Why Conflict is Good in Short Films

 Why Conflict is Good in Short Films

I believe that conflict is good in films to grab the audiences attention and make any short film more appealing to the eye. Some evidence to back my point up is from a girl called Kelsey Ruger, Ruger states in her blog post called ‘Why Your Stories Should Always Contain Conflict’: 

“When you add tension to a story, you give the audience something to care about, and you get them asking questions. The tension should be the force that moves your main character(s) to change.” (Ruger, s.d). I fully agree with Ruger’s statement here as conflict helps the main characters change which is what helps characters move in their separate arcs. What I mean by this is it helps them be able to move on in the story, making the audience know the characters in more depth. 

Also, another thing to point out that conflict can challenge the storyline to make it more stronger and interesting. The evidence I have to back up this point is from Ruger from which she stated in the exact same blog post was: “In a business setting, your story should have a moral. Even if you can easily communicate that moral, what’s the point of using a story if there is no challenge? Challenges are what shapes the character. Challenges also shape the audience because they keep the audience locked into your story. They provide the motive, intention or desire that moves the characters journey forward.  They help demonstrate that there is always an inherent conflict between the character’s true self and some other force.” (Ruger, s.d)

Also, I would like to mention, that Ruger mentions in the blog post too, that every story has to come to a resolution. Like what Ruger said in the red part of the quote above, “Challenges also shape the audience because they keep the audience locked into your story.” (Ruger, s.d) , if conflict did not happen in stories and short films then the audience would not be as interested and would be easily distracted but that wouldn’t be the case if conflict was added into the story. 

According to a Masterclass article written by Neil Gaiman, he states that a reason to create conflict in stories is to provide purpose, explaining that:

“By establishing the conflict in the beginning and resolving the conflict by the end of the story, you give your story direction, motion, and purpose. Without it, a story would drift along with no beginning, middle, or end.” (Gaiman, 2020)

This also proves and backs up Rugers quote saying “what’s the point of using a story if there is no challenge?” (Ruger, s.d). Another reason that Gaiman says to create conflict in stories is to help character development, establishing that:

“When a character goes up against an opposing force, their actions and emotions reveal their character traits. This creates compelling characters that are multi-dimensional and more relatable to the reader.” (Gaiman, 2020)

By creating a more relatable character in your story, the audience will most likely pay attention to the story as it could be relatable to their lives, which would make them interested to see how the characters story plays out.

Bibliography:

Gaiman, Neil (2020) How to Write Compelling Conflict: Create Conflict in Stories. At: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-compelling-conflict#what-is-conflict (Accessed on 17.11.20)

Ruger, Kelsey (s.d) Why Your Stories Should Always Contain Conflict. At: https://www.kenziecreative.com/why-your-stories-should-always-contain-conflict/ (Accessed on 17.11.20)