Research and Planning: Analysis of short films

gasman by Lynn ramsey

Gasman from Holy Cow Productions on Vimeo.

Synoptic
It's the Christmas season. With her mom's help, Lynne, a girl of perhaps eight, dresses up; her younger brother Steven plays with a toy car. The children leave with their dad, who's affectionate with them. They walk down a railroad track where an unkempt woman waits with two children, about the same age as Lynne and Steven. The children go with them. They're all headed to a holiday party at a pub. Lynne notices that the girl acts all too familiar with her dad. What's going on? 


Gasman won Best Short Film at the Cannes Film Fest (Jury Prize), the BAFTA Awards (Scotland), and the Atlantic Film Fest. It was also nominated for Best Short Film at the BAFTA Awards and the Cannes Film Fest (Golden Palm).

Gasman uses diegetic sounds throughout the short film. The music is very symbolic through this. The first song you hear is a Christmas song. This tells you what period of year it is and what the party is for. This film is very stereotypical. This is because the family is very split with the mum and dad not doing stuff together. Also the dad typically takes the kids to the pub so he can see his mates instead of spending time with them. The music that is on in the pub has the lyrics 'Wheres your father gone'. This related to the story-line. It links up for when the main little girl asks the other girl to get off her daddy's lap. When the other little girl replies she doesn't get it. This shows that she doesn't know about her dads second family. 

EIGHT by stephen daldrey
Billy elliot 

A day in the life of an eight-year-old soccer fan who has to come to terms with living in a strange new town and the loss of his father.

13 mins, colour 

The short & curlies by Mike Leigh

A shop girl and her admirer struggle to find love and some common ground. This early signature comedy by Mike Leigh, starring David Thewlis and Alison Steadman, saw Leigh collaborate with many of the cast and crew he has gone on to work with throughout his career. The film was the first in Channel 4’s series of short films to which it lent its name.