Short Films: The Art of Telling A Great Story In 8 Minutes or Less

I was in love with this assignment!! I really enjoy indi films and indi inspired films so once I started watching one short film I had to watch them all.  To create a storyline and collect every bit of information, then pack it into only a few minutes of film sounds like an insane task!  But the way the storyline unfolds, the way each shot is presented and the flow of the story keeps the audience interested and delivers a profound and direct message to the audience.

Two of my favorite short films in the series are “Bridge” and “Blow Up”.  Both of these films came across as very natural and realistic situations.  For the most part, it is two people having a conversation, covering several topics and bantering back and forth.  At some point in the short film there is a slight conflict that comes about such as a disagreement on a topic or a joke gone bad.  However, the characters move past it and continue with the goal and/or storyline. Often the story travels into different topics, like in “Blow Up” when the male character starts telling a story about his father.  Although the story doesn’t directly relate the what is happening, you still cannot help but become caught up in what he is saying.  When I first saw this, it came across as a similar situation that could occur in iMedia. You are working on a project with other people, and suddenly your project ideas and brainstorms lead into other personal stories that you begin to draw from.  I think the natural topics of conversation made the scenes even more realistic.

I really enjoyed how the films were shot also.  I am not very familiar with cinematography so I’m sorry if I say something wrong.  The majority of the shots in the films were a little shaky as if taken with a hand held camera.  To me this added to the experience because it was as if you were standing right next to the people having the conversation.  You became a part of the story in a sense.  I also liked the fact that the shots were not simply of someones face but rather certain body parts, props in the storyline or other components.  By steering the audiences attention to another component rather than simply focusing on the face, allows them to become more immersed in the story and have a better understanding of what is happening.

I also appreciated the fact that the actors seemed like everyday people.  The film makers did not cast the most beautiful or handsome people they could find. They have flaws but this is what makes them come across as everyday people; someone I could meet while walking across campus or out at a bar.  They also came across as very natural and real on film.  I think this added to the quality of the scenes coming across as a natural situation as well.

To create a short film almost seems like an impossible challenge, but when approached and conducted in the correct manner, you are left with a great piece of film.