Research

To get some ideas for my short film, I decided to watch a variety of short films from websites to see what conventions are used in short films, for example, storylines, shots, dialogue.
I watched films from the BBC Film Network website, Film 4's short films website and ShortFilms.com.
The films I watched were :

Dogs Mercury - a film about a variety of people living in the same town who are trying to understand the world and its complexities, whilst trying to come to terms with the evil in the world.
It included a lot of implicit actions, without speech, to make the viewer think, and the narrator was a young girl, who communicated directly with the audience (fourth wall). by looking straight into the camera  The film was designed to make an impression on the viewer by unnerving them and making them think, which was a common occurence in many of the short films I watched.

Honeymoon - About a woman who realises she doesn't know her husband that well whilst on their way to leave for their honeymoon. This demonstrated the importance of setting to me. The fact that she had already married her husband, and was bound for their honeymoon, implied a trapped sense, and again, the film made the viewer uncomfortable which, in turn, added to its appeal, as the sinister and ominous nature of it, kept the viewer watching.

Five Miles Out - This was about a girl who's mother is ill, and is sent away to the coast. It deals with abandonment issues, isolation, growing up, and the resent the girl feels for each of the issues. It became apparent that a lot of short films tend not to have an awful lot of speech, choosing to be more implicit, to get the audience thinking and to make them feel more involved.

Red - We watched this in class, and it detailed a man's murder and the realisation and feelings he experiences when he finds out he has been murdered in a forest. There is no speech in the film, which works well with the silence in the forest. The implications and lack of speech is effective as the film relies on expression, movement and viewer interaction. It is a tricky balance, as the film has to remain interesting despite the lack of speech, but this film manages it. Also, it uses a lot of close ups, so the subjects expression and movement is clearer for the viewer.