What makes a good short film?

In the film industry, acceptance and rejection of films is unpredictable. What one individual may not like, another may find exciting. Because of this there isn't many guidelines on what to include in a film, especially short films. After doing some research we found that major elements that tended to lead to the success of a short film included elements such as a:
- Clear beginning, middle and end
- Strong theme
- Few characters with clear goals
- Strong, clear script
- Strong beginning

We were able to find this information from websites such as the BBC Film Network, which provided a guide for short-film makers (http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/guide/introduction/what-makes-a-good-short), the Filmlot (http://www.thefilmlot.com/articles/ARTsuccessfulshort.php) and Helen Caldwell's notes from Edinburgh's screenwriters meeting (http://helencaldwell.wordpress.com/2009/09/19/what-makes-a-good-short-film/) 

After doing this research, we created a Prezi on key elements that make a short film successful. 

What makes a good short film? on Prezi
(http://prezi.com/r1utcu4mujfv/what-makes-a-good-short-film/)

Because we want to make sure our short film turns out to be successful, we combined the research we found and applied it to our plans for our short film. From using the research we are now aware of the mistakes made by short film makers and are much more cautious about making these mistakes also and therefore have planned to include: a strong narrative, relatable characters and original ideas. This research into key elements that makes a short film successful has extremely benefited us and we plan to take the guides found, and our Prezi into consideration when planning our film, in hope of it been a "shorts" success.