Codes and Conventions

When looking at our film, it's hard to say what genre it would fit under. Due to the fact that it is only 1 minute long, it's hard to establish a strong theme without it coming across over exaggerated and tacky. In order to establish the genre of the film, I had to look at the codes and conventions.

The codes and conventions of a short film:

Characters: It's common for short films to only feature around 1-3 characters due to the fact that there is a limited amount of time to delve and explore the characters and portray their development.

'Twist': Short films often contain 'twists' to the storyline in order to entertain and engage the audience. It's quite hard to engage the audience in such a short space of time and a twist would help make this possible.

Budget: Short films often have low budgets due to the fact they are most likely independent. Working with a low budget is another reason for having less characters and sticking to using one location.

Length: Short films range from 1 minute to 35 minutes, which is the maximum length without it being considered a feature length film.

Situation: Short films will commonly incorporate ordinary, everyday situations in their plots in order to engage and relate to the viewer, however adding the 'twist' to intrigue them.

Todorov's Theory: This theory allows for an Equilibrium, Disruption, Recognition, Attempt to Repair and New Equilibrium.