Generic Conventions of Short Films

The history of cinema began with short films which were made before the appearance of feature films. Since then, short films experienced a difficult period surviving along with feature films until the mid 40s when double feature films became popular. In the 1950s short films had found a new place thanks to a rise of television. In the modern era, short films refer to “short subjects” and are made by independent film-makers with abundant themes. . “The furniture” is an Independent Lens Online Shorts Festival winner made by filmmaker Tyler Measom. The short is a “dark comedy” of “a disturbed man who confronts the demons of loneliness and the universal fear of ... furniture”. “In the name of God” is made by Hamed Nobari was selected as one of the Depict!-"The UK's most important short film festival"(The Guardian) 2008 winners. This short film is about a pupil's belief in religion in the Middle East. “The Gravitation” is one of the Depict! 2009 winners made by Michael Lockshin which is about the problems of men in modern society. As well as “The Gravitation”, “The Sleepy Astronaut” is also one of the winners which was made by filmmaker William Westaway. The short film tells a story of a careful and hark-working wife and her lazy husband. Short films can not be classified based on common elements such as iconography (recognisable common images or icons), style( camera angles and editing), setting (locations and time periods), mode of address and characters ( heroes and villains). The short film makers come from different places in the world therefore they have different cultural competencies. Short films are made by independent filmmakers and are low-budget so the production values will be different. For example, low key lighting can be considered a common style but it is caused by the low-budgets, therefore style can not be applied. The significant locations and time periods can also not be found because of different cultural competencies. The filmmakers try to