Short films are often viewed as cheap, meaningless movies designed to entertain viewers between ad breaks. However, short films are often more than just a concise form of expression, and can often convey important messages through movie plots not fit for feature length films, allow greater flexibility and creativity in film genre and style, pass around many boundaries restricted by feature films such as cost and crew and undoubtedly carry an important moral or message.
Feature films often require dedicated producers and well-known actors, neither of which can be acquired by film students. A successful short film can often increase the reputation of an aspiring film writer or director. For example, Tim Burton's first film was "Vincent", a 6 minute animated short which received much attention and is a component of his widespread success. This simple film only cost $60,000 to produce, but had a deep and meaningful message; obsession and overactive imagination can often be disastrous.
Many well-known short stories or poems simply do not have a plot complex enough to be made into a feature film. The most suitable alternative to filling the story with meaningless plot devices is to simply produce a short story based on it. For example, Vincent was composed from a poem written by Tim Burton. It outlined the life of Vincent Malloy, a young boy who idolized Vincent Price, the famous horror movie actor. The poem itself put forward an important message, however one that would not be suitably adapted to a full 90 minute film comfortably with the story line.
The man without a head is a portrays the main character as a man who literally has no head, however, retains the ability to talk. The head is symbolistic for class, power, money, looks and any other superficial characteristic in our world. The symbolism of this character would not be as easily achieved if it were to be sustained throughout a full length movie mainly due to the story being too simple. Short films allow directors to express themselves in ways not possible in feature length films.
The cinematic devices used in a short film have equal relevance to those used in feature films, as illustrated by the non-diagetic descending music in "The man without a head" which symbolizes the main characters descent into his depression or feelings of inadequacy. In addition to this, the bleak industrial landscape in this short film juxtaposes the passion of the main character and also establishes the setting. Throughout the film there are devices used such as the red scarf also used to symbolize passion (derived from the colour of the scarf) and, the aforementioned and most prominent device, the lack of a head.
Juan Solanas, the director of "The man without a head", has directed and produced several other films, all which have recurring issues such as love and the struggle against the modern world. Tim Burton, the director of "Vincent", has also directed and produced a multitude of films, which also have recurring recurring issues, almost all containing gothic themes. A short film is not only a quick and cheap production, it can also set the style of the director, which is evident in the above examples.
Reality is frequently disregarded and is often not required in order to create an effective short film. For example, the man without a head disregards reality and overcomes it by simply ignoring the fact that a head is required to talk and instead presents all emotion through body language. "Vincent" flashes back and forth through the reality and the reality created by Vincent Malloy.
In conclusion, the only true restriction in short films is time, as established by the previous points. "Vincent" and "The man without a head" are both prominent examples of this, through both filmic devices and plot.
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