Part 1 – Articles (Short Films)

Links Used: When they were published:http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/237 May 2004

http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/guide/introduction/why-make-a-short

Film Network is a generic template and isn’t dated.

http://www.raindance.org/site/index.php?id=479%2C9358%2C0%2C0%2C1%2C0

2012

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-life/7593291/The-long-history-of-short-films.html

18th April 2010

http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2011/jan/14/best-short-films-london-festival

14th January 2011

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/britain-enters-a-golden-era-of-the-short-film-7179535.html

19th February 2012

http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/apr/08/short-film-makers-long-story 8th April 2013

Links Used: When they were published

• The first reason for why people go to the trouble of making short films is because artistic film-makers see short films as an artform and the other reason being that people in the film industry and media see short films as personal ads. ‘Old BFI Website’

• You will gain experience from creating a team to be able to make a short film together, if you’re pursuing a career in filmmaking then you can demonstrate your skills or you want to try out what working with specific people would be like then this gives the opportunity to do so. ‘BBC’

• You are able to involve yourself with more unique work that may be more intense and most likely more interesting. Once you finish the production and realise how little money you have used you, yourself will be impressed and also others will be impressed at how your picture that you have made didn’t risk money. ‘Raindance.org’

• People also go to the trouble of making short films because of the audiences demands to see them. ‘Telegraph.co.uk’

Reasons given for why people go to the trouble of making short films

• Key changes that have been made are things such as the costs. Because the costs of film were difficult to justify they had to be changed over the past decade, because of the changes in cost it meant that more people were able to make films. ‘Old BFI’

• When MTV came about in 1981 it enabled a new type of short film-making. Tim Pope believed that the ‘rhythmic fast-paced style of editing’ tied into short film-making which made the audiences consume and appreciate short films more. ‘The Telegraph’

• Another key change was the amount of screenings that short films had and how the numbers of these were able to increase because of the easy and more affordable video projectors and film-making equipment. ‘The Telegraph’

• The advance in film-making is also due to the fact that within the growth of the internet short films have become a lot more accessible from wider audiences. ‘Independent’

What key changes there have been in the short format over the past decade?

The strengths and advantages of the short format:

• There are many people that are up for working at reduced rates because they like the idea of creating short films. People also believe that it would be good experience. ‘BBC’

• It is a good way to get into the film-making career. Also if you have multiple ideas that you want to express then short films are an easy way of doing that as they take less time to create. ‘Raindance’

• If you are an artistic person and you want to broaden your knowledge or interests into the film industry then the short format is the more efficient way of getting into it as short films have also been viewed as being artistic. ‘Telegraph’

• If you enjoy telling stories in an interesting way then short film-making enables you to do this as many people see short films as a way of telling stories or about ‘setting a mood’. ‘The Guardian’

The weaknesses and limitations of the short formats:

• For most people short films are thought to be not important because there is no place for them in commercial cinemas. ‘Old BFI’

• They can be viewed as being somewhat outdated, when looking back at the silent films that are associated with the likes of people such as Charlie Chaplin. ‘Telegraph’

• Because of the short amount of time that is in a short film, it could make the audience confused because of the fact that the film-maker has had to squeeze so many scenarios into a short period of time. ‘The Guardian’

What key ingredients make a really successful short film?

• If the situations within the short film are can be easily related to by the audience because of the audience experiencing these scenarios then this can lead to a better short film. ‘The Guardian’

• Because of the short period of time that is within a short film it easy for the audience to get confused because of the storyline, therefore a key ingredient would be to have a clear storyline that is easy to follow along and understand. Also having a plot driven short film helps as well. ‘The Guardian’

• Another key ingredient is for the camera work to be of a high standard so that the short film is more aesthetically pleasing for the audience. ‘The Guardian’

Who the audience is for short films and the type of consumption:

• Generally, the audience for mainstream films are people who go to see a film just for the enjoyment and the entertainment. However, the audience for short films tend to be people who are participating in film studies and who have more of an interest in how a film is made and all of the elements that this includes. ‘Old BFI’

General audiences Short films audiences

The conclusion reached by the respective writers about the situation of short films in the UK at the time of the articles publication:

• The article written by Sarah Morrison that featured in the Telegraph comments on how Britain has entered into a “golden age of the short film”, which is a highly positive remark. Film-making technology and the internet are always having to evolve to fit in with the current times of today, because of this there has been a rise in the popularity and content. Shorts International, which has the largest short film catalogue, had a 60% increase in the past five years. Future Shorts, a large film organisation, saw their YouTube Channel gain a 100% increase in views, averaging around 2 million views a month. However, in contrast, 2013 saw short filmmakers being told that they had lost their art of story telling. A writer, who works for The Guardian, describes why he thinks short films are not as effective as they were before. There is a enormous difference in opinion in only one year between these two articles.