vulnerability of the children, and the way in which they explain it is very honest. Like most documentaries, voiceovers are used to make sense of the image portrayed on screen and are extremely effective when explaining what is going on. There is also an interview with the children's mother, which adds another side to the story. The credits are particularly well made as we can hear the diegetic sounds of people shouting and car's beeping in protest.

Watch Bulletproof Vest

DepicT! is a unique competition from Watershed and is part of Encounters Short Film Festival, it challenges filmmakers to create new, imaginative ideas portrayed in just 90 seconds. Due to the demand of social networking sites and being able to connect with an audience DepicT has a Twitter account, this appeals to the Web 2.0 era in which we communicate and is convient for an easy way to find out about new films and filmmakers.

We looked at a lot of short films, 'Le Cheval’ was a particular film that stuck out, as we wanted to incorporate the running sequence into our production, but at a smaller scale. We liked the range of different shot types used including, high angled mid shots, long shots and establishing shots. We also liked the slow-motion effect and will consider using it in our film. The subtitles and black and white are effective as they contribute to the overall theme an old fashioned French film, however from the content of the piece we know it is a comedy as it features a man talking about how he longs to become a horse, this challenges the idea of a general black and white, serious film, but is obviously a spoof from the start.

Le Cheval 2.1


Another short film featured on the DepicT website is called 'Big Career' the opening scene is a high angled mid shot of a tea-cup, the way in which the shot is filmed suggests that the tea cup is miniature. In the background we can hear diegetic sounds of a fair ground and people talking, this sets the scene and allows the audience to understand what is happening and where. You can see a slight reflection in the liquid of the tea-cup of the man talking to the woman about the job, you can also see a reflection of the Ferris wheel. The table then shakes, and we finally see the huge hand of the main character as she lifts the tiny tea-cup. The diegetic speech throughout is cleverly scripted as it explains that the woman wants to get a job at the fair ground, however she does not want to be discriminated against for her height, and the employer then explains that he will give her a job in the miniature golf course. The film is ironic and cleverly made.

Big Career


Lift, uses most of the typical codes and conventions for a typical documentary, for example the interviewing format and the same surroundings throughout. The film is used for the social interaction aspect and also information, as the audience are able to relate to the people. The camera cuts frequently, to the mechanical parts of the lift, we can hear a baby crying and the noise of the lift moving.

Lift