'Tight Jeans' (2008)

 Coursework 6 

 

‘Tight Jeans’ explores the complexity of culture in multi-ethnic communities and how fashion can reveal characters self-expression and identity.

 

For the whole film the three boys sit on a wall talking. They remain situated in the same position for the majority of the film the camera constantly remains moving; it uses dolly, push ins and pans and towards the end the editing speeds up. Perhaps reflecting their growing impatience as they wait for their friend. This use of static cinematography helps keep engagement and adds entertainment to a mundane setting. The sound helps establish tone especially the contemporary music at the start which provides the film with an energetic pace perhaps reflecting the fast nature of trends in the youth. The ambient sounds in the film help add realism making the film more relatable for the spectator while also creating a cultural backdrop which amplifies the themes of youth and self-expression. Like ‘Over’ and ‘Echo’ the film utilises an ordinary and typical British setting. This could be commenting on how these judgements of character are common in a more technological society as well as the ignorance of youth towards each another particularly those of other cultures without intending to. The boys’ colourful costumes contrast the dull and mundane colour palette of the setting they live in illustrating that self-expression can free characters from a uniform environment (societal expectations). Standard settings can add depth to the ideology of a film making it feel more relatable to the spectator. It also is useful to a student filmmaker demonstrating that you don’t need to spend money on lavished sets and rather a familiar regular setting can be just as effective. 

 

Although the conversation may come across as pointless it helps create character and adds entertainment to a rather ordinary activity. Us observing a regular conversation between the boys creates intimacy. This is further achieved by the use of close ups and handheld shots which draws us closer to the characters positioning us as their friend, observing them and laughing with them. Us as the spectator have probably had conversations similar to the one occurring on our screens which adds a layer of connection to the film. It also invited us to think about how we judge others especially if they come from different cultural backgrounds. Perhaps commenting on how societal conformity can limit individuality and damage cultural identity. The relatability of the characters to an extent encourages the spectator to reflect on their own identity in contrast to societal expectations. The exploration of identity and individuality in a conformist society is similar to ‘Slap’ however ‘Tight Jeans’ explores this in a more immature and playful lens making the film light-hearted, whereas ‘Slap’ had a deeper emotional depth due to a more emphasised narrative of drama and danger. 

 

The film is something rather ordinary created to be a piece of entertainment. It shows that short films don’t need a complex and complicated narrative like Christopher Nolan movies but rather an ordinary everyday conversation which would go unnoticed in our own lives can be created to be a fairly enjoyable film. The films narrative follows a basic three act structure which ends up becoming cyclical as the conversation repeats as a man now walks past with a tight shirt. This adds humour to the film as the conversation goes to repeat itself although on a deeper level it could be commenting on that if history isn’t learnt from it will repeat itself. 

The comedy in the film highlights the ridiculousness of certain stereotypes. It encourages the spectator to confront the uncomfortable truths of societal expectations and norms by using absurd dialogue and characters. The comedy makes sensitive issues involving race and gender more digestible for the spectator. The comedy is exaggerated to further emphasise the absurdity of stereotypes instead of accepting them for fact. Humour can also create a sense of community and connection among diverse groups by presenting a shared interest and experiences in a light hearted fashion. This enhances the empathy and understanding of the film making it easier to question stereotypes. 

The film highlights stereotypical portrayals of men showing hyper masculine traits through their topic of conversation. The characters can also be a reflection of societal expectations regarding the perceptions of different racial groups. It also explores representation of masculinity through different racial groups, that experiences of masculinity are not uniform. The black characters face additional layers of scrutiny and pressure which could be why they are shocked at the white character’s tight jeans as they are able to navigate societal expectations more freely due to their racial background, whereas the three boys have more challenges to overcome due to them having a diverse backgrounds. This encourages the spectator to reflect on prejudice about both men and race and not scrutinise men into traditional norms. 

 

‘Tight Jeans’ provides an interesting commentary on the complexity of identity in modern society and the need individuals have, particular in the youth who are still exploring their identities, to conform to the trends of the time and remain uniform to those around them. Similarly, to ‘Slap’ it explores the discourse of identity in youth. Rather than focusing on sexuality it instead explores race as well as attitudes towards other cultures in society.