Exhibition

Because my short film is completely different from most, it is rather difficult to decide where it can be exhibited. For example, it is not the type of thing that can be exhibited in most film festivals. However, it can be uploaded onto the BBC Film Network, it is already being exhibited on Youtube and Vimeo which is easy to access and send links to friends and family or possible employers for reference to work that has been created.

The Rushes Soho Short Film Festival has a Documentary Category, which could be a possible entry for my short film. At current the submission for RSSF is closed and won’t be reopening until the RSSF 2011. When it re-opens I will submit my completed video and see if it can make it through.

One of the most obvious places for the exhibition of my short film would be the Portsmouth City Council website. It was mentioned and advised that I send the video to the Council or the Tourist Office, as it could be a way of attracting visitors to the city. This is something that I am currently looking into and emailing the appropriate people.

Audience

With short films being such a niche target audience In general it is quite difficult to define a target audience for my short film alone. With most short films gaining audiences through word of mouth and on specialist Internet sites such as the BBC Film Network and Youtube, or entering their films into Film Festivals such as the Rushes Soho Short Film Festival, I originally targeted my piece at males and females aged between 17 and 24. These people are most likely to be at University and studying so this would be most effective for them. Having to change the idea of my short film meant having to change the target audience. I decided to go for a wider audience, but of course with the nature of the film, it is targeted at people that are looking for somewhere to go with their family during the summer, and I believe my video is a perfect example of this.

It does this by giving a solid narration about activities and the history of Portsmouth, which after looking at my influences, is the key to a good promotional video.

To gain more feedback, I created a ten-question questionnaire to hand out to people that I know. I did this by sending emails and sending a link to the Youtube Channel of BDC and asked people to watch and answer the questions. This was very useful as it provided a non-bias viewpoint of somebody that was watching it for the first time. It was important that I included a wide range of questions including what people liked about it, whether they knew anything about Portsmouth before, whether it would make them want to visit and what would they want to see.

One positive comment that came from most viewers was that they believed the piece was very informative and enlightened them to what Portsmouth is about. Three of the ten questionnaires said that the establishing shots of the water lapping upon the shore made them even want to go to Portsmouth in the summer. This was what I aimed to achieve.

A criticism and improvement that could be made to it was to include some interviews, at least one with perhaps a tourist attraction manager. It was felt by my audience that this would have added more ‘weight’ to the piece making it more like a documentary.

Thanks to this audience feedback, it has made me realise that my video piece has been quite successful in what I aimed to achieve, but as expected doesn’t quite fit the Documentary criteria.

Influences

Some of my influences came from a short film called ‘The Seafront’ – a documentary piece based around different peoples experiences at the beach. It used very picturesque establishing shots, which was something I tried to achieve, and believe I did.

My original idea was influenced by this to have a short documentary focusing on a key issue in an area. I was then influenced by one of my teachers who happened to mention the issue of ‘townies against students.’ This was a topic reported on in the news known as “Student Bashing” where residents of the University town would violently attack students on nights out. This was to become the focus of my documentary.

I was influenced by a number of stories I read in the newspapers and carried this up. However, when I couldn’t get permission to film in certain locations and could not get hold of anybody to talk about the subject, I had to abort the idea and then focused on the ‘promotional tourist’ approach. I then researched videos of this genre, which was quite difficult, but finally found the style of video on the Thompson Holiday Channel on Sky. This was exactly the type of thing that I needed to look at to get an idea on how tourist videos look and sound.

Another one of my influences was looking back at ‘The Handler’ – the single camera drama I created. I wanted to achieve more establishing shots that portrayed the location and told the ‘story’ without necessarily having to have any dialogue or narration.

Completed Short Film

After watching my completed video I can see that what I have managed to create has been successful and I am pleased with what I have achieved. I can also see that there are a few areas that could be improved and if I had the chance to reshoot it, I know that it would change a lot.

Aesthetically, I have achieved what I had originally wanted. I aimed to shoot my project with shots that highlighted the beauty of Portsmouth, by using low angle shots of the sea with the sun glistening on the surface. I was lucky that on the first day of shooting ‘Portsmouth’ the weather was in my favour with blue skies and the sun shining, which allowed me to get the picturesque shots. The next day allowed me to film a contrasting view of Portsmouth with grey skies and rough seas. Although this breaks the continuity of the visuals, it gives the audience a realistic view of the location in both types of weather.

Despite most short films having a narrative, I chose to create a short documentary, originally on the clash between students and townies in Portsmouth. This didn’t go ahead due to permission not being granted to film in certain locations, which resulted in my short film turning into a ‘promotional tourist’ video for Portsmouth. Because there are no defining codes and conventions for a short film, as identified in class, there is no way of saying that it conforms to those codes and conventions. However, as I have defined my video as being a ‘promotional tourist’ video, I think that my video fulfils that well.

Working on my own was both easy and hard. It was easier to work on my own as I had full control of the project and the visual styling. However, it becomes quite difficult having to do all the paperwork individually and coming up with an initial idea, which took a while. 

Portsmouth - The Waterfront City - Filming

In the lead up to going to Portsmouth, I was constantly emailing members of certain organisations, to try and gain permission to film in the locations.
I was successful in gaining permission to film in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, and that would be my first port of call. I was unsuccessful in gaining permission to film in and around Portsmouth City Centre and was unsuccessful in gaining permission to film in Gunwharf Quays.
This limited my initial idea of creating a documentary based on the issue of young people drinking and how thaty affects town living and residents.

Due to not getting permission - I couldn't focus on this, so ended up focusing on the tourist approach to Portsmouth. I was down there for two days and filmed everything that I had been authorised, then had to film on the sly other bits and pieces that I needed to complete. And I still need one more shot.

Location Details

D-Day Museum and Overlord Embroidery
Clarence Esplanade
Southsea
PO5 3NT

View Map

HMS Warrior
Victory Gate, Main Road,
H M Naval Base,
Portsmouth
PO1 3QX‎

View Map

Gunwharf Quays
Portsmouth Habour
Portsmouth
PO1 3TZ

View Map

Spinnaker Tower - see above

Portsmouth IOW Car Ferry Terminal
Gunwharf Road
Portsmouth

View Map

Portsmouth Continental Ferry Terminal
Wharf Road
Portsmouth
PO2 8

(Including Whale Island for location of filming)

View Map

"Moodboard"

These pictures are of Portsmouth - specifically Gun Wharf Quays. Also featured are screenshots of my influence The Seafront. The very top picture is an area plan of Gun Wharf. As you can see, the majority of the area is occupied by shops and restaurants with some very modern and expensive apartments.

Short Film Idea

After my original idea about creating a Documentary based around the backstage and preparation of the upcoming tour of Libera, was vetoed - not by the teachers but by the manager of Libera - I resorted to having another look on the BBC Film Network at Documentaries that have been produced and uploaded onto that website.

After browsing through the collection I found a Documentary called The Seafront which was a short documentary based in Portsmouth (although I didn't know this at the time) about Beach Life.

It concentrates on four subjects all with different stories about why they love and enjoy the beach so much.

This has been more of my influence to create a short documentary based in Portsmouth and Haling Island documenting the scenery, the two sides of life in Portsmouth - busy touristy area and then the normal living of Portsmouth.

Inspiration Week Blog 4

Other stimuli that were there to help us create short film ideas included pictures of modern art. Two of these pictures we decided to use as influences. One of these was a picture of an empty dining room table with a low light above it. The second picture was of a tent filled with applique names. Underneath the picture featured the caption "All the people I have ever slept with." We were then informed that the artist was sexually abused as a child, meaning some of these names weren't what we initially thought.

Using the two pieces of art, we came up with the idea of incorporating each of the names from the tent as characters who have all been abused in some way around the empty dining table. It would be one static shot looking at the dining table. This would then be the setting where ghostly figures would all dissolve into each other showing their stories.

The artist who painted this picture created a lot of other pictures that involved isolation. The artist [insert name] was always interested in portraying what was not there as opposed to what was there.

We drew on this idea of emptiness and isolation, in that the Dining Room Table never got sat at, but was the subject of where all these horrible things happened.

Inspiration Week Blog 3

In our third Inspiration Week lesson, we were placed into our groups that we would be working with whilst making our final project. For this, however, I was put into another group as I am working on my own.

In the classroom, there were a number of tables set out with different types of stimuli to help us, or 'inspire us.' These included song lyrics, poetry, newspaper articles and pieces of modern art. For each of these different stimuli we had to come up with an idea for a short film. From there, we had to choose two of our stronger ideas and develop them to become our main ideas for a short film.

Idea 1 - "Mr. Tambourine Man"

Our stimulus for Idea 1 was song lyrics. We had three choices, but we chose to use one main song and take an influence from another song. These songs were "Mr. Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan and "I Have A Dream" by Abba.

This short film featured our two main characters: Jack, a working male who was a bit down. His job was running his life and had no time for relationships. He needed a pick-me-up. Our other character is Mr. Tambourine Man. He is an Angel who is stuck in Limbo waiting to be judged for his entrance to Heaven or Hell. After committing a life full of sin, he is sent to Earth to repent of his sins by doing good.

He meets Jack and plays the soundtrack to his life on his Tambourine. Their relationship grows until Jack finally meets a girl. Mr. Tambourine Man becomes upset with this as he is gradually being rejected and pushed away. Jack starts to then feel down again for rejecting him and asks for another Mr. Tambourine Man. But this Tambourine Man cannot play the Tambourine.

Idea 2 - "Dirty Money"

Our second short film idea was influenced by a poem called "Infidelities." It told the story of a woman who was collecting coins from her husbands trouser pocket and placing them on the window-sill. As they sit there, they collect dust, or guilt, until the husband one day picks them up to make a phone call he can't make from the house phone.

It is portrayed through the narration of the coins. It starts off as the couple being portrayed as a happy couple, with the wife making dinner and folding the husbands pants, at which time she places the coins on the window-sill. As they sit there, they gradually collect dust, which is portrayed as their guilt toward being used for the mystery calls to the mistress. They feel sorry and guilty for the wife as they know what they are going to be used for.

Until one day, the husband picks the coins up and goes off to make a phone call. The last shot is a voyeuristic shot from behind a tree where the husband acts edgy, looking all around before entering the phone-box.

Inspiration Week Blog 2

In this lesson of Inspiration Week, we were given a stimulus to create a short story. This stimulus was in the format of a postcard that had been taken from a book published by an artist. This book featured over thousands of postcards that people had written their secrets on.

It was called 'Post Secrets' by Frank Warren. Using these secrets we were asked to mindmap some ideas and then come up with a synopsis for an idea of a short film.

My Postcard:

"I'm afraid to answer the telephone."

Some of my ideas on my mindmap included:

• A similar kind of movie to Phonebooth - but without answering the phone.
• It can be a horror movie, where she lets the phone go to answer machine and hears a voice that is gradually getting closer to her location.
• Could be a short movie that the girl doesn't want to answer the phone because she doesn't want to go out with the guy calling her.

I then decided on an idea and wrote a synopsis:

"The phone would ring, but it always went to answer machine.

Hannah was a recluse. She lived in a farmhouse miles from any civilisation. But this was not always the way she had been. Hannah was living with a dark and deep secret that only she knew. It had been eating away at her for years. But how had somebody else come to know of this secret?"

After this, we were asked to write our own secret on a postcard. This postcard would then be passed on to somebody else in the class and they would have to write a synopsis for a short film idea.

I received a postcard that featured the following secret:

"After watching an interview with Lady Gaga, I have changed my opinion of her."

I wrote the synopsis:

"Hannah was sitting at home on a Monday morning flicking through the music channels. She didn't have a job and enjoyed not socialising with friends. Whilst flicking through she heard Lady Gaga's Pokerface. Although despising her, thinking she was a stuck-up, pompous brat, she decided to keep watching.

Little did she know, this interview would change not only her opinion, but her whole life."

Inspiration Week - Blog 1

In the first lesson of "Inspiration Week" we played a short exercise that involved writing one thing on a piece of paper, folding it over and passing it on to somebody else. For my piece of paper, I had to write the name and profession of a Male character. From then on, the piece of paper was passed around the classroom until we finished and it was returned to me so that I could see the story that had been written. 

My first post - Male character and Profession.

The next post was to give a female character and her profession.

The next post was to say how they met.

 

The next post was to give one line of dialogue.

The next post was to explain a major event. 

Lastly, this post was to end the story.

From this story that was created we then had to come up with a synopsis for a short film. We were told that we could alter it slightly if we needed to. 

My synopsis was:

"A police duo began an ordinary evening on duty. That was until they got a call over the radio that would make their night shift a living hell. Will they save the town and go down the pub? Or will this tragedy destroy the whole town?"

From this synopsis, we then had to fill in a sheet relating our story to th

e Todorov concept of equilibrium/disequilibrium. 

And then again, from the synopsis, we were asked to create a table of Binary Opposites conforming to the concept or Levi-Strauss.

Concept	Opposition
Police (Good)	Criminal (Evil)
Human	Animal
Peace	Disturbance

Textual Analysis - Lovefield

'Lovefield' is a 6 minute American short film created by Mathieu Ratthe.

It starts off with an empty field of crops, looking very dry and as though they haven't had rain for a number of years. You get the sense of the emptiness by the wind noises and the eery strings music that are playing very clashing notes. As the music dies out you get the sounds of creeky signs and you see the very famous symbol of Mathieu Ratthe films: the Black Crow. This creates a tense feeling and is then aided by the sound of a mobile phone beeping. As the camera moves past the phone, we start to see more and more things scattered on the floor and begin to hear a female crying. You see blood spattered clothing and the female stops moving as a Knife is stabbed into the ground. The music and sound effects build this up to sound like a typical horror film where somebody has been killed.

As we move up to start to see a character profile, we don't get to see his face, but instead it focuses on the Black Crow. This indicates to us that a death has occurred. As the man starts to look around he then runs toward the car, where you think he is about to drive off being the guilty murderer. But instead he heads to the back of the vehicle and retrieves a blanket. At this point you are still not sure what he is going to do ... is he going to wrap the body up and dispose of it.

As the film then later moves onto reveal that the female was screaming because she was giving birth.

The whole sequence leading up to the revelation gets you in the mood of feeling scared and wanting to know what is happening. And of course the title "Lovefield" gives it away after you realise that it is actually a happy film.

This is very effective in getting the audience worried and scared, but makes them relieved when they found out the whole truth.

Textual Analysis - Body

Click here to watch 'Body' via BBC Film Network

Body is a 4 minute Artists' Moving Image that was created by Zhivko Dimitrov. It shares similarities with 'Journey To The Moon' by Georges Melies and 'The Man With The Beautiful Eyes.' 

It is a very different approach to short film, but would be seen as an Avant Garde, Experimental Piece as you really have to think about what is going on in the piece. It is inspired by phenomenology and the role of the human body in shaping perceptions of reality. 'Body' follows the journey of a fictional character in search for answers to the grand questions of life (using similar style sketches to 'Monty Python, The Meaning of Life), the universe, and everything. The character sets off on a voyage through space in a fantasy world made up of organic body matter.

Dimitrov uses a number of different textures and materials to create this piece, most vividly the main character being made out of Newspaper. Another is the use of chains and necklaces, possibly resembling the characters confinement to Earth. 

The music is very simple featuring a few notes that are repeated in a different order. It can also be seen as experimental fitting nicely with the video. The bright, vibrant colours are very attractive and shares similarities to 'The Man With The Beautiful Eyes.' 

This is a quirky short film and very different to other short films I have watched, but you can see that Dimitrov has really gone back to looking at the earliest examples of short films. 

Textual Analysis - Cheat Neutral

Click here to watch 'Cheat Neutral' via BBC Film Network

Cheat Neutral is a 13 minute documentary Directed by Beth Stratford in 2007. This satirical documentary follows the creators of a website CheatNeutral that allows people that have cheated on their partners to 'offset' their infidelity to a global network of fidelity.  The documentary follows Alex Randall and Christian Hunt as they try to sell the idea of cheat offsetting to a bemused public. From the streets of Cardiff to the Houses of Parliament, they spark an important and timely debate about the inadequacies of carbon offsetting.

This is a quite high profile production as they have footage from one of the creators being interviewed on BBC News. There is also footage from the House of Commons and also features audio of interviews on American Radio Stations. 

This doesn't follow the normal style of documentary making. It seems to have a video diary style at some points and also gives the audience the feel that this has been rehearsed at points. However, some very interesting techniques is the used of non-diegetic sound and the speeding up of footage in the post-production stage. When the footage is sped up and the soundtrack is played, it reminds the viewer of a type of silent film, and you expect word screens to pop up at any minute. 

The whole website went global reaching Australia and the US, meaning that this documentary/short film was a huge success and is actually featured on the homepage of the website. 

It is a very different take on some of the other short films that I have watched, but it is nice to watch something that is very different and actually makes you laugh. 

Textual Analysis - Salaryman 6

Click here to watch 'Salaryman 6' via BBC Film Network

Salaryman 6 is a seven minute drama that is based on one character called Shiode. After Shiode loses his memory, he pieces together his rather boring and repetitive life with the help of his modified camera. 

This short film begins with the ending of Shiode waking up from his daze, starting his memory loss. Although, it is more a case of Short Term Memory loss, in that he cannot remember what happens the day before. Shiode is a very isolated person that is very alone. This is not only portrayed through the physical sense that he is never with anybody else, but the sheer size of his apartment block and that every apartment is identical. His apartment is this tiny little part of this huge block, much like he is one tiny little part of not only the world, but his corporation. 

He explains that he decides to take pictures of his days, but using his specially modified camera that takes pictures automatically. He hangs the camera round his neck so that it takes pictures all day. 

As the film begins, the pace is quite slow with slow editing, but as the film progresses the rate of editing becomes much faster as though the audience knows what is happening and Knight (The Director) is just trying to show us the important parts of the camera flashing. 

Near the end it is revealed to us how mundane and repetitive his life is, showing the same four pictures over four days. The whole concept and ideology within this film is about loneliness and solitude. And it is conveyed through all Shiode's surroundings being white. White being a blank canvas. A canvas for his whole life to start again. 

Textual Analysis - Ashes

Click here to watch 'Ashes' via BBC Film Network. 

Ashes is a ten minute improvised drama about a man who travels to Anfield in order to scatter his father's ashes. It follows the two characters not only on their physical journey, but also the emotional journey as they become closer and closer as father and son. 

Being an improvised drama allows not only the actors to play around with dialogue, but also allows the camera shots and movement to be a bit experimental. It also means that some of the camera shots are filmed in a voyeuristic style as they couldn't give away that they were filming the two actors. It had to seem as though they were two ordinary people. This meant that when the father was asking for directions from the Taxi Driver, there were doors being opened in the way and people were walking across in front of the camera. 

As the short film progresses, the audience begins to feel attached to the two characters and almost as though they are actually father and son. You also feel quite sad for the Father after the son throws the Urn into the Mersey. However, despite this, you get a feeling that perhaps the Father doesn't mind that this has happened. The Father is a Liverpool supporter (the football shirt gives this away) and could suggest that his father was a Liverpool supporter. It suggests that it was agreed that his ashes would be scattered in the place he loves, but not quite in the sense that he was finally left bobbing up and down amongst leaves and various bits of rubbish in the water. 

I think this film is a really effective production, especially being improvised. It seems to have a more realistic flow as opposed to something that has been completely scripted. 

Directors

Many Directors of feature length films came from a background of short film making. Among these is US Director Martin Scorsese and British Film Director Shane Meadows. 

Meadows has been making short films since 1994 over 40 short films. Some of these were promotional music videos, some were documentaries and some were films. He has also directed eight feature length films, his most famous, 'This Is England' winning him the British Independent Film Award 2006. 

Meadows suffered from bullying when he was at school after his father was suspected of killing a child that he discovered something that comes across in some of his films. 

Despite having made it in the feature length films, Meadows continues to create short films as he stated in an interview that he would never forget what got him to where he is, something that some Hollywood Directors originating from short films seem to forget. 

'The Stairwell' Shane Meadows' shortest film lasting 39 seconds and was filmed on a mobile phone. It features two people walking on a staircase, one heading up the other heading down, until the meet by violently bumping into each other.

It is a very simple situation, that happens to everybody. However, Meadows has created huge tension in the build up to the incident and has made the incident more violent than you would think by the huge reaction by the two actors. 

The use of the shots when the two characters are walking up the stairs seem as though the characters are gliding like ghosts, but this may be the way Meadows has attached the camera. It may be on a pedestal or attached to the actor itself. 

This all adds to the tension of not knowing what is going to happen, and the lighting helps to achieve this also.  

As mentioned above, Martin Scorsese started out in the short film area. One of his most famous films, 'The Big Shave' was a six minute film produced in 1967. It features a gentleman shaving away his hair, then his skin in an increasingly bloody and graphic bathroom scene. A number of film critics have interpreted the process of self-mutilation as a metaphor to the "self-destructive involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War," which was prompted by the film's alternative title, 'Viet '67.'  This was considered due to idea that this man is continuing to shave, when it isn't necessary, similar to that of the US being in Vietnam when it wasn't necessary. 

The very graphic dripping of blood into the very white sink can also be linked to the metaphor of the Vietnam War. The blood was staining the sink, but this person continued without even hesitating, whilst people were dying in Vietnam and it didn't seem to bother the US. 

Unlike Shane Meadows, Martin Scorsese didn't return to making short films after his success with feature length films such as 'Taxi Driver' and 'Goodfellas'.

Distribution of Short Films

Short films very rarely have a successful distribution. Unlike that of mainstream, where Production companies rake in the profit during this process. Because short films aren't as popular as mainstream cinemas it can be seen that there isn't much of an audience, and they cannot rely simply on box office and DVD sales. 

There are a number of successful short films that make it onto Compilation DVDs. These feature a number of different short films that have been successful and these are most useful in schools that are studying short films. Very few make it onto a DVD on its own. One such exception was Chris Cunningham's 'Rubber Johnny.' This was a 6 minute film that was distributed by Warp Films in 2005. It was suggested that this was released on its own as it was an accompanying video for the music of Aphex Twin and it seemed that this may help sales of their records. 

Another example is the work of Shane Meadows who has a DVD Compilation of just his work. 

With the technological advancement and convergence, short films are becoming easily accessible via the internet. Sites such as Youtube and BBC Film Network this is a quick process of distribution and it is beneficial to short film makers as it doesn't cost them a lot of money, and their work can be broadcast around the world.

Recently over the Christmas holidays, iTunes had an application called '12 Days of Christmas.' This was free to download from the App Store and each day consisted of the user receiving a free gift. One of these gifts was 'Peter and The Wolf' - a short film that has been distributed to viewers via iTunes and an Application.  

Exhibition of Short Films

The exhibition of short films within cinemas is almost impossible. Nowadays, the most likely places to have your short films exhibited are short film festivals or specialist screenings, and now with the increase in modern technology, on the internet. 

They are now even more ways of broadcasting short films over the internet and to a better level than Youtube. These can include 'Future Shorts' although to view the short films, it transfers you to a Youtube Channel. 

One that is slightly more recognised is BBC Film Network. It is an easy to use platform that allows young aspiring filmmakers to upload their short films and to be able to view other filmmakers videos also. 

It is structured in the same way as BBC iPlayer. It has a simple layout with tabs that are easy to navigate between pages and uses labels and tags to make it easy to find a particular film or genre. 

Production of Short Films

Coffee Films is a British Independent Film Company. It was established in 1996 as a Short Film Collective and Coffee Films incorporated in 2003. Within a year, it was recognised as one of Europe's best young production companies. It later progressed to creating documentaries on wildlife and music and gained critical acclaim for its documentary 'Last of the Scottish Wildcats.'

Over the years, Coffee Films has produced a huge range of different films, experimenting with technique, style, genre and generally the moving image. They range from classic five minute black and white films to hour long documentaries.

These include 'How To Disappear Completely' - an 8 minute DV film following a young photographer who can no longer stand the ugly face of society and turns his back on it. Shot for just £500 "the film they called a waste of time" has won several awards, been called a masterpiece and screened across four continents over the last three years.

Click Here to watch 'How To Disappear Completely'

They are currently producing three more films concentrating on realistic, gritty storylines such as 'Dealer' - a low budget 40 minute Hi-8 black and white/colour short following a week in the life of a young drug dealer living in the south east England commuter belt.

They also work in collaboration with Coffee Shorts. Coffee Shorts is an independent short film production company that was founded in 2003. They have only produced and released 7 short films, but they also showcase other young aspiring filmmakers work.

Development of Short Films

Cinema Extreme is a major UK Short Film funding awards scheme. It was founded in 2002, and is funded by the UK Film Council's New Cinema Fund and Film 4. The project has been managed by The Bureau with the aim "to seek out and develop filmmakers with a distinctive directorial voice and cinematic flair."

Since it's launch in 2002, it has been highly successful and has helped many aspiring filmmakers and directors to create a short film, that has actually helped them get into the film industry. The awards that have been given have ranged from £25,000 - £30,000.

One example of this is Andrea Arnold's short film Wasp catapulted Andrea to direct Red Road which won the Cannes Jury Prize in 2006.

A Clip from Wasp

Red Road Trailer

The Cinema Extreme funding scheme allowed Andrea Arnold to create her short film which has then pushed her into creating a British feature film, which won a number of awards.

Film Festivals

	Encounters	LFFS	RSS
When Did They Start?	1995 – Brief Encounters	2003 – The Halloween Short Film Festival – 2008 LFFS.	1998-Rushes Soho Shorts
When DO They Take Place?	Bristol – November	11 Venues all over London. 8-17 Jan 2010	10 day festival 21st-31st July
What Awards Categories Are there?	International Jury Award South West Jury Award DepicT! Awards Film Club Teenage Jury Award Best British Award UK Film Council Award Cartoon d’Or Nominations Online Audience Award 4mations International Newcomer in Animation Award South West Screen Audience Award Film Club Child Jury Award Animation/Action Nahemi/Kodak prize for Creative Film making Cinematography	UK FILM COUNCIL AWARD for best Film of the Festival, Shooting People Comedy Award, Current TV Documentary Award, East End Film Festival Award, Time Out Award for Best London Film Sci-Fi, London Award for Best Horror Film, Wallflower Press Award for Best Experimental Film	The international category The long form category The documentary category The animation category The best new-comer category Music video category The broadcast design category
How To Enter?	Can be sent via DVD or www.yousendit.com	Unavailable information as festival has just finished	15 pound per film. Submit via uploads or DVD Post
What Kind Of Film Do You Need To Apply	Wide range of genres because the wide range of awards.	Wide range of genres because the wide range of awards.	Wide range of genres because the wide range of awards.
How Big Is The Festival? Sponsorship? Event?	Huge amount of sponsors including big companies etc. that suggests it is big scale.	Over 200 screenings. 6000 tickets sold.	1200 professional & amateur filmmakers 140 films in final selections.

Short Films On TV

In the 1960s and 1970s, Television channels provided only some minority viewer that were scheduled into 'filler' and late night slots. This would give the impression that they were not very important at the time and were only shown when Broadcasters and Channels needed to fill a slot up - where the term 'filler' is given.

However as we moved into the 90s, short films were given more prime time slots one of which was a BBC2 Series called 10x10 which was broadcast in association with the British Film Institute (BFI. This was a new series that showcased only short film. It was a huge leap forward for the showcasing of short film.

In 1993 the BBC launched 'Video Nation.' It was, and still is on the internet, a populist mass observation on the Close-Up straight to camera video diary style short film. This Video Diary style was to give a great influence to the generation of reality TV in 2001.

There are now very few examples of Short Films being shown on TV. However, recently, Virgin 1 has had a Short Film Festival showcasing a competition also. The 21st Century has completelchanged the way short films are showcased. With the increase of interactive media and online video sharing has led to the increase of showing Short films online.

Some examples of these are BBC Film Network and Movieola.

Protest & Free Cinema

Protest and Free Cinema came about in Britain in the 1950s.

Free cinema was a huge step forward in some social characteristics. These productions were black and white documentaries capturing fly on the wall footage. They are seen as the basis of reality TV and documentaries. They followed working class people in Britain, which as mentioned above, was a huge step forward. Up until now, working class people were portrayed as being 'unworthy' and were commonly stereotypes as criminals. The release of 'We Are The Lambeth Boys' by Karl Reisz showed this to be very different and it was huge barrier breaking moment for the divide between classes.

When creating these short films, they usually used hand held 16mm Bolex Cameras using an unpaid crew and experimenting with sound and style. These films were funded by the BFI Experimental Film Fund and concentrated on the working class within the work place and in society.

From a Sociologists point of view, short film, especially Free Cinema, may have been a key event in the change of division of cultures and classes. But little research has been done on the work of short film acting as an agent of social change.

A History of Short Films - Avant Garde/Experimental/Arthouse

Because Hollywood and Mainstream films were so popular, short films could not compete. Because of this it found its own home as a type of art. 

Avant Garde and Experimental films took a strong interest in short films. They take on a range of filmmaking styles that are very different from the practices of mainstream cinema, and they often oppose them. 

An 'experimental film' is often characterised by the absence of linear narrative, the use of various abstracting techniques, such as shots being out of focus, or painting or scratching the film, and the use of non-diegetic sound. 

A famous Director in the Avant Garde and Experimental scene was Maya Deren. She was very prominent in the 40s and 50s. She was not only a filmmaker, but she was also a film theorist. She was also a choreographer and a photographer, which comes across in some of her films.

In the eaarly 40s, Deren bought a 16mm Bolex camera and began filming 'Meshes in the Afternoon.' 

'Meshes in the Afternoon' starts with an arm reaching in from the top of the frame placing a flower on the floor. It is possible that the white flower is a representation of something, possibly purity or happiness, but the next shot we see of the shadow on the floor makes an active audience member think differently. The shadow helps with the tone of the film as you are not quite sure what is going on and keeps the suspense and mystery going.

'Meshes in the Afternoon' was created by Maya Deren and husband at the time Alexander Hammid. They created it with a desire to show a personal film that dealt with devastating psychological problems using influences such as 'Un Chien Andalou.' This is very apparent as the film is quite disturbing using a circular narrative repeating a number of psychologically symbolic images including a key falling, the record player, a mysterious Grim Reaper-like cloaked figure with a mirror as a face. It was originally a silent film with no dialogue or sound, until 1959 when Deren's third husband Teiji Ito added music influenced by Japanese Classical Music. It is occasionally not in sync with the visuals which adds to that slight displacing feeling that the film creates. 

When the key is dropped, the sound effect is very dramatic and adds to the fast paced cuts. It then slows down slightly once she has picked the key back up and goes back to the tempo of cutting that was originally there. 

At about five minutes, the audience can then see where Deren's choreography comes into play with her very graceful dance-like sweep across the floor through the curtains. It is also apparent when she starts moving around on the walls using her very straight posture and her body to portray this psychological problem she may have. 

Using Deren and Hammid's influence of 'Un Chien Andalou' there is one shot very significant that this type of niche viewer would relate between the two. A very distinct shot of her eye closed is also one that appears in 'Un Chien Andalou.'

"One Man Band" - Textual Analysis

Pixar Animation Studios is an American based CGI animation production company that has been creating animated feature length films since 1995 with 'Toy Story.' They are a critically acclaimed studios and have since gone on to make 9 more feature length films including 'A Bug's Life,' 'Cars' & 'WALL-E.'

However, before creating feature length animated films, Pixar Studios started out making short animations starting with 'Luxo Jr.' (which later became Pixar's famous logo) in 1986. It was then released in cinemas with the release of 'Toy Story 2' in 1999.

The short film 'One Man Band' was created in 2006 and had an initial theatrical release with the feature length film 'Cars.'

The first thing you experience before the short starts, besides the ident for Pixar, which has transformed a short film itself called "Luxo Jr.", is the sounds you would hear before a concert starts of the Orchestra warming up their instruments. Although the title tells you that it is about a One Man Band, this sets the viewer up to believe that the title could be ambiguous. This short film has quite a comedic element to it where the music and the sound effects builds you up to the opening of a curtain, behind which stands a single man.

There is no dialogue in this film, much like that of the other Pixar shorts. Unlike "Luxo Jr." this short film is made up of many different shots including a number of WS and CU. It has a sense of 'Cowboy/Western Duel' with the constant battling between the two musicians to get the money off the little girl, where the huge use of shots is used.

The comedic element is displayed throughout the short, despite short films not conforming to a genre. The little girl provides much of this with her taunting of the two men and the way she drops the violin as soon as she sees the bag of money.

This video has been removed from Youtube and cannot be linked to somewhere else.

This film has a strong ideology of conforming to the feature length film style of equilibrium-disequilibrium-equilibrium. Starting with the first man playing for the little girl, turning into disequilibrium all the way from the Violin Jester to the point where the big bag of money gets dropped and the girl is happy because the short has reached its equilibrium again.

A History of Short Films

Short films began in the US in 1910. It was at this time that films were lasting longer and the custom at the time was to show the feature film followed by a short subject. As identified in Short Film Codes & Conventions these short films could be of any genre, ranging from a cartoon to action. At the time, these were not called "short films" but called short subjects. However, they would soon become the first short films.

The earliest of the short subjects were commonly in the genre of comedy. But others had topics that would interest audiences and sustain their attention. However, by the 1930s, the short films were becoming less popular. There were fewer being made and most that were made were produced in-house. It was even possible that these short films were being financed by big film companies. Companies that had the power to force the owners of the short films to sell to the bigger companies. These companies were not only film production companies, but also cinema-chain-owners, or theatre-chain-owners as they were at the time. They would then turn what was a short film into a feature to reap the profits. This was known as block booking. This was then later declared to be illegal by the Supreme Court of the United States.

With the rise of television in the 50s, short films were attended to by independent film makers. However, television programming schedules included broadcasting some old short films or subjects. These were due to the television stations having bought the short films. But, by the 60s, short films had died out.

In the 1980s the term 'short film' was classed as something different to 'short subject.' The 'short subjects' were still defined as the short film that was shown in the earlier history at the end or beginning of films. 'Short Film' on the other hand are "contemporary, non-commercial motion pictures which are shorter than feature films."

Opposed to the restricted genres of short films in the earlier history, they are now very diverse, generally featuring themes that feature films avoid. Unfortunately they have to rely on art exhibitions and festivals in order to be noticed by the public.

Bibliography:

Kamau, R. (2007). A Brief History of Short Films. Available: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/199025/a_brief_history_of_short_films.html?cat=15. Last accessed 13 January 2010.

Short Film Codes & Conventions

A short film can last anything under 50 minutes and will commonly target niche audiences. These audiences will be active viewers in cinema rather than passive. Their narratives are often experimental and use captivating imagery to portray this. Stories can be close to realism and often contain a sense of grittiness. They allow young aspiring actors and directors to show off their talents by being unique and capturing an audience with their different styles. It also allows them to create a piece of work without having the financial difficulties when creating a feature film. Short films can be anything from music videos to video diaries to documentaries.
You will never find one short film that is the same.

Feature Film	Short Film
60-180 minutes	5-50 minutes
High Budget/Production Value	Low Budget/Production Value
Wider target audiences mean bigger profits	Niche audiences mean not so publicised.
Experienced Directors and Actors Unique Selling Points	Young aspiring Directors and Actors
Large crew/cast à usually using “stars”	Small crew/cast à not so well known and cheaper
Mass distribution à Global	Niche distribution à Regional ( could be via Internet)

According to Catherine Des Forges, Director of the Independent Cinema Office, a short film involves: "interesting storytelling, well structured work which draws in the audience quickly."

Gareth Evans explains, "short films are long films that finish earlier. A good idea, told well. Less is more."

Bibliography

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BBC Film Network. (2010). Body. http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p0064xq0. Last accessed 25 February 2010. 

BBC Film Network. (2010). Salaryman 6. http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p004pb5n. Last accessed 4 February 2010.

Coffee Films. Coffee Films. http://www.coffeefilms.com/content.html. Last accessed 5 February 2010. 

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Kamau, R. (2007). A Brief History of Short Films. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article199025/a_brief_history_of_short_films.html?cat=15. Last Accessed 12 January 2010.

Pixar. (2008-2010). Pixar's History. http://www.pixar.com/companyinfo/history/index.html. Last accessed 15 January 2010.

UK Film Council. UK Film Council Short Films. http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/shortfilms. Last accessed 5 February 2010.

Wikipedia. Big Shave, The. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Shave. Last accessed 5 Febraury 2010.

Wikipedia. Cinema Extreme. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_Extreme. Last accessed 5 February 2010.

Wikipedia. Meshes of the Afternoon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meshes_of_the_Afternoon. Last accessed 25 January 2010.

Wikipedia. Maya Deren. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Deren. Last accessed 25 January 2010.

Wikipedia. Shane Meadows. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_Meadows. Last accessed 5 February 2010.

Youtube. 'Lovefield.' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4meeZifCVro. Last accessed 5 February 2010.

Youtube. 'Meshes of the Afternoon.' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPi9i3gfSAM&feature=player_embedded. Last accessed 29 January 2010.

Youtube. 'We Are The Lambeth Boys.' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANb3l-jRfh0. Last accessed 29 January 2010.