City of God- summer work
Interview with Fernando Meirelles:
-A society in Brazil that does not fit in with the official society, they are excluded
-Africa as a continent is excluded from the development of the world
-The camera is "brought to the other side" to reveal their point of view
Information Video
(How small hold-ups can escalate in to a full-on, bloody war)
-The film entrenches the viewer into the world of the Favella life
Camera
The film was shot on 16mm film instead of the widely used 35mm- a narrower format, delivering a less polished image, and a documentary feel. This makes the audience feel like they are in the slums with the characters
Narrative/Plot
The film's events are all interconnected and can be traced back to work together
- Even after the war ends, a younger and more violent group takes over, representing the city's never ending spiral of chaos.
2 options for survival in the City of God
Escape the city;
We are shown the failure of Goose
VS Accept the city;
-Knowing your life is always in danger
- Often involves a change in identity in characters, eg: Lil Dice becoming Lil Ze
Rocket
The story is ultimately told through his eyes, he is different from all other characters: They are all desperate to escape the slums; thinking hat they are wanted outside it, whereas Rocket refines his skill of photography until the outside world wanted him. (The media- Newspapers wanting to use his photography)
This makes Rocket different from all other characters and the protagonist, why he is able to escape the slums
-He is the perfect protagonist, setting an example through his good relationships with others and his moral behaviours eg: being content with his life and not jealous of Benny and his girlfriend.
Mise En Scene
The film begins with the use of the golden colour in the mise en scene, as part of Rocket's perspective, representing his naive view of the city; having not experienced much terror. As he gets older, and becomes more worldly, the slums also mature and darken; and this is highlighted in the melancholy navy blue in the Mise en Scene.
Case Study- Colour (Mise en scene) -Textbook example:
-2 different colour palettes are used in 'City of God'. (cinematographer - Charlone)
The first half of the film, told in flashback, is golden in hue- Indicating the nostalgia of the 'Golden age' of life in the favelas.
+When children had hope, ambition and innocence.
-Orange has very happy connotations
The second half of the film is often in shadow and considerably darker with more sinister colours: browns and greys
- This reflects the change in fortune for the young people - who have lost their naive, happier take on favela life as they have been exposed to the criminal underworld .
Case Study Near Chronological narrative structure - COG
The edit between the 'Present Day' and 'The Sixties' is on the match cut images of Rocket bent down and slightly hunched.
+ Positioning Rocket in the centre of the frame during the flashback indicates that the narrative is being told from his perspective.
+These two images also highlight the contrast in colour palette of the past and present.
-As the film progresses the colours move the gold of the past to the past to the pale blue of the present... as the plot progresses this blue gets darker.
Case Study The speed of Editing {First scene analysis}
+To portray the City of God as full of energy and exhilarating in editing:
= Fast edited Cross Cutting between food being prepared, musicians, and an escaped chicken bieng chased by a gang of youths with guns, lead by Lil Ze.
=Alternating short bursts of images
-A society in Brazil that does not fit in with the official society, they are excluded
-Africa as a continent is excluded from the development of the world
-The camera is "brought to the other side" to reveal their point of view
Information Video
(How small hold-ups can escalate in to a full-on, bloody war)
-The film entrenches the viewer into the world of the Favella life
Camera
The film was shot on 16mm film instead of the widely used 35mm- a narrower format, delivering a less polished image, and a documentary feel. This makes the audience feel like they are in the slums with the characters
Narrative/Plot
The film's events are all interconnected and can be traced back to work together
- Even after the war ends, a younger and more violent group takes over, representing the city's never ending spiral of chaos.
2 options for survival in the City of God
Escape the city;
We are shown the failure of Goose
VS Accept the city;
-Knowing your life is always in danger
- Often involves a change in identity in characters, eg: Lil Dice becoming Lil Ze
Rocket
The story is ultimately told through his eyes, he is different from all other characters: They are all desperate to escape the slums; thinking hat they are wanted outside it, whereas Rocket refines his skill of photography until the outside world wanted him. (The media- Newspapers wanting to use his photography)
This makes Rocket different from all other characters and the protagonist, why he is able to escape the slums
-He is the perfect protagonist, setting an example through his good relationships with others and his moral behaviours eg: being content with his life and not jealous of Benny and his girlfriend.
Mise En Scene
The film begins with the use of the golden colour in the mise en scene, as part of Rocket's perspective, representing his naive view of the city; having not experienced much terror. As he gets older, and becomes more worldly, the slums also mature and darken; and this is highlighted in the melancholy navy blue in the Mise en Scene.
Case Study- Colour (Mise en scene) -Textbook example:
-2 different colour palettes are used in 'City of God'. (cinematographer - Charlone)
The first half of the film, told in flashback, is golden in hue- Indicating the nostalgia of the 'Golden age' of life in the favelas.
+When children had hope, ambition and innocence.
-Orange has very happy connotations
The second half of the film is often in shadow and considerably darker with more sinister colours: browns and greys
- This reflects the change in fortune for the young people - who have lost their naive, happier take on favela life as they have been exposed to the criminal underworld .
Case Study Near Chronological narrative structure - COG
The edit between the 'Present Day' and 'The Sixties' is on the match cut images of Rocket bent down and slightly hunched.
+ Positioning Rocket in the centre of the frame during the flashback indicates that the narrative is being told from his perspective.
+These two images also highlight the contrast in colour palette of the past and present.
-As the film progresses the colours move the gold of the past to the past to the pale blue of the present... as the plot progresses this blue gets darker.
Case Study The speed of Editing {First scene analysis}
+To portray the City of God as full of energy and exhilarating in editing:
= Fast edited Cross Cutting between food being prepared, musicians, and an escaped chicken bieng chased by a gang of youths with guns, lead by Lil Ze.
=Alternating short bursts of images
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