Research: Short Films (Narrative)

Much like a trailer, within the first 30 seconds of the film we are introduced to the main characters or at least an event that will have an impact on how the story plays out. With the introduction of this it is common to find lots of close-up and establishing shots to introduce the audience to the characters and to set the scene.

In short film non-linear narrative is commonly used however this typically follows an open narrative and so we find the opening begins in the middle of a scene/the story. It is also the case that short films will raise more questions than answers, particularly with films that last less than 10 minutes. This can be an issue. Since the film I create will be no longer than 5 minutes it's likely that no matter what I do, the film will raise lots of questions. Yet in the most part, the audience should at least be able to understand the concept of my film's plot/ narrative. Flashbacks, is an example of an editing technique that isn't however something usually found in short films, particularly because there isn't enough time to include them. Therefore they are not a convention found as part of a short films' narrative.

Todorov's Narrative Theory (NOT MY OWN IMAGE)

Todorov's Narrative Theory

Tzvetan Todorov developed a narrative theory than he broke down into 5 points. These can be reduced to three simple points: equilibrium, disruption, equilibrium. 

An example of a film to have followed this structure is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

1. The Pevensie children move to their uncle's countryside house and live out their time there (equilibrium)
2. Edward meets The White Witch ( disruption of the equilibrium)
3. The Pevensies discover The White Witch is an antagonist in Narnia and Edward is working with her ( recognition of the disruption)
4. Aslan, Narnians, and the Pevensies come together to defeat The White Witch and her forces in a fight to the death ( an attempt to repair the damage)
5. The White Witch is defeated and the Pevensies reign over Narnia as the new kings and queens ( new equilibrium)

*It's important to note that not all films follow Todorov's narrative theory.

Vladimir Propp's Character Theory

Propp developed a theory identifying that there are 7 main characters which he found in a multitude of films and said could be applied to many others. As an example, I've paired each principle character with the characters from Star Wars.

1. The villain (Darth Vader/ Darth Sidious)
2. The donor (Obi Wan Kenobi)
3. The helper (Hans Solo/ R2-D2 + C-3PO)
4. The princess (Princess Leia)
5. The false hero (Lando Calrissian/ Darth Vader)
6. The dispatcher (Obi Wan Kenobi)
7. The hero (Luke Skywalker)

Syd Field's Three-act Structure

Field outlined a paradigm that most screenplays follow. He said Act 1 comprises of the first quarter of a screenplay. Act 2 comprises the next two quarters of the film and then Act 3 comprises the final quarter of the film. This can be seen below.

(NOT MY OWN IMAGE)