Short Films (research)

Narrative structure

• Non - linear narrative, flashbacks are common in short films as they are an easy way to show a important part of the story quickly. In 'Double Take' - Toa Stappard uses this narrative technique to show a the main characters past in less than a minute, through video footage on a digital camcorder in the diegeses of the short film of his earlier crimes.
• Linear narrative structures are a simple way to tell a short story because they tell the story in 'real-time' as you see it. 'Sold' - Nadia Attia shows how effective this structure can be, it is a simple story of a character with ambitions, filmed in real time. The main character is woken up by his door bell, goes to answer his female neighbour is at the door wanting to borrow kitchen utensils, he sends her away, watches the shopping channel has an epiphany and purchases some utensils. This short film also uses a Circular narrative as everything returns to normal/how the story began.
  
• Short films can also have a 'Three part structure' which has a beginning, middle and end but Short films don't have to have a beginning , middle and end the can have none of the above. 'Gravity'- Colin Hutton used an equilibrium of a child on a swing swinging happily, a disequilibrium of some teenagers playing with a gun and on of of them shooting it and finally a new equilibrium on the same child on the swing still swinging but motionless and dead.
• Open ended: Cliffhanger endings are also common in short film as they do not all need to have a narrative closure as they are so short.

• Multi-stranded narratives are also common as there may be two contrasts that make the story. 'Double take' - Toa Stappard uses a multi-stranded narrative of Crime & Justice which gave the story an edge with a Thief and Vigilante the multi-stranded narrative was needed to make the story.

Christopher