When it comes to Short Film, though there is a smaller time frame to work with, making certain themes and genres harder to tackle, initially there is no genre or theme that is off limits if they are approached the right way, with the right techniques and the right audience in mind. The brief for this coursework has asked the group to find some kind of way to explore issues and/or themes pertinent to British Identity therefore choosing a genre with themes that can incorporate "Britishness" is vital in order for the short film to be successful. In order for the short film to be a complete success my group and I must research existing films and try choose a genre that can tackle British Identity which will hopefully give room to incorporate British themes.
To begin with, researching genres was the first step as though there are many different genres which are available in the film world, the way to incorporate themes into a film is by choosing the right genre for example if the group were to tackle the theme of families in Britain it would not work in a horror genre but rather a drama or reality based genre. The short film "Virus" by Simon Hynd was analysed and seen to be a psychological thriller: this is an extremely hard genre and sub-genre to complete successfully as usually these types of films need enough time frame to build suspense and tension and have peak points. However Hynd did this beautifully and creatively meaning that if my group were to choose this particular thriller sub-genre my group and I would have to be extremely creative and use as many techniques as possible to create enough suspense and tension in a short time frame.
Another film researched was "Sign Language" by Oscar Sharp which is a British Mockumenatary. This means that it was specifically made with kinetic camera work and the conventions of a documentary but it is only mimicing a documentary. A genre like this would be ideal when it comes to feauturing Britishness as British Films are well known for their gritty, kinetic camera work type films which a mockumentary would help achieve.
Moving on, when looking at the short film "Gravity" by Colin Hutton it is seen to be a realist drama which is an exquisite British film that tackles typical British themes such as youths, gun crime, peer pressure etc. This short film had the typical British Film conventions: gritty, dark, real. It was extremely effective and clearly emphasized the Britishness therefore this genre would also be a good option for my group and I.
The one thing that struck me when researching short films was that there is only a small number of horror short films. It is easy to explain why this is as it would be hard to create the right suspense and peak moments in such a short period of time however if done correctly could be done. Therefore it would be an idea for my group and I to try a challenge and something different by having a horror genre and seeing whether we can achieve it.
Themes. All films, be it mainstream or short are focused on themes; it helps build the storyline, helps choose certain characters and scores etc. When watching the short film "Cherries" by Tom Harper the themes were seen to be deliquent youths, fights, bullying, war, and authoritarian government. These themes were tackled with a Britishness as a focus on youths and the education system in Britain are important issues that many British films try to tackle. Therfore it might be an idea for my group and I to try tackle the theme of youths in Britain and what comes with that.
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