Post 1 - Researching Existing Short Films Part A

Basically in this whole blog we are asked to create a short film lasting no more than 5 minutes, and in the build up to this we are to blog various posts about short films that in by doing will enhance our knowledge of short films. In this first post we are required to watch a short film and construct a textual analysis of it. The film that I have done a textual analysis of on is the 1998 short film 'Gasman' directed by Lynne Ramsay.
Below is my textual analysis of this short film.

Throughout this short film there are various shots that show various different things, the camera captures the characters emotions of the characters through the use of close-ups. Here is a screen grab of this shown when the character of  Lynne is on camera.

The start of this short film shows various people getting dressed for a special occasion, this is shown after they are present with smart clothes. In this opening scene we do not see any close ups of the characters faces although we do see various parts of the bodies on show, such as hands putting on ties and helping others dress each other. Lynne Ramsay is clever in this sense of not showing any faces or emotions as she does not want the audience to fully recognise who the main character is, if she leaves the audience wondering whom the main character actually is then odds are they will continue to watch on. I originally thought that this technique was used to show the viewpoint of who was to be the main character which in turn turns out to be Lynne.

Also through the use of the Diegetic sounds we can recognise the time of the year. We hear the songs 'Let it snow' and 'Winter Wonderland' which automatically gives away that this film is set in the festive period of Christmas as these songs are only played in the month of December. The little girl, named Lynne says her first words as 'There's no place like home'. Immediately this phrase links to the famous film 'The Wizard of Oz'. You could link her character to that of 'Dorothy' from the film mentioned as they both portray an innocent girl whom is vulnerable to the world around her.

A camera shot which is used in parts of the short film is a handheld camera shot, this shot creates and shows vulnerability of characters mainly, however this camera shot can also show the effects of being drunk/intoxicated. There are also many jump cuts which can have similar effects to that from a handheld camera. This shot tends to be linked in 'Gasman' to the father figure. The father, clearly having to take on two father roles as he has two sets of children, often shows to leave the two sets of children on their own, linking to child neglect. The two little girls come into conflict also as they fight in order to sit on the fathers lap, clearly they are jealous of one another. The father does his best to try and comfort both girls, and by doing this he does show a caring side to both of the girls.