Money Box (2014) Drama
One of the conventions in this short film is character. This convention is presented as there is one main character throughout the whole film. Also, there is minimal background about the character, only the fact that he is putting money in a machine, expecting more money in return. The director used this convention for this film as the audience would find it more easier to follow the narrative through one character.
Another convention would be Twist. This would be through how the main character doesn't get the money that he expected in return, considering the fact that whenever he put the money in the machine, it would withdraw more money than he originally inserted. The twist is conveyed as a power cut ruins his chances of getting the money back. The use of this convention would make the audience surprised and shocked as the man was doing well in terms of getting a lot of money originally and they would have expected the same process to occur with the same outcome.
One other convention included in the short film is storyline. This convention is displayed as the narrative follows a man inserting money into the vending machine and it would withdraw double the amount that was originally put in. The man is using a vending machine throughout the short film, which would connote that the storyline relates to money. This would impact the audience as it would allow the audience to follow the narrative easier. Also, the audience members may be able to relate to this film as they may have been in a situation in which involves putting money in a machine and getting more that what was put in when it withdraws money.
Budget would be another convention in this short film. This would be through how there are limited objects in the film. There is a vending machine used which was significant as the main character uses this object to put money in. There is cash used in the film, which was used to pay for the object at first, but then withdrawn. The budget had an effect on the film as it was filmed in one location with only a few items. This would impact the audience as they could emphasize a bit more with the characters through the objects that they would use to achieve something, in which this case, the man would want to achieve getting more money.
Sound is a convention that is conveyed in the ident. This would be how the main character doesn't speak in the film. The sound of the background is heard, which would be cars driving by. Played at 1:17, there is the sound of the machine used as it would be a way to present that the machine is working. This would impact the audience as they would have to use the sound of the machine to get an idea of what is happening, which would be the sound of the machine withdrawing money to convey that the main character is taking money out of the machine.
Ambush (2007) Action
A convention that is conveyed in this short film is genre. This convention is shown in the film as there is a car chase that occur in the film, which would let the audience know that it is an action film. Also, the main character, the hero, aims to make sure that the businessman in his car is safe, which is similar to other action films in which a character would have a main objective. This would have an impact on the audience as they may have been in a situation where they have been wanted by someone. Also, this would engage the audience as the main action scene would have them wondering what will happen next.
Another convention in this short film is characters. This would be through how the characters in the film are clearly labelled and presented, with the taxi driver being the main protagonist. The antagonist are presented clearly as they are in a van holding guns and aiming at the protagonist, which would present them as powerful criminals. There is a not a lot of background information on the guy driving the car, which would make the audience wonder at first if he would help the guy who is being targeted. The use of this convention would engage the audience as they would want to know why the victim is being targeted.
Duration would be another convention in the film. This would be through how the film is less than 35 minutes, which would be different to a full length film that would be an hour or more. Also, this would give an idea to the audience that the main protagonist would be able to succeed in achieving his objective, which is to make sure that the victim is safe. The director chose to do this to engage the audience as the main character is being chased by a group of armed criminals.
Another convention would be storyline. The plot follows a man escorting an elderly man to a location, but then is confronted by a van full of armed men and is informed that the old man has stolen a large amount of diamonds. There is a clear part where conflict is about to occur, which is presented a 1:57, where the driver goes full speed to get away from the antagonist. The director has effectively used this storyline to engage the audience, through the idea that the protagonist would go against the antagonist orders, therefore resulting in a car chase. Also, the idea of having a storyline which involves criminals attempting to retrieve highly priced objects can be relatable in real life as people would commit crime that relates to money.
Twist is another convention that is presented in this film. This is shown when the elderly man reveals that he didn't swallow the diamonds. This was a twist as it was believed that the man had swallowed diamonds, only to reach the end of the film when he laughed off the driver's question about if it was true about him swallowing the diamonds, which revealed that he made it up. The use of this convention would make the audience shocked as the idea of them believing that he had swallowed them would have feared for the elderly man's safety.
The Present (2016) Animation
One convention that is presented in the ident is duration. The film lasts for 4 minutes and 18 seconds, which is a huge difference to the duration of a full length film which would be around an hour, especially if its an animation. This would surprise the audience as they would be used to watching animations that are longer than this one.
One other convention that is included in the film is the genre. The main part of this fitting in this genre would be the graphics of the film. The film also uses anticipation, which is conveyed when the main character opens the box slowly. This would engage the audience as they would want to know what is in the box.
Character is another convention in the short film. There are a total of three characters presented in the film, with two of them being the main ones. There is no background given about the characters, however, the boy playing games would give the idea of his gaming interest. Also, the dog would be portrayed as a friendly dog, considering how he wants to play with its owner. The director would want the audience to be pleased as the boy has a new pet. Also, the two main characters are revealed to be amputated, which would allow the audience to emphasise with them.
This short film uses a storyline as a convention. This is due to how the film follows a basic plot of a boy getting a new dog. This storyline would benefit the audience being able to follow the narrative more easier. The film presents the main character being unbothered by the presence of the dog. The idea of this would allow the audience to empathize or relate as the boy is distracted by his game so much that he doesn't care about anything else.
Twist is another convention in this film. The twist is presented at the end when the boy stands up with crutches, which is due to his amputated leg. The use of this convention would make the audience shocked, as they would not have expected to see him with one leg, considering the way he way he was sitting down.
