Short Film Analysis 5 - MONEY BOX - Jacob Knowles

MONEY BOX Analysis

MONEY BOX, Muzappar Osman, 2014

MONEY BOX is a short film which explores the theme of greed, and in particular greed for money in our society. In the film we see a man realise that whenever he puts money into a vending machine and returns it, the money that he put in is multiplied by 10. He does this until it no longer works and he ends up with no money at all.

Audience in MONEY BOX:

The audience which is targeted by money box is of the age range of 18-35. I think that the film fits into this age range for multiple reasons. The first of these reasons is the platform that the short film is posted on. The Vimeo platform often has short films posted, however, it is mostly checked by people within this age range. Another reason that the audience is within this age range is that the concept of this film is most likely to be understood by people in this group. Although the concept of being punished for greed is not overly complicated, the film presents it in a way which isn't completely obvious to the viewer, and I think that setting the age range minimum at 18 is sensible in order to ensure that most people who watch the film will understand it.

On an individual level, the audience may be able to relate to the greed shown in the film. Beyond this, it is likely that the audience will be able to reflect on their own personality based on the greed shown in the film.

Narrative in MONEY BOX:

Todorov's Narrative theory can be applied to this short film, at the start of the film, there is equilibrium with the main character living a normal life without any obviously strange events being presented in the plot. The disruption happens when the man realises that he can multiply his money by a factor of 10 whenever he wants to using the vending machine, this creates a greed in the man which is the disruption present in the film. The confrontation in MONEY BOX happens at the same time as the resolution, it takes place when the man puts several thousand dollars back into the machine and the power of the city shuts down, leaving him with nothing at all.

Not much can be assumed of the story in this film, though the plot is simple and obvious. The story that can be assumed is that the man has either left the house without any money or does not have any money to spend. The way that he is dressed suggests the former of those two possibilities is the most likely. The man also looks like he's a student, or possibly a young worker.

This short film sports a simple linear narrative, with all of the events happening in chronological order.