Genre In Short Film

Genre In Short Film

Genre in Short Film

s a media form, short film is perhaps the most elusive and diverse of all. Though it would be fair to categorize the majority of short films as alternatives and/or independent to mainstream film, due to their nature, many would slip through the gaps that this sparse definition leaves behind. Pixar’s famous pre-feature shorts for example show how short film can be prominent in mainstream, corporation run media also. Attempting to define short film’s generic characteristics in a logically closed manner would be nonsensical, it must be understood that the short-film genre contains inner paradoxes. Though short film production provides a fantastic opportunity for directors to flesh out their artistic visions, defying conventional linear narratives, filmic camera-work and mainstream ideologies and ideals, they can also act as technical ‘calling-cards’ for young/ ‘up-and-coming’ directors who wish to showcase their technical skills as well as their audience-targeting abilities. The digital and internet age has also opened a new window of opportunity for the short-film, amateur directors (thanks to increasingly inexpensive filming apparatus and free-distribution platforms such as Youtube) can get their films made and seen by a potential audience of billions. Companies such as Future Shorts are helpful in getting short films seen while ‘creating a culture around the medium’ . In an attempt to cover a reasonable span of the short-film form, I will look at the influential role of French New Wave Cinema on the short-films of today, as well as a closer analysis of three modern texts, two professional and one amateur. One aspect that is integral to a great amount short film is the role of themes in giving the text a central message. This message is diverse in its nature from film to film, though often pertains to a moral, political, social issue or a comment on the human-condition. Parker   emphasises the importance of theme in the...