Olivia
Narrative Structure
All stories have the basic structure of :
Orientation,Complicating action and Resolution
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Orientation- This helps the audience figure out 'who,what, when and where?' by establishing the setting and also introducing the characters. This is done through the environment,lighting,props,dialogue and clothing (appearance).
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Complicating action- This is when a significant event happens to usually the main character and may affect the minor character(s) around them. It normally happens before the climax as it creates suspense and intrigue for the audience.
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Resolution- This is when the complicating action is resolved, though it may have consequences for the protagonist which will either affect them in a good or bad way.
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Orientation
Complicating action
Climax
Resolution
Other key necessities :
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Keep the story simple- A short film is 'short' for a reason as the majority of them are all under 15 minutes, this gives them enough time to create a new world, establish a setting, have a complicating action, evaluate it and for it to be resolved. Due to our time limit being five minutes we need to establish the narrative structure quickly therefore we will have to have a relatively simple story line that will be understood by the audience but also create an air of mystery.
Conflicting action - The complicating action should not be to detailed but also not b to simple as we are creating a thriller/action short film so their needs to be intrigue and an exciting storyline. Also there should be a development between the protagonist and the antagonist, to create a climax, then resolution
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Self-contained- A short film is self contained and follows a narrative arc, something bad should happen to the character they either need to fix it or fail trying to.
Genres of short films
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Romance- Some short films focus on emotion, the audience following the characters journey of love between any couple. Also companies have a lot of films centred around same sex relationships as they are not as publicised in mainstream films also focusing on the LGBT community and issued that are raised.
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Dark Comedy/Comedy- This is usually a light hearted drama which introduces dark humour to entertain the audience.
Action/Adventure- This provides escapism for the audience but also excites them as scenes are full of :Fight scenes,stunts and fast paced editing that will keep the audience on the edge of their seat and hold their attention for the whole duration of the film.
Drama- A drama is a popular choice for short films as it is a genre that most people find interesting as they are gripping from the start and also add a lot of intrigue. They are often about a real life situation based on real life people so the audience will be able to relate and develop an attachment to the character(s).
Horror- This is also popular for those who love to scare their audience and create a tense atmosphere by using jump scares and makeup on their characters to make the film more believable. The use of editing also adds suspense.