Short Film Conventions

Before I decide on an idea for my short film I am going to look into some of the conventions by doing a textual analysis of an existing short film.

Textual Analysis:

Seconds

Camera angles

In 'Seconds' camera angles are used in a range of imaginative ways. For example, the opening sequence is a string of extreme close-ups that clearly set out the main theme.

Extreme close-up of clock - shows it is about seconds

Extreme close-up of tooth brush - shows its morning

Extreme close-up of car keys - shows he's going out 

Close-ups feature quite heavily throughout the film. I think this is because it uses both footage and still photographs in its narrative. Usually when it is showing footage the film is aiming to highlight the intimacy of the two characters relationship and using close-ups enables them to convey this more effectively.

Close-up 

Close -up 

Close-up 

Extreme close-up

I think the producer has chosen to use a large amount of close-ups because they are the best camera angle to use when you want to show a lot of detail.

The other camera angles used in the film are different forms of mid-shot (as shown below) and long shots. These shots are all useful when establishing the scene but they can also be used to highlight a certain feeling, for example, isolation.

Mid-shot - establishes the scene

Low angle mid-shot - again establishes the scene but the higher angle suggests their relationship is stronger

Long-shot - establishes the scene and shows they are happy being the only two together

h
High angle mid-shot - shows they are looking up through the hanging papers

Mise en scene

The use of Mise en scene in 'Seconds,' as in any film, is used to help set the scene. In 'Seconds' it is used specifically to help indicate the passage of time. The narrative follows a relationship as it passes through 1 week to 1 month to 1 year to 1 life time and the scenes or actions taking place have been chosen to highlight this. For example, when the voice over is talking about how many seconds are in a week the footage is of the couple on their first date. We can tell this because they are in a bar and are both dressed nicely.

Mise en scene suggests first date

The second time period being talked about in the voice over is the amount of seconds in a month. Here the footage is of the couple walking through a park. This suggests that their relationship has moved on but not to a serious stage yet.

Mise en scene suggests a relatively new relationship

The third amount of seconds the voice over tells us is the amount of seconds in a year. Now that time is becoming longer it is getting harder to portray so here the director uses a series of photographs of them on holiday to show that they have moved onto that stage in their relationship. This suggests that their relationship has become more serious as they have been away together.

Mise on scene shows that their relationship is more serious

Finally, the last period of time talked about is a lifetime. This will have been hard to portray as they can't gain footage from the future so they have had to find other ways of implying a lifetime spent together. Mise en scene helps them do this here by showing the couple together looking happy and flashing through all the photographs that have previously been shown as well as adding some new ones. This, in turn, suggests they will stay together for a whole life time.

Mise en scene shows the couple are happy so will stay together - the sun setting in this photo also shows that another day has been spent together. 

Editing Techniques

As with any short film 'Seconds' uses transitions to make the film flow more easily. However, 'Seconds' doesn't tend to change the transitions it uses. Since photographs are interspersed between the footage the film uses jump cuts to give the impression that it is flicking through photographs of a person's life.

The one transition that is slightly more imaginative is at the end when the two people on the bench are erased from the picture. Here the people are faded off the bench to give the impression they were never there at all.

Here you can see the couple being faded out

The use of still photographs with the moving image in 'Seconds' is one of the more unique editing techniques used in the film. I say this because throughout the film each of the sections I mentioned in the mise en scene section above combine photographs with moving image to convey the passage of time. Depending on how long is being talked about depends on the amount of photographs. For example, 1 day no photographs used where as 1 year features about 16.

The second more interesting editing technique used in the film is the use of speed. The speed with which the photos are flicked through increases over the course of the lifetime section which again helps to show the passage of time.

The final more unusual use of an editing techniques is the use of rewind. At the end of the film the voice over is talking about how 1 second can make or erase a lifetime and so it rewinds through several of the pieces of footage we have seen before.

Sound

Finally I move onto sound. 'Seconds' uses entirely non-diegetic sound which means it has all been added during the editing process. It uses music to convey the mood but most importantly it uses a voice over. Without the voice over the film wouldn't make sense as it is all about how 1 second could create or erase a lifetime that could have happened. This is portrayed through a man's decision to say "Hi" to girl at a cafe. If he does they stay together forever and if he doesn't he'll never see her again.

The music in the film plays a big part in setting the mood. Although it is most likely only there to make the voice over sound less harsh it still tells the audience that something bad is going to happen just before the lifetime is erased as it modulates to a minor key. This happens when they are back in the cafe. He is just about to say something but then she walks off, effectively erasing their entire lifetime.

Thinking about saying hi

Girl walking off

The final use of non-diagetic sound used in the film is the sound of a ticking clock. At the start and end of the film there is a ticking sound indicating the passing seconds. At the start of the film all the actions a synchronised with the music in that the footage (e.g. the toothbrush I showed in my camera angles section) changes with each tick.

Conventions of a short film:

From this textual analysis I have decided that the conventions of short films are:

• Simple story line - follow one thing (no complicated sub-plots or similar)
• Simple structure - clearly defined beginning middle and end
• Little dialogue - tend to use little/no dialogue or a voice over
• Simple background music in place of dialogue (tends to be classical/piano music with no contradicting melodies)
• Camera work, editing techniques, mise en scene and sound are key to helping convey the mood as there is little dialogue

In my short film I intend to stick to these conventions as far as possible as I want my film to be an authentic short.