What is a short film?


What is a Short Film?


A short film is defined by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a film with a running time of 40 minutes or less. From the research I have done the main aspects that differentiate a short film from a feature length film include a shorter runtime, minimal characters (usually a short film will focus more on a concept than characters however if characters are a focus of a short film it will usually just concern a single character) and short films also usually have only a single plotline as opposed to feauture films which can include multiple interwoven plotlines within one film.

Some of the earliest short films date back to the late 19th century and include films we have looked at in class such as 'L'Arrivee d'un train en gare de La Ciotat' which was directed by Auguste and Louis Lumiere. The film was simple and just depicted a train pulling into a station, supposedly the audience jumped out of their seats in fear when the film was first shown however there is reason to doubt this story is true. Regardless of the authenticity of anecdotes about viewings of the film it still remains a very engaging and inspiring piece of cinema history which demonstrates how effective short films can be.

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