The Arrival (2016) was written and directed by Daniel Montanarini and stars Emily Barber. The film is in told in the form of a dramatic monologue and follows a young woman who has become pregnant after having sex with a man she barely knew, and is in a café waiting to tell the man that she is planning to have an abortion.
The Arrival from Zen Design Studio on Vimeo.
Similar to many of the other set films, I liked The Arrival for its simplicity, both in terms of micro-elements and its character arc. The film is show in one take, which is very effective but also isn't overly 'showy', and some of my classmates who I spoke to after the film hadn't even noticed that it was a single take. The film has some nice subtleties, such as the line at the end where the character asks for a decaf coffee, and left me feeling uplifted, which many short films don't (not to say that there's anything wrong with more cynical short films). There is also an interesting moment near the end where it looks as though the room she's in is a train going into a tunnel, which acts as a nice metaphor for her inner-conflict. I think that the film was wise to focus on the character before meeting with her unborn baby's father rather than during the meeting with him, which seems like it would be the obvious choice.
In terms of my own coursework, I don't imagine that I will be making a film which is similar in terms of genre or style, but the main thing which I've taken away is that simplicity is key in order to make an effective short film and that there's nothing wrong with having simple camerawork or a straightforward character arc.
The Arrival from Zen Design Studio on Vimeo.
Similar to many of the other set films, I liked The Arrival for its simplicity, both in terms of micro-elements and its character arc. The film is show in one take, which is very effective but also isn't overly 'showy', and some of my classmates who I spoke to after the film hadn't even noticed that it was a single take. The film has some nice subtleties, such as the line at the end where the character asks for a decaf coffee, and left me feeling uplifted, which many short films don't (not to say that there's anything wrong with more cynical short films). There is also an interesting moment near the end where it looks as though the room she's in is a train going into a tunnel, which acts as a nice metaphor for her inner-conflict. I think that the film was wise to focus on the character before meeting with her unborn baby's father rather than during the meeting with him, which seems like it would be the obvious choice.
In terms of my own coursework, I don't imagine that I will be making a film which is similar in terms of genre or style, but the main thing which I've taken away is that simplicity is key in order to make an effective short film and that there's nothing wrong with having simple camerawork or a straightforward character arc.
Good ideas - simplicity can be very effective. I think a strong script, capturing emotions is key to this theatrical style.
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