Director: Shane Meadows

Shane Meadows is a very personal inspiration for me. Best known for his film 'This is England', Meadows has a very distinctive, down to earth style, with pretty much all of his films simply highlighting a part of everyday life or shining light on a reality that we all see. I think that popularity was bound to follow this style as people can feel they relate to it and at no point does Shane Meadows give the impression that he positions himself any higher than the working class bloke. He begun his career making short films, however unlike many aspiring and professional directors, he continued to make short films even after the jump to feature length. In an interview at a school, he explains that his decision to continue making short films, comes from the his personal belief that transferring to feature lengths and leaving shorts behind, is the equivalent of a band becoming successful off their debut album, then forgetting the original sound they had with the second one.



This film entitled 'The Stairwell' is a short film made by Shane Meadows in 2005 on his mobile phone! The film shows two members of the public; one looking like a working class female evidently in a rush, and the other a young man who similarly seems to be moving at a pace. As they're both going in opposite directions, and the with the stairwell positioned in a way that you're not able to see round the corner, a collision is inevitable, and this short simply captures the build up and climaxes in that very moment. The colours and mise en scene of the piece are in keeping with Meadows normal dull, gritty style and continues to show those easily identifiable flairs of creativity such as the titles positioned next to a light switch that signals both the start and end of the short. Sound is used very effectively, with non diagetic sounds prominent at the beginning, and only returning at the crucial moment where the two characters collide. Overall the very short film simply shows how easy it is to think up an idea, create it, and shoot it with minimal expense and equipment. Shane Meadows in an inspiration to all budding directors, especially in Britain, and will continue to create brilliant depictions of life for years to come.