Intro similarities

• La Haine/ City of God• Lack of education- LH school burnt down CG under

age kids running wild with weapons • Poverty• Flashbacks- LH stock news footage of riots CG

younger self• Anti-establishment- CG rocket between middle of

police and gang LH whole expo/ film• Cultural authenticity / non actors used• Violent iconography at beginning • Lawless gangs

Intro differences

• LH police have control CG police have no control

• LH only one person has a gun CG everyone has a gun (no order)

• LH they run from police CG they stand their ground

• cultural differences- Mise-en-scene

• CG short takes always chaotic, close ups LH longer takes

• CG use of Dutch tilt LH standard camera work

• City of God is a vivid and violent portrayal of life in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• The film is seen through the eyes of one of its inhabitants Rocket.

• The film was an international box office success, a ‘crossover hit’.

• City of God, exposed the poverty and violent chaos in Rio, a side of Brazilian life many are not familiar with.

Perceptions of Brazil?

http://www.google.co.uk/search?safe=active&es_sm=91&biw=1280&bih=628&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=favelas+in+brazil&oq=favelas&gs_l=img.3.1.0l10.123679.124721.0.130666.7.7.0.0.0.0.110.345.4j1.5.0.msedr...0...1c.1.62.img..2.5.344.0Exsj_-i748&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.&bvm=bv.87920726,d.d24&dpr=1&surl=1&sei=yH8BVe2rGY3tatqTgLAP&ei=AH8BVaC5F4SuU7zqgIAM&emsg=NCSR&noj=1

City of God

THE

MACRO

ASPECTS

City of God’- iconography conventions

• What key aspects of iconography do we need to consider?

• Settings: Set in the favelas, locations are mostly exterior

• Costumes: Culturally authentic

• Hair and make up: Always look like they are sweating, boiling temperatures

• Props: Chicken was used as a visual metaphor, the huge availability of guns, rocket’s camera is a metaphor for a way out

• Lighting and colours: Flashback using sepia,

• Performance of actors

• Gun is phallic symbol to represent Lil’ Ze’s sexual frustration

‘City of God’ Narrative

• What key narrative terms do we need to consider?

• The exposition: long exposition to give greater understanding of the characters• The plot: So many narrative makes it difficult to identify the beginning of the plot• Linearity: Non-linear, tri-narrative cross-linked through entrapment and fate• Time frame:10+ Years• Character motivation – Character arc(Knockout Ned), turn into a hoodlum after

being a humble man in the army• Denouement• Multi strand narrative• Cyclical: Starts at the end and ends at the start• Gun is phallic symbol to represent Lil’ Ze’s sexual frustration

• What about narrative theory? Todorov, Propp and Levi- Strauss.

‘City of God’- Characterisation and representation

• General points:• Predominantly male and Afro- Brazilian• Character ages from pre-teens (the runts) to early 20s.• Female characters conduits for escape.• Ineffectual adult authoritative figures.

• Main characters:• Rocket- : his voiceover, his narrative(s). He is the character audiences

sympathise with- wants to escape. Learnt from his brother Goose’s mistakes-likeable character –too nice for the favelas.

• Lil Ze/Dice- psychopathic antagonist. Hunger for power, prepared to kill anyone. Sells his soul to the devil! Innate evil? Or have the favelas nurtured his violent tendencies. Homo-erotic relationship with Benny unrequited love? Sexual frustration.

• Benny- Lil Ze’s only friend- like brothers. Fashion conscious, feminised. Can’t understand why he is friends with Lil Ze. A recreation of the tender trio?

• The Tender trio- Shaggy, Goose, Clipper: early pioneers of gang culture. Thieves nothing more.

• Knockout Ned: his character dramatically changes- ‘character arc’-

‘City of God’- Ideological themes

• What key terms do we need to consider?• Ideology Themes

• Zeitgeist

• Overt Covert

• Capitalist v socialist

• Propaganda

• Subordinate group Dominant ideology

• Anti establishment

-government not caring about the favelas

only focus on the rich

police corruption (Reflected through guns Police being bribed)

Lack of families, no father figures or support

Anti establishment no respect for police

Anarchy total chaos ( break down of any law)

Overt clear message of society and how they are treated (just a objective view on society)

Relative poverty- poverty relative to your society

Capitalist vs socialist- shown through the police and hierarchy in favelas

No socialism- they care too much about their power

Subordinate group lower class less opportunity

Ethnic divide with black and white- favelas is dominated by afro- Brazilian

A form of negative propaganda – Globally represents Brazil in a negative way to the rest of the world

What would Marx say about the film?

It’s a continuation of the dominant ideology a need for money driven by capitalism

Socialist ideal- everyone equal- no hierarchy

Essay planning

• How does the representation of urban environments contribute to the ideological message within ‘City of God’.

• What points could you raise?

• What evidence from the film?

Intro• How does the representation of urban environments

contribute to the ideological message within ‘City of God’?

• Intro:

ThE

MiCRO

AsPECtS

First look: exam questions

• Look at the sheet of exam questions for

this topic.

• What can we say about these questions?

• Are there any patterns in the sets of questions?

• What aspect of films are the questions asking you

to write about?

• What can you say about the style of the questions?

• Are there any terms you’re not familiar with?

Social Realism-Style v content

• Social realist films began in the 1960s and borrowed

its style of filmmaking from documentary:

• Handheld camera

• Long takes in natural lighting

• Shot on real locations

• Overlapping naturalistic dialogue.

• These films also ‘tackled’ social issues, hence social

realism.

• Today many ‘social realist films deal with current social issues

but aren’t necessarily constructed in a documentary style

and so have been re-defined as ‘urban films’.

‘Stylized Realism’

• Both‘La Haine’ and ‘City of God’ are said to be less

social realism and more ‘magic realism’. What

does that mean?

• Both films represents the struggles of contemporary

working class life which is a feature of the social

realism genre.

• However both films are shot and edited in a very

‘cinematic’ and ‘stylized’ manner.

• You know you are watching a film?

Comparisons of micro aspects

• Question: to what extent do the

stylistic technical choices of the films

you have studied make meaning for

the audience?

• What can you say about the MES/iconography?

• What can we say about the use of music and other

non-diegetic sound?

• How do the cinematography techniques create

meaning?

• How does the editing create meaning?

Iconography/MES

• Similarities:

• Authentic costume- relative to status and time period

• Gun is a representation of power- phallic symbol

• Drugs- their source of money and recreation, key aspect of

daily life

• poor representation of women- objectified, conduit for escape

• Use of Non- actors, authenticity

• Both set in poor areas relative to their time and country

• Gym and chicken is seen as symbol of the desire to escape

• Differences:

• Use of colour- LH in black and white CG uses sepia

• Access to guns- meaning LH an expression tool exposing anger

• Drugs- LH Recreational use CG runs the favelas economy

• Diversity in setting LH see post card side of Paris CG only a few

scenes of wealthy Rio- barely any favela citizens have any contact to

wealthy Rio- no escaping the favelas

Cinematography• What can we say about the use of cinematography in the two films?

• Similarities

• Handheld camera use, naturalistic film

• Stylised filming.

• Differences

• Slow paced and change of framing to show police vs young people

• LH stylised, e.g. crane shot above the banlieue.

• Lots of close ups in CG, extreme close ups, high angle shots to show police vs citizens of the favela.

• Contra zoom

• See the world through Rocket’s camera

Sound• Similarities• The ticking sound in LH shows the passing of time, and how the character’s are forced

into doing nothing by the society they live in. COG also uses samba drums to heighten tension.

• Slang version of the language – verlan in LH. Influenced by US culture• Music- US music and national music) samba and James Brown and Edith Piaf and hip-

hop)• Naturalistic overlapping dialogue

• Differences• The sound in LH appears diegetic and natural e.g trains hissing, car horns and gunshots

being emphasised to create tension and increase the expectancy of violence. • The lyrics for the music are very political such as Bob Marley’ ‘Burnin and a Lootin’ etc,

emphasising the conflicts and what people are fighting against. This contributes to the realism of the film. WHEREAS IN COG:

• The soundtrack for City of God mixes a variety of existing period songs e.g. Brazilian funk and rock, with other music that re-works the traditional samba. By doing this we understand that these are present situations and issues. The lighter and happier samba songs are more associated with Rocket emphasising the contrast between Rocket’s life and the bloodshed surrounding him.

Editing• What can we say about the use of editing in the two films?• Similarities• Some long takes in both films• Juxtaposition between shots of youth and police• Differences

• COG Quicker editing • E.g eyeline match, match on action, motion control (freeze frame,

sped up motion)• LH is in black and white• City of God hardly any transitions – cross cutting• Short takes COG• COG uses sepia • LH slower paced editing• Cog told in flash back – non linear

The micro aspects• One of the exam questions will probably focus on

the technical micro aspects of the film and how

they assist in making meaning to an audience.

• Think about the two films and social realism as

a genre.

• Questions within the question:

• Do the micro aspects assist the realism or

not?

• Which of the two films is more ‘realistic’ in

terms of style?

• Question: to what extent do

the stylistic technical

choices of the films you

have studied make meaning

for the audience?