Wax Rat — Cinematography and Nostalgia
I recently completed work on Wax Rat, a short film that I both co-directed and shot as cinematographer. The film is a nostalgic yet dramatic look at childhood, memory, and the quiet resilience found in learning to stand on your own.
About the film
Wax Rat follows Carly, a young girl spending summer at the beach with her family. While the holiday seems idyllic on the surface, Carly faces a mother who criticises and ignores her, and a father who refuses to teach her to surf. Left on her own, Carly teaches herself to ride the waves — a moment of quiet determination that becomes her way of claiming independence.
Visually, the film evokes the glow of memory: sun, beach, and waves rendered in cinematic detail. What seems like a perfect family holiday is revealed to hold an undercurrent of tension.
My role as cinematographer
As Director of Photography, I set out to create a visual language that captured both the warmth of nostalgia and the realism of childhood experience.
Lenses: Wax Rat was filmed on set of vintage Nikon AIS prime lenses that perfectly captured the nostalgia of the beach. Featuring beautiful flares and a gritty analogue look full of aberration and character, these lenses were the perfect fit.
Camera style: I worked with a mixture of handheld observation and carefully composed static frames to echo the way memory drifts between immediacy and reflection.
Lighting and texture: Natural light, sun-flare, and water reflections shaped the film’s aesthetic, creating a tactile and immersive look that draws the audience into Carly’s world.
Surf sequences: The cinematography treated surfing not as spectacle but as a private act of discovery — intimate, real, and emotionally charged.
Reflections
For me, Wax Rat was an opportunity to explore how live action cinematography can shape the textures feeling of a narrative. It’s a small story about surfing, sunlight, and growing up, but also a universal one about resilience and self-discovery.
CAST:
CARLY
Bodhi Jay Moana
DAD
Matt Starling
MUM
Sarah Lincoln-Smith
NOAH
Ben Baxter
CREDITS:
PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY
Nicholas Price & Kirsty Eagar
WRITTEN BY
Kirsty Eagar
CINEMATOGRAPHER / EDITOR
Nicholas Price
SOUND DESIGNER & MIXER
Peter “PJ” Johnson
MUSIC COMPOSER
Dylan Mitchell Frost
COLOURIST
Keiran Lee
TITLES DESIGNER
Gavin Tyrell
GRIP / FIRST ASSISTANT CAMERA
Zeke Collins
SECOND ASSISTANT CAMERA
Aysha Galloway
LOCATION SOUND RECORDIST
Nathan Codner
BOOM SWINGER
Dylan Mitchell Frost