Protest and free cinema

Protest and free cinema is a style of filmmaking. A protest to the dominants of the mainstream is the british free cinema of the 1950's. Free cinema had given exposure to a new generation British filmmakers working outside the mainstream, making a virtue their low budgets and their crude equipment. Protest and free cinema filmmakers had shoe string budgets, unpaid crews, and handheld cameras (16 mil bolex cameras, compared to Hollywood who use 52 mm film and standard academy cameras). They had styles and attitude and were funded by the BFI's experimental film fund. They featured working class people at work and in society. It gave a "fly on the wall" effect. For example, "The Lambeth Boys" film studies work that has been done on the role of a short film as a agent of social change.

Short film and Hollywood

As i said in a previous blog, short films were the first films. This was until Hollywood and its studio system made short film disappear out of the limelight. Short film eclipsed by the dominant mode of film production and "the classical narrative". Hollywood invented the "genres", baring in mind short film was a genre in itself. The fact that Hollywood invented the genre meant that there was a more diverse variety of films for people to watch and there was a genre of film that suited everybody.
Cinema exhibitors required Hollywood films to be longer than 90 minutes long. This was to allow each film to have a 2 hour block to allow customers to buy food and drinks and watch the trailers and advertisements before the film actually started. This was clever as of studio system as it gave people going to the cinema a whole new experience, and also gave the chance for the cinema to make more money.
The Hollywood System (it no longer exists) "was a means of film production and distribution dominant in Hollywood from the early 1920's through to the 1950's. The term studio system refers to the practice of large motion picture studios producing movies primarily on their own filmmaking lots with creative personnel under often long-term contract and pursing vertical integration through ownership or effective control of distributors and movie theaters, guaranteeing additional sales of films through manipulative booking techniques".
From the 1930's onwards, short film production became a marginal activity, and this was when Hollywood completely took over and people became more interested in mainstream films.
Currently, Hollywood needs the short film, it no longer follows the studio system, it sees short films as a cut price laboratory for experimentation. It has been known that Hollywood would take narrative ideas from short films (despite completely throwing them out of the limelight many years ago) and make them into feature length films. Hollywood knows that they can take a risk with doing this as short film makers would not have the money nor power to fight against Hollywood and fight for their rights. Where as Hollywood knows that they can risk with minimal financial risk. However, it does not only work out this way and in fact it can turn into studios scouting new filmmakers instead of just stealing their ideas.

Channel 4 inspirations

Each year Channel 4 runs something called "inspiration week". Inspiration week gives young people an all-round view of industry, helping them understand different roles within media. Inspiration week is all about inspiring people by showcasing the skills, experiences and attitudes they need to progress, as well as ways which enables them to focus and strengthen their career prospects. They cover areas such as acting and presenting, journalism, new media, theatre, producing and directing and advertising in the media.
Inspiration weeks aims to attract 14 - 19 year olds that have a strong passion to break into the media industry, combined with raw talent that will make them stand out from everyone else. Inspiration week does not like to set down to many rules and "must haves" as they want to attract a diverse number of people.
You are able to apply and get an open day. The open day can take up to 150 people and it helps them get a taste of what it is like. The open day gives them the opportunity to take part in activities and sit in talks by high level media professionals. There's also one on one careers talks and advice sessions. After attending this open day, young people can then apply for a place in inspiration week through channel 4's careers website.
After plenty of engaging formal and informal learning master classes and workshops, attendess will have gained a real insight into all kinds of roles in the industry and might get some idea of where they could fit in.

REFERENCING http://4talent.channel4.com/4talent-opportunities/inspiration-week/index.shtml

History of Short Films

Shorts films began to make history in the United Stated in 1910. It was the time when films began to have longer edtions. The custom in film making was to include a feature followed by a single or more short subjects. These short subjects could be animated cartoons or live action. These shorts subjects became the first short films but they were not yet called "short films". http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/199025/a_brief_history_of_short_films.html

After the 1930's short films were beginning to fade away from the lime light. There were not as many short films and sometimes the short films were financed by big film companies.

In 1955 it seemed that another short film competitor appeared, television. By the end of the 1960's, short films eventually disappeared.

The first ever short films were typically shorts due to technological restrictions, and short films were the only films available and were what you would see in your local cinema. In 1895 the first ever film was made in France by the Lumiere brothers, La Sortie De I'Usine (workers leaving the factory).

Future Shorts

http://www.futureshorts.com/

Future Shorts is one of the most leading and innovative short film labels. Future Shorts since 2003 has created an expanding network that gives filmmakers the opportunity to have their work seen on the largest theatrical platform worldwide. Future shorts is recognized by filmmakers, the industry and press alike as the cutting-edge short film label. Future shorts is a worldwide film festival as well as a distributor, sale agent, consultancy service and DVD label. At the Future Shorts film festival filmmakers have the chance to get their work seen all over the world just from one submission. Film that are selected to join their monthly program are currently being shown at 15 UK venues. I think that Future Shorts are trying to not only reach audiences but to reach different types of audiences, the fact that they can be shown all over the world ensures this can happen. If you attend an exhibition you will also find that the screening are often accompanied by other multimedia elements such as live music.

Whilst reading more about Future Shorts and i saw that they had links with the mainstream film industry. Future Shorts currently work with companies including Shots, Buena Vista and Studio Artois. Future Shorts get themselves involved in the organization of cinematic events as a way of exposing people to short films in different environments. Apparently, Future Shorts has become a must-attend event at musical festivals such as Glastonbury.

I think that Future Shorts works is passionate about Short Films and they become involved in all the biggest and best events to make short films become increasingly popular and to get people who not only want to get their short films shown but for people who generally want to become more known in the film industry by bigger names.

REFERENCING http://www.futureshorts.com/

Production Companies and Short film

Coffee Shorts - http://www.coffeeshorts.co.uk/drama.html

Coffee shorts is an example of a production company like Silver Films that specializes in short film production. The website holds different section for different types of short. They have dramatic narrative short films, independent music videos, documentary films, short film animations, experimental short films, comedy shorts and trailers.

Pixar Short - http://www.pixar.com/shorts/index.html

Pixar have their own website where they show all of their shorts. As i spoke about in a previous post, Pixar are one of the very few well known short film companies. I was surprised to come across this as although i knew Pixar created their own shorts, i did not know they would have a website dedicated to the shorts.

About A Girl by Geoff Boyle

In this post i am going to do an overall analyses on this short film.

The film about a girl apposes the blockbuster movie "About a boy". This because the film About a boy is almost the complete opposite to what About a girl is about, About a boy ends happily and is focussed around someone happy. However About a girl is grim and ends in a shocking way. The title sequence for this film immediately tells us who the films target audience is, not only the target audience but gives us some idea of who the characters might be. The title sequence apposes a text message and types out "About a girl" in text, and young people use text messaging frequently. Throughout the length of the film it builds upon who she is. For example, throughout the film she is constantly singing a Britney Spears song. The fact that she is singing Britney Spears not only indicates that she dreams of this lavish life style of a pop star and thinks she can sing but also brings out the naivety in her and her youth. I think that she sings the song repetitively is because when she sings its escapism for her and in some way comforts her. The fact that she is a "chav" living on a council estate is made extremely obvious and its emphasized throughout the film by not only the shots of the locations but in the way she dresses. She seems like she has a lot to say but doesn't have a lot to say to her mother, it gives the sense that she feels a lot more comfortable saying her feelings and thoughts out loud, this could be another way of escapism for her and we get the sense that she possibly gets neglected a bit and comes from a broken family. Even more into the film you begin to feel more and more sympathy for her as you then begin to realise that her dads on the doll and is too busy her, another reason she may dream of such a different life style.

Short film VS Feature film

Short film

- they are no more than fifty minutes long (making them a short)

- most short films have an unknown cast, making the film even more less known

- usually one-offs. No sequels

- low budget, not allowing for special effects etc

- short production length

- small marketing, possibly one of the reasons most short films have to find its own way to fame

- short films need to draw in the audience quickly as they don't have much time to do so

- there is usually a subject matter

- thought provoking

- never get shown at mainstream cinemas

Feature film

- usually around one hundred minutes long

- they use a well known cast which usually sells the film, allowing for the film to not be as good quality

- they sometimes have sequels

- complete narratives

- high budget, allowing for well known cast, better locations, special effects etc

- large production length

- they have a big marketing team behind them

As you can see from the main points about feature film and short film you can see they have many comparisons and are almost if not exactly completely different. You may get some short films being shown in the cinema before a feature length comes on. For example, in Pixar films you sometimes get smaller animation films being shown. Although these are short films, they have been produced by large production companies. I think that more short films should be shown at the cinema before feature lengths, i would much rather prefer to see experimental, inspiring shorts made by young film makers than adverts.

About Short film

In defyning a short film is hard as apart from its running time, there are no precise criteria or characteristics that apply to all short films. Short films are a genre of film in themselves defined in its lengh. Unlike mainstream films and other small genre of films such as New Wave, short films have no codes and conventions. They are experimental, low budget, small cost, realistic, grainy and usually hold a message. Documentry, animation, art and experimental film are all types of short films, even videos posted on youtube can be classed as short film. Short film is not a part of mainstream cinema, therefore short films are usually shown in at art galleries, festivals and at exhibitions. Sometimes you might find that some small cinemas show short films but you would rarely if not ever find short films being shown in a big mainstream cinema. Short film-makers have more freedom, and the room for economic freedom leaves room for experimentation and inavation. This is a strengh in short film and is what makes every short film so unique. The fact that short film is so experimental gives the chance young film makers to get their work shown. This is mainly down to the fact that short films CAN have such a low budget, near to nothing, allowing anyone to make a short film.

Bibliography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_film

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_and_Louis_Lumi%C3%A8re

http://www.futureshorts.com/

http://forums.dvdfile.com/standard-definition-software/11391-short-films-famous-
directors.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lynch

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/199025/a_brief_history_of_short_films.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_system

http://4talent.channel4.com/4talent-opportunities/inspiration-week/index.shtml