3) Research into short films
According to the British Film Institute (BFI) there are several important components of a successful short film:
An exciting storyline
It’s important to have an exciting storyline to captivate and maintain the audience’s attention. You can create an exciting storyline by avoiding clichéd ideas, watching other short films to see what works and what doesn’t, looking at a subject matter from a different angle or using a different style/technique. Current affairs and things you’re interested in are good means for inspiration.
Strong Beginning
Your film has to grab the audience’s attention from the very first shot. Don’t waste time on lengthy introductions and credits – spark their interest in the story as quickly as you can. If your film starts with a long establishing shot where nothing really happens, viewers may switch off before you get to show them your great plot and idea. If the pace of your film is naturally slow and ambling, make the shots as rich and enticing as possible to draw the viewer in.
A strong script
A strong script is also essential in order to make your short film entertaining and portray characters and the storyline the way you want to so that you can create a message. You can create a strong script by condensing your ideas and testing your script to receive feedback.
Good acting
Even if just one actor or actress in a film is bad, it can spoil the whole thing by detracting attention away from aspects of the film that are really important. Therefore, it’s important to find the best actors and actresses you can.
Good collaboration
It’s important to work well as a team when creating a short film. Not everyone is good at every aspect of filmmaking so it’s best to spread the workload according to people’s talents.
Keep it short!
As a general rule, the longer your short film is, the harder it is to keep the viewer’s attention. This is especially true of online viewing, and this is important to me as an A level student as I will be distributing my film online using websites such as YouTube. Therefore, keeping my film short is essential.
Note from the BFI – a good editor can really transform a film. If you’re directing and editing your own film you might be too attached to certain shots to know which bits to chop out to make your film a stronger, more coherent piece.
Slap
Tight Jeans
The Ellington Kid
Over
Echo
Operator
Arrival
The fly
An exciting storyline
It’s important to have an exciting storyline to captivate and maintain the audience’s attention. You can create an exciting storyline by avoiding clichéd ideas, watching other short films to see what works and what doesn’t, looking at a subject matter from a different angle or using a different style/technique. Current affairs and things you’re interested in are good means for inspiration.
Strong Beginning
Your film has to grab the audience’s attention from the very first shot. Don’t waste time on lengthy introductions and credits – spark their interest in the story as quickly as you can. If your film starts with a long establishing shot where nothing really happens, viewers may switch off before you get to show them your great plot and idea. If the pace of your film is naturally slow and ambling, make the shots as rich and enticing as possible to draw the viewer in.
A strong script
A strong script is also essential in order to make your short film entertaining and portray characters and the storyline the way you want to so that you can create a message. You can create a strong script by condensing your ideas and testing your script to receive feedback.
Good acting
Even if just one actor or actress in a film is bad, it can spoil the whole thing by detracting attention away from aspects of the film that are really important. Therefore, it’s important to find the best actors and actresses you can.
Good collaboration
It’s important to work well as a team when creating a short film. Not everyone is good at every aspect of filmmaking so it’s best to spread the workload according to people’s talents.
Keep it short!
As a general rule, the longer your short film is, the harder it is to keep the viewer’s attention. This is especially true of online viewing, and this is important to me as an A level student as I will be distributing my film online using websites such as YouTube. Therefore, keeping my film short is essential.
Note from the BFI – a good editor can really transform a film. If you’re directing and editing your own film you might be too attached to certain shots to know which bits to chop out to make your film a stronger, more coherent piece.
Slap
Tight Jeans
The Ellington Kid
Over
Echo
Operator
Arrival
The fly
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