Research

Medium (short film / music video / documentary etc.) What is it?

For my project, we will be creating a short film. We find that short films give us such a wide
range of ideas that we can produce. I enjoy creating short films because it allows me to think
up my own reality and produce it into a final product.

A short film is the same as a feature length film but instead of being 1 hour+ it can range between 5
minutes to 40 minutes. Also the content of a short film is the same except the story is condensed a
lot more.

A short film needs less funding than a feature film as the quality and audience levels are a lot less
than a normal feature film.

A short film can be better for people who does not have much experience because it allows you to
explore the way of filming.

Many people watch short films as a short pass time that can be found on all platforms of social
media and online websites.

The downside to making a short film is that its unlikely to make any profit as it is not going to be in a
cinema therefore there will be no ticket sale revenue. The short story will likely be published online
so the world can access it.

Examples of Short Films:

- Cold - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-vZuzWwdFQ
They say people in Toronto just don't smile at each other. Yet, in a city notorious for being
cold to strangers, several lives intersect one night, oblivious to the loneliness that connects
them all.

COLD is a bitter-sweet ode to Toronto, the city that brings us all together, yet somehow
manages to keep us distant.

- NOMINATED for 5 TARA Awards.

- WINNER of Ryerson University's 2013 President's Award of Excellence.

- I Heard It Toohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WOYI7lVbXQ

Based on the two sentence horror story;

A girl heard her mom yell her name from downstairs, so she got up and started to head down. As she
got to the stairs, her mom pulled her into her room and said "I heard that, too."

This film won no awards yet I still find this production to be of really good quality
References

- NA. (2017).

Short Film vs. Feature Length Films.

Available: http://www.sheffieldav.com/education/short-films-vs-feature-length-films.

- NA. Published on 30 Sep 2013

Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-vZuzWwdFQ

Sears, M (2014)
- Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WOYI7lVbXQ

Genre the conventions of your chosen genre along with two examples

Horror films go back as far as the onset of films themselves, over a 100 years ago. From our earliest
days, we use our vivid imaginations to see ghosts in shadowy shapes, to be emotionally connected
to the unknown and to fear things that are improbable. Watching a horror film gives an opening into
that scary world, into an outlet for the essence of fear itself, without actually being in danger. Weird
as it sounds, there's a very real thrill and fun factor in being scared or watching disturbing, horrific
images.

Horror films, when done well and with less reliance on horrifying special effects, can be extremely
potent film forms, tapping into our dream states and the horror of the irrational and unknown, and
the horror within man himself. (The best horror films only imply or suggest the horror in subtle ways,
rather than blatantly displaying it, i.e., Val Lewton's horror films.) In horror films, the irrational forces
of chaos or horror invariably need to be defeated, and often these films end with a return to
normalcy and victory over the monstrous.

Of necessity, the earliest horror films were Gothic in style - meaning that they were usually set in
spooky old mansions, castles, or fog-shrouded, dark and shadowy locales. Their main characters
have included "unknown," human, supernatural or grotesque creatures, ranging from vampires,
demented madmen, devils, unfriendly ghosts, monsters, mad scientists, "Frankensteins,"
"Jekyll/Hyde" dualities (good against evil), demons, zombies, evil spirits, arch fiends, Satanic villains,
the "possessed," werewolves and freaks to even the unseen, diabolical presence of evil.

One of the first ever forror films created was Nosferatu (1922). Nosferatu is a classic 1922 German
Expressionist horror film, directed by F. W. Murnau, starring Max Schreck as the vampire Count
Orlok. The film, shot in 1921 and released in 1922, was an unauthorized
adaptation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula", with names and other details
changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel (for
instance, "vampire" became "Nosferatu" and "Count Dracula" became
"Count Orlok").

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC6jFoYm3xs

Dirks,T. (Unkown). Horror films. Available: http://www.filmsite.org/horrorfilms.html.

Last accessed 12th June 2017.
Artists / professionals within the chosen medium who you admire

Tim Burton (Walt Disney Productions) - Vincent (1982)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxQcBKUPm8o

I Love this short by Burton because not only his art style is impeccable but the content of the story is
amazing. The story is about a character called Vincent, he dreams of being like actor Vincent Price,
and loses himself in macabre daydreams.

Awards: Ottawa International Animation Festival 1984

Won
Audience Tim Burton
Award

NA. (-). Vincent. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084868/combined. Last

accessed 12th June 2017.

The Big Shave Martin Scorsese- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otxlzSMcBTo

Year: 1967. In this excellent, if uncomfortable watch, a man brutally cuts himself in the process of
shaving. Its an early demonstration of Scorseses reluctance to soften violence for the sake of the
viewer.

This short won the Prix de l'Age d'Or in 1967

NA. (-). The Big Shave. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061402/combined. Last

accessed 12th June 2017.

Target Audience

After doing research and surveys, I found that the target audience for a short
horror film would be both males and females between the ages of 16- 25. This
30% 70%
would be because young adults have more of an attraction towards horror and
thriller themes. This is due to higher levels of energy and adrenaline in younger
people therefore they enjoy the feeling of fear more.

Ages 16-25
Platforms

I believe that the best places to release our short film would be on Facebook, YouTube and Netflix.
The majority of our target audience use all three of these online platforms so therefore it will be
very easily accessible to everyone intended.

After doing a survey, 100% of replies said at least one of these three platforms for our target
audience meaning that these would be the most ideal locations to discover our work.

PLATFORM
Netflix
10%

Facebook
20%

YouTube
70%