Short Film Analysis: Gasman and Salaryman 6

Short Film Analysis:
Gasman (Lynne Ramsey 1997) and Salaryman 6 (Jake Knight 2002)

By Tom Wilson

Salaryman 6 (Jake Knight 2002)

The film Salaryman 6 by Jake Knight takes a look at the life of a Japanese salaryman and the monotonous repetition of his life. It's cyclical structure ensures that the film ends without resolution which alludes to this repetition of a meaningless life. Where some directors may have chosen for the script or dialogue to show the repetition, Jake Knight decided to use sound and imagery to convey this. The use of diegetic sound, the humming of the air conditioning in his office, the murmuring in the corridor, not only shows that he is repeatedly hearing these sounds, but also are familiar to us as an audience, common sounds we encounter every day. As such we are able to co
nnect more with this man and his suffering. Knight introduces the sound of a camera part way into the film, a new unfamiliar sound, a sound connected to a something new the protagonist uses, something to change his life. However this sound too becomes overly familiar, and eventually blends in with the monotonous sounds in the background. 

The film is in no way exciting. The colours used are grey or brown which add to the boring nature of the man's life; his dull monotone voice serves to show almost disinterest. There is no non-diegetic music to build tension, suspense, action as the film lacks all of these elements. The only music in the film is diegetic and is flat and reminiscent of elevator music. Even the final scene, possibly the only exciting event to happen in his life, the only different event ends with the characters walking off to continue their jobs (seen at the beginning of the film). The film is not exciting but for a reason; it helps to further reinforce this notion of a boring and dis-interesting life, which the character sadly realises toward the end when he develops his photographs. It is a social comment on the lives of many white collar men and women in Japan and the strenuous amount of work they put in. There are many documentaries covering this topic, but Salaryman 6 adds a personal touch to the topic, as through the very little dialogue there is in the film, we are able to see true emotion of one of these salarymen. 

Gasman (Lynne Ramsey 1997)

Lynne Ramsey's Gasman is a fantastic short film which explores themes such as family, poverty and one could even argue the coming of age. The character Lynne in the film (a clear reference to the director, a possible memory of hers) comes to the realisation that she may have another family outside of her own. Lynne's anagnorisis is in the final moments of the film in a powerful display of not only self-control, but an almost adult awareness of the situation she is in. This moment is similar to an earlier scene in which Lynne's brother throws a rock at the dad; Lynne laughs and here we can see that this is a childish moment in her life, a moment in which she is oblivious to the effects of such an action. It is such a contrast to the final scene and it is this that shows not only how much she has matured in mere hours, but how much she has come to appreciate. Furthermore one could compare the final scene of maturity and self control to the scene in which Lynne attacks her possible sister as she is jealous of her for sitting on her father's lap. This scene is full of jealousy and rage which Lynne displays in front of all the adults and children there at the party. This same jealousy could easily have been displayed in the final moment, but Lynne knew not to. 

There is an interesting use of sound in the film Gasman. For instance the use of music throughout the film is purely diegetic; at the beginning of the movie the music is used to convey the setting, a Christmas song being played over the radio. Later in the party music is also played, once again diegetic, and this music the children dance to. It is interesting to note that the songs used in the film are only used in scenes of chaotic movement. In the opening scene the camera shots are constantly changing and we hear over the music the shouting of the mother. In the party the camera is no longer steady and there is movement all over the screen. Furthermore the music doesn't play in any other moment in the movie, these all being moments involving the other mother or the anagnorisis of Lynne. Moreover the music fades out when Lynne discovers her other sister sitting on her father's lap. In this moment of jealousy and anger we see all the other children dancing, but the music has been removed. This could symbolise that she is no longer paying attention to the fun bustling of the party, nor the music associated with her having a good time. 

The use of atmospheric sounds is also interesting. In the scenes when they are on the train tracks we see the wind blowing through the character's hair, but the sounds of the wind are almost absent. This lack of atmospheric sounds helps to add to the solitude of the scene and possibly the detachment Lynne feels to these new strangers. 

The camera is used in interesting ways, mainly to portray feelings for certain characters. The main instance of that is the low angled shots of the mother. In the beginning scene no characters' faces (apart from Lynne once) are seen, and the mother is hidden away even in the very final shot of that scene where the audience expects to see her face but the sun blocks it out. This could be to portray the father's feelings towards the mother, or perhaps to add to the confusion that Lynne experiences at the end as she battles with the realisation of another partner for her father. The camera is also very intrusive and personal, the whole film being prodominently made up of close ups. This allows the audience to get a grasp on the emotions of the characters, but also to understand them making it even more relatable. The whole film felt like a relatable experience, from the music to the party to the fun times with a parent.