Short Film

Definition - 

A short film is defined as 'an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits'. Short films have been around since the beginning of film making,they used to make short comedy's and they usually came in a series.
Short films are also used a filler for when a program doesn't fit the standard broadcast time.

They are also a small 'snippet' of life. They are often uploaded to YouTube and are considered to be a way for young directors to be noticed.They are also good for promoting the main film - pixar often do short films after the film, for example monsters university has party central, linking to the part of the film where they are in the fraternity house.




Another example is of the film Tangled. After the movie they made a short film linking back to movie and using the same characters to explain a small part of their lives.



There are several codes and conventions of a short film - they usually are under half an hour.
Short films often stick to 2 or 3 characters - sometimes they have more but it is difficult to create a short story and have the audience relate to the characters in such a short space of time. Most include a plot twist or a shocking moment - this keeps the story interesting and draws the audience in. They are often low budget as aspiring director often use short films to put their name in the world.