Felix Aird's Blog

The Arrival  In this moment from 'The Arrival', the cinematography leans heavily into a shadow and minimal lighting to create a heavy, dark and uncertain atmosphere. The use of chiaroscuro is intimate, such as the nature of her thoughts that she is sharing with us, yet unsettling, as she is scared about what he will think, and this moment highlights how our biggest decisions stem from the questions which scare us the most.  Narratively, the short builds its structure around a slow and an emotionally unravelling story rather than a traditional cause and effect plot. The story follows the train of thought of a woman, contemplating why she is thinking about aborting a foetus. This form of narrative thinking-like structure helps the viewer to really connect with the girl.  3/5

  Tight Jeans In 'Tight Jeans', the use of long, uninterrupted takes brings a striking sense of authenticity to the boys' conversation. By allowing the camera to simply sit with them as they chat, the film captures the natural rhythms of real speech (pauses, overlaps, sudden bursts of laughter). It feels less like a scripted film and more like we’re eavesdropping on a real conversation between friends. There’s not much editing at all, or dramatic camera moves but just three men on a wall, talking. It reflects the everyday realism of growing up in a London estate, where the most meaningful yet random talks, often happen in the most ordinary places. A lack of editing, and long takes make us feel more connected to the characters' conversation.  The film's structure follows the typical structure of a conversation, with a response to a stimulus, such as a man with skinny jeans walking by, and shifts and drifts from the original topic, with the occasional sprinkle of some...