Gasman-Basic notes

Gasman

Dir: Lynne Ramsay

Year: 1998

Location: Glasgow

Length: 15 minutes

Genre: Social Realism

Initial notes (first viewing)

·         First shot-Camera in close up.

·         Sound-‘Let it Snow’, playing on tinny sounding transistor radio.

·         Camera following movement of the shoe polish.

·         Mis En Scene-very 70’s style carpet, gives cool/cold colour pallet-colour psychology going on.

·         Representing economic class

·         Kids running round

·         Mother swearing-shows lack of control over the situation.

·         Regional identity shown through the accent-Glasgow.

·         Close up   

·         Toy car-salt being poured in: shows imperfection, boredom, tedium. Maybe lack of respect?

·         Salt: poor representative of snow.

·         Sound-grating salt in the wheels represents grating/gritty lifestyle of Glasgow in the 70’s.

·         Suit in bag-only used on special occasions-can’t afford to be used all the time-pedestalled-use of camera angle.

·         Over shoulder shot   

·         Sense of ambiguity.

·         We’re looking at him and he doesn’t know.

·         Adds to intimacy.

·         Coffee and cigarettes show’s he’s not educated about health.

·         Sound emphasises intimacy along with the lighting.

·         Swift movements.

·         Car-movement of child shows boredom

·         It’s about 2:30 into the film until we see a human face.