Codes and Conventions of short films

Just like feature length films, short films also have many conventions. These are quite similar to those of a feature film. The main convention would be that short films only tend to have one or two main characters. This is because there is not enough time to introduce a whole cast, meaning it would become too busy and confusing having lots of characters. The storylines are often very simple and can be anything from simple everyday tasks (bus journey, shopping) to a story about friendship or an adventure. The majority of short films include a soundtrack or sound effects rather than dialogue. Again, in a short film, there would only be a limited amount of dialogue which is why producers find that music illustrates the film better. By having no dialogue, it means that many short films are and can be shown in different countries as they can be understood by everyone. The most conventional genre of a short film would be comedy as it is very easy to make a short film funny, as you would not need to worry about filling out space, or having a strong story behind it. Other genres are also used such as romance, however most short films do tend to have some sort of comical element to them. Some short films are also produced to show social messages such as the high way code (Stop, Look, Listen). Short films last anything up to 5 minutes long.