Key Concepts, Codes and Conventions

Characters: Short films tend to have 2 – 3 characters altogether with 1 or 2 being the main protagonists. The minimal amount of characters is due to the fact that short films being so ‘short’ have not got enough time to go into much depth of each character and their stories.

Duration: Short films are, as their name suggests, short. We typically see these films as lasting from 5-10 minutes. However there are some short films that can last even longer that this, for example between 10 and 20 minutes. If the film was any longer then it would be classed as a Feature length film.

Storyline: Typically short films have a simple storyline that is easy to grasp. It usually includes plot lines that are either about everyday ideals and situations or fictional stories, that may or may not have an unexpected twist. These stories usually have a moral that the audience can relate to.

Todorov’s theory: As with any Feature film, a short film will also have a basic structure of the how the films story will play out. In Todorov’s theory we have the equlibrium in which at the beginning of the film there is a calm setting, centered around the hero of the story, where nothing major has taken place, then the Disequilibrium in which a problem has arisen for the hero and thus disrtupting the equilibrium, and then the new equilibrium is established towards the end of the story in which the disequilibrium has been solved, typically, by the hero of the story with the help of the donors and helpers.