Researching and Analysing Short Films

In short films all scenes play a significant role to set the tone of the narrative. The limited length of the film relies on the scenes to touch upon important themes and elements, as well as apply various techniques in order to keep the audience connected and intrigued to the story.

Paperman (John Kahrs, 2012):

Paperman is an animated short film featuring a black and white aesthetic and a timeless romantic comedy narrative.

The short film depicts a conventional love story where a young man experiences love at first sight and spends the majority of the film searching for the young woman he encountered. Moreover, the storyline uses enigma codes - slowly revealing the narrative and ending of the film - to keep the audience entertained throughout. 

Locations:

The short film being set in mid-twentieth century New York city makes use of four different locations. This makes it easy for the audience to keep track of the narrative and is conventional for a short film. Overall, the locations are natural, depicting typical day-to-day settings - such as a train station or an office - which the audience can relate to. 

Camera work:

Throughout the narrative the camera work follows suitable shots for the genre being portrayed. For example, the protagonist and young woman are introduced from the start; the audience connects to both characters through medium close-up and point-of-view shots - which reveal body language while being accompanied with non-diegetic music. This introduction allows for the storyline to begin and flow from the start.

Style and editing:

The narrative is depicted in black and white from start to finish and includes no dialogue. This stylistic choice can be said to support the style of the production as the narrative is set in the 1940s, as well as create a more emotive tone - requiring an active audience who will focus on the characters and pay close attention to the story. 

The romantic comedy is chronological throughout as a story is being told. Additionally, the short film makes use of simple cuts, which are easy to follow as they are a natural and fast way to transition from one scene to the next in short films. The pace, slowing down during the conflict of the film, also makes the narrative simple to take in and reflects the protagonists' struggles to find the young woman. Lastly, the use of foley enhances realism and the connection the audience feels to the narrative. 

Best Man (Freddie Hall, 2016):

Best Man is a comedy short film set in a diner, with two friends having a casual brunch. Donald, a newly engaged young man, reveals to his best-friend Patrick his previous day's events and how he agreed to marry his girlfriend in order to avoid embarrassment.

The narrative takes a turn for the dark when Donald requests Patrick to not only be his best man, but to also be his alibi when planning to kill his girlfriend. This is enhanced through the use of camera work - such as over-the-shoulder shots - and the dialogue being conveyed in a whisper, along with a combination of facial expressions.  

However, once Jean - Donald's girlfriend - joins the two at the table, both the audience and Patrick find out that this was all a test to see if Patrick is "best man material". The couple is seen acting completely perfectly, while the best man holds an expression of horror and shock - which is depicted through a medium close-up shot with a blurred background.

Throughout all four minutes, the film is shot with a one constant scene at the diner - reflecting the short aspect of the narrative and the importance of a good plot to keep the audience entertained. Additionally, humorous music is introduced at the end of the film, which is fitting for the theme conveyed and reveals the ending title scene. 

Overall, both short films reflect the themes they are conveying while moving the narrative along and revealing the ending in a natural pace. They depict a clear focus and are economical with their storytelling, utilising between one and four locations and very few characters. I aspire to do the same thing in order to create natural scenes and connect the audience to the characters introduced.