Finding Out what it is to be a Short Film through ''Thrush'' ( it's as not painful as it sounds)

Before I had started this project I hadnt really seen any short film. To me, a short film was simply something that was maybe shown at the start of a Pixar movie involving an old guy playing chess. That was why when I was asked what a short film actually is, it took me a little by suprise. What officially is a short film?
Well wikipedia's definition was saying simply that it is a film that is roughly 40 minutes or less... after that pearl of wisdom I decided that wasnt really enough. The only way to experience, to find out what makes a short film is to watch one or many. It is kind of like looking for a wikipedia definition of a painting to find out what one is. After some quickfire google'ing I found the bbc film networking site and watched the first short film i could find, which happened to be the ....intruigingly named Thrush.The premise of the film was that one guy's (the directors - Gabriel Bisset-Smith) relationship, from birth to death was covered entirely in photographs. Over the top of the photographs there was some light 'Bassy' music and a commentary from Gabriel. An initially simple idea and to be honest i was really sceptical. By the end I was really mindblown by how impressive it was played out. It generally flows well. The commentary links exceptionally with the photographs and unlike many of the superficial hollywood films of today that are tailored to fit the whims of a traditionalist audience, it wasn't tailored for anyone. It is a personal documentation, a personal slice of life that is shown willingly to the audience from the director. Now it could be said that this means it is not deliberate in how it is played out. That Gabriel Bisset Smith is playing with pictures he had and fitting everything else or that they could be superficial photographs. But it doesnt come close to such superficiality. Instead it is almost as if the photo's are but an example to Gabriel's social commentary on how frail relationships can be and how we all are much too reliant on photographic documentation. The pure volume of photographs used in the film (it has a running time of around 4 minutes and frequently shows 1 or many photo's) is a case for this point.
Thrush has shown me alot about what a short film is can be, so this isnt a definition as such. These films have to be so much cleverer than the average film as they can cover anything, from an entire relationship to a conversation on a bus. They are more of an artform than most films as there is no special effects available to most so a personal response is often the subject and subsequent hook to the film. In a way alot of this doesnt apply to our short film that we are planning but then again a short film can be whatever. Running time, topic, genre filming style (or even if any filming is actually needed!). All of these dont matter. A short film is a response. Short and sweet (sometimes). It doesnt look towards big audiences but rather to speak out not in the loud manner that a hollywood film does.
If you are intrested in seeing Thrush or any other short films either press thrush for the page or have alook at http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films