Research- Short Film Introduction Scenes

I decided that starting by looking at the introduction scenes of a few already existing short films to see the different techniques and methods used throughout them. I didn't really focus on a particular genre of short film and just decided to watch a variety to get an idea of how different types of short film go about introducing their films.

First i watched the science fiction short film Time Trap by Michael Shanks.

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We can see that this short film uses a few techniques to have different effects on the audience. The first shot of the film is a very shaky, fuzzy and hazy blurred shot which we can't really see much of. However it gives us as the audience an almost dizzy and surreal feeling which already emphasizes and tells us that this film is not at all any kind reality. This is effective and interesting as without clearly showing us any kind of image of a scene we already know about the themes and ideas of the film. I think it is important to start a short film with something that will introduce the audience to the kind of themes the film will be presenting throughout it. I think the film maker did this to purposely hit the audience straight away with what this short films ideas are and it allows the film maker to create a sense of being lost so that we can relate to how unknown and strange space is.

The scene then comes into focus where we see a small spaceship fly past and the camera follows it and pans to a large wide shot showing space and planets to set the scene. This was effective as the camera following the spaceship tells us that we will be following this spaceship and/or the people inside it throughout the film. I think this technique is very good as it introduces us to our fist moving thing/ character well and allows the audience to gain some basic understanding of what is going on. The large wide shot of planets is also great for setting the scene after the confusing hazy shot as we keep the confused and dizzy effects from the first shot and are then overwhelmed by the vast size of space which shocks us as viewers into seeing just how large the space and scene is. I believe that the creator did this to straight away make us focus our attention on the ship so that we can recognise it as a main object throughout the rest of the short film. He also used a very colourful space with a lot of the colours bright and sharp which i think Michael Shanks used sprecifically to set a more light hearted theme and instantly tell his audience that this is a comedic short film as well as sci-fi

Then i watched the introduction to Post It another short film by Michael Scott

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The first shot shows a post it note on a bus stop. The shot has lots of bright colors which puts us as the viewer in a happy mood and sets the mood and atmosphere of happy, sad and a more emotional film focused on characters. The first scene instantly introduces us to a character to and shows us clearly what he looks like and how he dresses to allow us to recognize him as the main character. He is also carrying a box with nothing on it and we can't see what is inside. This adds a sense of mystery and hooks the audience straight away. This is extremely important as if you don't establish clear characters and their roles the narrative can become sloppy and confusing which makes the film not enjoyable for the audience. Also hooking the audience straight away is a great way of ensuring viewers are entertained and want to watch more to find out the mysteries. I believe that Michael Scott used this as his first shot to specifically set the audience's mood to be quite happy and carefree so that they are set up for the whole short film

Overall from watching these clips i have seen that some very important techniques of making films that i should include and take into account when creating my own short film such as setting the mood and atmosphere for the film, clearly establishing key characters to develop narrative ans setting the scene of the film well so the audience can understand characters relationships with their environment.