Overall Summary of Short Film Primary Research

Having completed primary research into 10 short films, I now feel much more confident in knowing how to pursue my short film, and how I can execute it, film it and edit it. The 10 examples I have looked at have all helped me in one of these ways, and they have given me more insight into just what a short film can be like.

- The short films I researched have taught me further about narrative and storytelling. Many of these short films have different methods of story-telling and narrative structure. Such as, some of them opted for a more conventional, linear form of story telling, where events are occurring in a chronological order making it easier for the audience to understand. However, some of the short films went for a more alternative route, and sequenced their short film so that the narrative isn't quite as simple. Such as, events would be cutting back to flashbacks to create meaning and tell the story, which could be seen as confusing for the audience, but ultimately is good film making as the information is not directly fed to the audience.

- I have also learned more about cinematography. Many of these short films used shooting methods I can use to, such as handheld, mixing handheld with tripod, and only using tripod shots. The differing methods of filming depend on the subject and context of the short film, so when it comes to pre-production for my short film, I will mix up my methods of filming depending on what I want to try and represent or make the audience feel. I have also learned more about how long to hold shots for and when to cut to the next shot. Some of these short films held shots for just a bit too long, and it would have been better if they cut just a second or two earlier. However some other short films I looked at held shots for just the right amount of time, which is more beneficial for the short film and for the edit.

- One more thing I have learned about is colour correction. Colour correction plays an essential part part in determining the mood and context of a short film/film. If a scene has been wrongly colour corrected, it can totally differ the intended meaning and context it was meant to have. Some of the short films I studied had great colour correction; it was highly appropriate and suitable for the short film, which is very good and makes the intended meaning and story play out easier. Such as, one of the short films I looked at had very carefully selected colour correction that fit perfectly into the woods/forest mise-en-scene the sequence was taking place in. Finding the perfect colour correction/colour pallet won't be easy to do and will need lots of tweaking and adjusting, but if it comes to be successful it will be beneficial for the short film.

In general I have learned what a short film is and how they can be executed. Many of them contain 1 premise the short film explores and unravels the truth about. Others can be more ambiguous and leave the true meaning and reason for a short film left to the audiences own interpretation. Such as, there was one short film I looked at which was called 'Echoes', and this short film was more on the ambiguous side and the true meaning behind its themes and characters is definitely up the the audience to decide and think about. Overall I am happy with the primary research into short films I've completed and look forward into developing my own short film piece.

An understanding of related Theoretical Issues

When it comes to producing the material for my brief, I will be encountering some issues, such as representation, audience, and genre. These are certain aspects that require lots of planning and research.

Representation brings the issues of how and why I will present certain character types in my short film, such as men, women, children, the disabled and so on. I won't necessarily be using all of these character types, but when I do, I'll have to take into account their representation and how exactly I execute their character in the short film. This would create a challenge for me as representation is quite a significant aspect to films/short films, and most definitely has an impact upon the short film.

The second theoretical issue is the audience of my short film. This is considered an issue because the audience for your short film is vital and can determine many features of the short film. As a result, if I was to develop and begin production on my short film with minimal research and intent to my target audience, I could be making a short film that my target audience wouldn't like and perhaps wouldn't want to watch. This is why the audience is an issue and it needs to be taken into consideration when it comes to planning and producing the short film, which is what I'll be doing.

The last considered issue with the project is genre. Genre will determine the style, craft, and tone of the short film. This is why I need to research genres and have a clear idea of the genre I want to pursue, so when it comes to production and planning I am aware of the codes and conventions of this specific genre. Another reason why it's an issue is because genres have their fixed, standard codes and conventions, so if I was to enter a genre and completely change the conventions around, the audience may not like this and be unsatisfied with the piece. Despite that it's okay to challenge conventions, completely change around the genres conventions is risky.

Planning- Initial Short Film Idea

This is my initial idea for my short film. It is about taxi crime, exploring the social issues of abduction, rape and murder in some cases in taxis.

I am aiming for a dark, serious tone thriller short film that will get the audience thinking about the certain social issue presented in this short film.

I will be developing this idea throughout the planning stage and aim to finalise my character types, arcs and character detail. I am yet to find locations however, but I have preliminary actor references to play the characters in this short film.

Survey for Target Audience

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9VDCMK3


The following link will take you to my research survey, that is designed to help me get a target audience. I asked simple questions that the taker should be able to answer without many problems, questions that will help me when it comes to deciding certain characteristics and conventions for my short film.

The first question was the simple gender question. This was just to establish how and if there are any differences or preferences about the thriller genre between male and female viewers.

The second question was to determine the takers age group, ranging from 10 to 25+. This question will help me find out how people of different ages view the thriller genre, and what kind of things they are more used to or perhaps don't like as much. My prediction is the older the survey taker, the more they will like thriller genres such as psychological thrillers, drama thriller and crime thrillers, in contrast the thriller such as action thrillers. This is because these types of thrillers are in general more interesting and require more attention to detail, in comparison to mainstream action thriller films.

The third question very simply asks the survey taker if they watch short films or not, so I get a good guess of how many of the survey takers actually watch short films, or if they do not.

The next question follows up to question 3 and asks the taker what their favourite sub-genre of thriller is. The options are between Crime-thriller, Drama-thriller, Neo-noir thriller, Sci-fi thriller, Action-thriller and lastly Psychological thriller. This question will help me to identify the most popular sub-genre of thriller among my target audience, and will ultimately tell me the sub-genre of thriller I could pursue, and the one the audience would want to see the most. It will also tell me the least desired sub-genre of thriller and this would be the one I am least likely to produce, as a result.

The 5th question asks the taker to justify their selection of their favourite sub-genre of thriller. This is just so I can get a more detailed understanding as to why they like this particular sub-genre of thriller, whether it's due to specific conventions, features, actors, themes and so on. I can then utilise this in my short film, having to the knowledge of what specific audiences like about certain types of thriller films.

The 6th question is all about the gender of lead character. I felt this would be necessary as it will help me determine if I should get a male or a female to play my lead character, and one that would help to satisfy the audience. There is also an option for 'Not Sure', this would mean the audience don't mind a female or male lead and so I could cast either.

The next question asks the survey taker to justify themselves on why they prefer this gender as the lead character.

The 8th question directly asks the survey taker what they think makes a thriller film more effective. Whether they respond the lighting, direction, themes and ideas, tense sound design, exciting sequences, good acting, it will help me in understanding what audiences like to see in thriller films. Such as, if 605 of the takers think that the sound is what makes thriller films more effective, I will focus more of my attention to the sound aspect of my short film, when it comes to the production and post-production stage.

The last question simply asks the taker if they would be interested in my idea, which is at the moment about crime and abduction within taxi cabs. This is so that I gain a direct insight into whether or not people want to see my idea come to life as a short film.

Short Film Primary Research #10- 'A New Beginning'

The last short film I will be researching and analysing is 'A New Beginning', which is another student piece produced for their A2 coursework.

I think that this short film had very sharp, professional cinematography that made it look like a real film. The colour grading was also sharp, and along with the neatly filmed footage, they have produced very clean and respectable aesthetics for their short film. The short film was therefore more enjoyable to watch due to the fact it looks very nice on-screen. In the opening sequence when the main character is walking towards the camera and talking to his associate, the colour correction is very clean and crisp and makes the short film look substantially well made. The way they filmed it is also good because the framing is carefully selected and what is in the middle of the frame is constantly changing, relating to what is important on screen. Such as, when the new villain comes into the scene, he walks over to be in the centre of the frame, making the audience focus on him.

There is also a good mixture between diegetic and non-diegetic audio. There is audio of footsteps and leaves crushing whilst the person is treading in the woods, whilst over this is a suitable, spy based piece of soundtrack that helps add to the story and narrative. This mixture of audio types is good and it makes the students more weary of what makes their scene more compelling and appropriate in terms of keeping the audience interested in the action on-screen.

However, a criticism I have on this short film is the final fight scene seems very choreographed. However, pulling off a successful and realistic looking fight scene in an amature short film is very hard to do, and what they ended up having is still considerably good.  They also have used a good range of diegetic sound effects that makes the fight scene look a bit more appealing and realistic.

There also isn't much storytelling and narrative occurring, but the style they use and relatively rich content helps make up for this. Overall this is a good short film that is filmed very well and is also edited and colour corrected to a high standard.

Short Film Primary Research #9 - 'SOLUS'

'SOLUS' is an A2 produced short film by some students. The film takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and follows one man who is a survivor looking for help and other survivors.

I think this short film does a great job in implying and suggesting the realm of loneliness and zombie infested world the protagonist is living in. This is done through the use of sound effects, dips to black, character emotions and so on. For example, the short film utilises stock sound effects fairly well and makes for a good, eerie zombie world with realistic zombie sounds. This makes for a more respectable zombie short film because of the well selected sound effects.

The mise-en-scene is also considerably good and equally effective; all locations are made to look abandoned and post-apocalyptic. Such as, the male protagonist is walking along the side of a road and everything around him looks dead and bleak. This is done well and it makes the tone of the film more believable. because the mise-en-scene adds to the theme of isolation in the short film. There is also a scene where the protagonist is investigating a dead body in a run-down area. The grass is long and looks like it has been un-kept for years. This is also good location scouting and selection because the area very much suits the idea and characteristics of the short film well.

The cinematography in this short film is also carefully shot and meets the conventions regarding post-apocalyptic zombie films. Such as, 'SOLUS' has a large amount of hand-held footage. This is quite a common convention of such genre films and it makes the film look more personal,and connects to the audience more due to the fact that the camera presents a more personal relationship between the character and the audience. However not all the film is shot using hand-held. there is also a mix of tripod shots that are in a fixed position. They change appropriately and mainly use fixed shots to help establish locations and character actions.

The short film also has a good soundtrack that helps engage the audience with differing points of action, whether its's shock, danger, emotion and so on. Such as, a very tense, danger themed soundtrack plays over whilst the character opens the garage door expecting to find danger. This is suitable non-diegetic audio that perfectly meets the content on screen; being danger and suspense. Similarly, in times the character is in despair and a miracle has happened, such as when the helicopter appears and supposedly rescues the protagonist, an uplifting, heroic piece of soundtrack plays. This would suggests the character has experienced things and gone through them in the worst of ways, but is now being rescued and he deserves it as he is a heroic character, which is reflected in the tone of the music that plays over the sequence.

Overall 'SOLUS' is a good A2 student short film that utilises conventions well and mixes non-diegetic and diegetic audio to create a sustained realm of post-apocalyptic action.

Short Film Primary Research #8 - 'Wolf'

'Wolf' is another A level student film I have watched and have now come to review. The short film was made as a psychological thriller and is loosely based around the fable of Little Red Riding Hood. The short film is about a girl who is walking in the woods by herself and then when she goes to her Grandma's only to realise something even more sinister is occurring.

I think that the settings and locations in this short film are great and they give the film a sense of realism. Especially the house near the end, the basement they were in was well chosen and it represents the tone that they were looking for very well.

The use of long shots are quite good as they establish the large, deserted forest that the girl is walking through. There is also a tilt shot that reveals the house the girl is about to enter, I thought this was a good choice of camera angle as it makes the house look very empty and large compared to the girl.

The colour pallet and lighting in this short film is also very crisp and clean, it once again adds to the realism aspect of this short film, whilst she is walking through the forest all of the colours seem spot on.

I very much liked the ending title sequence. The font used is the same font as in hit American TV show 'American Horror Story' and I think that it suits the short film very well, given that the font is striking and creepy, just like this short film.