Component 2 Section A

Component 2 Section A

City of God (Lund & Mireilles, 2002)

Outside of Europe

• Shift away from European tradition of filmmaking, genres, history and identities
• Geographical, cultural and linguistic differences
• Re-framing our familiar interaction with film and cinema and the key elements of film form in order to appreciate cultural differences and wider contexts 
• Social and cultural contexts engage with issues of world development and poverty
• Space, environment and political agendas are relevant 
• We review and engage with film form in terms of the distinct boundaries of form - here, with fictional filmmaking and the real: realism and documentary style filmmaking
• Similar rawness to British social realism but here extends out understanding of British realism within contexts of discourse on family and class to a more visceral examination of those whoa re outside of society, classless, forgotten 

Overview

• Non-professional actors
• Real places and spaces - importance of location in world cinema 
• Narrative structure is complex - three major stands
• Spans the 1960s - 1980s
• The cyclical nature of the narrative parallels the idea of the cycle of crime, the repetition and even hopeless
• A male world - representations of masculinity

Key Characters

• Rocket - photographer, part of the story and outside of the story documenting events
• Lil’ Dice - when older becomes Lil’ Ze
• Benny
• Shaggy
• Clipper
• Goose
• Benny
• ‘The Runts’ 

First 35 Minutes

• Initial starting point - gang chasing a chicken who is caught in-between the narrator and the police
• The flashbacks to the 1960s
• The context of the favela’s - the government’s neglect, the lack of essential resources in the    housing projects
• The motel massacre - Lil’ Dice (shoots Goose-Rocket’s brother)
• Shift in time to 1970s - presence of women Rocket and the hippies
• Lil’ Ze - takes over drug business in the ‘apartment’ and builds drug empire

35 - 70 Minutes

• Stylistic features: key elements - freeze frame, narration, fast quick edits, diegetic sounds - rawness - space and place 
• Poverty - the ‘runts’, violence 
• Contextual: absence of police, violence contained within (law/lessness), Lil’ Ze and drug business
• 1970s - representation: presence / absence of woman Angelica (Rocket and Benny)
• Masculinity
• Flashbacks to the violence in the motel - mode of narrative 

Analysis of

• Key elements of film form
• Representations
• Context

Opening Sequence

• Sound - Rawness up close to the screen - almost tangible as the blade of the knife is sharpened
• Music - diegetic too - drums and live music - festival/Mardi gras
• Authenticity of place - sounds of people outside - a culture where much of life is outside and public
• Quick staccato cuts - some are burry 
• Pause - introduction of Lil’Ze
• Sound of the chicken which escapes (see it loosen tie)
• Gun being fired
• Restless style from the outset
• Resists expected establishing shot
• Series of extreme close-ups on a knife, hand on a stone, feet, with cuts to black screen intersecting each shot
• Rocket and his camera, putting both inside and outside the events
• Framing and composition: lil’Ze in the centre, with someone on each side
• Rocket - edge of frame by himself
• They point guns at Rocket to give directions as if it was nothing - Like when people talk with their hands, almost like the gun is an extension of their own arm Violence is part of them

Sound and Representation

• Sound is introduced before visuals - allows you to imagine what the scene looks like before its showed to you
• Upbeat Brazilian music
• Mix of diegetic and sounds - Sound of sharpening knives as well as killing chickens paired with the visuals of partying and laughing - Can almost mimic the circumstances of Bennys death at the party
• Desensitised to violence
• Muffled sound/Heartbeat when Rocket makes eye contact with Lil’Ze - Mimics anxiety
• Voiceover - indicates flashbacks
• Children running after a chicken (food) with guns - Sets the mood/ideology of gangs and violence from the very beginning - Underdog idea?

Mise en Scene and Camerawork 

• Use of knives and drums- cultural context; chicken, carnival, sense of humour 
• Casual loss of life 
• Narrow streets and alleys- sense of entrapment  
• 360 camera spin- cyclical structure of the film and the cycle of killing 
• Feeling of improvisation; whip pan, following feet, fast pace, unfocused, tracking shots, chaotic 
• Contrasts slow tracking shots of Rocket and friends to illustrate they are not in the gang 
• Slow motion shot- Lil’Ze- his importance suggests he can almost change the movement of the camera 

 

Sound and Representation

• Sound introduced before visuals- so we imagine what it’s like  
• A range of diegetic sounds- knives, music- mimics circumstances of Benny’s death with the disco music and the gun shot 
• Children running after the chicken- ideology of guns and violence from the very beginning 
• Non-diegetic music when they are running, implies inherent violence- fast paced music, events keep going 
• Rocket and Lil’Ze first meet- sound is muffled- Rocket’s anxiety around meeting Lil’Ze 
• Sharpening the knife- up beat music represents the situation as inherently strange and violent 
• We only hear slicing and chopping of the knife 
  

 Editing and Context

• Sudden slowing down- Rocket’s realisation- guns pointed; everything in the favelas catches you up and overwhelms you 
• Stop-motion- 360 degree shot- gang , time slows down; thoughts, Rocket has to think very quickly on his feet 
• Quick editing, hand held camera- reflects that no one knows what will happen next, around them, uncertainty reflected in these unsteady camera techniques 
• Brief images- uncertainty, no structure 
• (absence of authority) 
• Chicken- escaped chicken represents Lil’Ze’s power and then how he later gets killed; Rocket captures chicken shows how in his case he realises his dream 

CITY OF GOD: TIME LINE 

1. 1980s ‘flying chicken’ opening sequence; Rocket – voice-over 
2. 1960s- Rocket, Lil’ Dice  and the ‘Tender Trio’- Shaggy, Goose (Rocket’s brother) and Clipper – hold up fuel tanker; early day of the housing project after the flooding in Rio 
3. Key incident- the motel violence (Lil’Dice sets up the trio) he takes the money (kills Shaggy, Benny’s brother) 
4. 1970s: Lil’Ze gang leader and drug lord ‘the apartment’ (Carrot) 
5. Rocket joints hippies; wants to become a photographer; Benny meets Tiago, dates Angelica 
6. Benny and Angelica want to leave favelas- leaving party; key sequence- Benny accidently killed by Shaggy who wanted to kill Lil’Ze 
7. Lil’Ze beats up Knockout Ned after the party and rapes his girlfriend for rejecting him at the party 
8. War between Lil’Ze and Carrot; Ned joins forces with Carrot 
9. Rocket joins newspaper and takes photo of Lil’Ze- he wants to be famous (hard for journalists to enter city of God due to violence) 
10. 10. Back to beginning: police arrive, don’t arrest Lil’Ze, but take his money and let him go (he bribed them); Rocket takes photo of this 
11. 11.Runts kill Lil’Ze and run his business; Ned shot by young boy who wanted revenge (ned shot his dad) 
12. 12.Rocket decides not to turn in police and their corruption but he takes photo of Lil’Ze to newspaper and secures an internship 
13. 13.Runts make plans who to shoot in the favelas- cyclical nature of life in the city of God 
    

Brazilian Cinema assignment notes

• Brazilian cinema studies came about in the 1960s - 1970s - Due to the emerge of new ideas and politicised Cinema Novo, which dialogued with New Wave cinemas
• These New Wave cinemas were European, French and Latin American
• Scholars like Ismail Xavier and Randal Johnson created several landmark studies and analysed the movement in depth and remain key works
• Since then English and Portuguese scholars have broadened their scope to welcome commercially orientated Brazilian films dating back to the early sound era - Including popular genres such as the historical evolution of Brazilian cinema which includes the relationship between the film industry and the state throughout the 20th century 
• Various scholars (both Brazilian and abroad) have analysed the nations cinematic output since its ‘rebirth’ in the mid1990s as well as the so-called retomada from a thematic perspective, which focuses on reworking the themes from Cinema Novo (poverty and violence) - Notably in the non politicised box office hits ‘Central Do Brazil’ and ‘Cidade de Deus (City of God)’
• Following Robert Stam’s work, issues of race and ethnicity continue to provide a focus for studies of Brazilian cinema, as do questions of sexuality and gender
• Scholars are now more often turning their attention of the national and transitional in post-retromada films, and now look into Brazils film history from new perspectives - such as the roles of film stars and their significance and marketing, as well as the cinema’s relationship with other Media and Arts 

1960s ‘The Tender Trio’ and the gas truck

• Representation - Lawlessness 
• Children with access to guns - representation of youth and violence
• When running from police, camera makes it look like they are not going anywhere, so feels kids are trapped (SPACE)
• Even though a wider space, we still feel trapped
• Foreshadowing of events to come: hierarchy - gangs and non-gang members, the Trio have guns and break the law - others follow; giving them stolen money
• Law and order - Tender Trio acting as dictators (inside they have power) but for those outside the favelas, they are probably insignificant
• Masculinity and power - representation of the male characters
• Representation of youth seizing opportunities to drift into crime and violence

Moving to the Favelas sequence

• Seem experienced in evading the police - Although young
• Upbeat/calming music and voiceover - contrapuntal to events on screen
• Everyone dressed in white/Light colours - white usually represents innocence (people seen as victims of the floods)
• Slow hand-held camera moving through people - a ‘last goodbye to the area’
• Non-diegetic music and voice-over: upbeat and melodic-juxtaposed to the landscape
• Underdevelopment of place - representation
• Changes in camera angles to establish the area - which it didn’t do earlier so it is doing so now: POV, bird’s eye, high tilt, wide shots - show as much of the landscape 
• moving slowly - almost as though its against their will
• Where they are moving to is worse than before

The ‘Motel’ sequence

• Set up by Lil’Dice
• Steals the money
• Representation of violence - amongst young members of the favelas 
• Point of departure in the narrative a turning point for the characters

• Lowkey lighting - shadows in different and in the hallway
• Lowkey from the start and from a distance (they look suspicious)
• Unwholesomeness of the location - sustained in the lighting
• Diegetic sound - upbeat
• Music is non-diegetic - guns and screaming

Benny’ Farewell

• Coexistent narrative threads underpin sequence: Benny & Lil’Ze, Lil’Ze and Knockout Ned, Rocket and Benny
• Underlying themes around may representation and masculinity (and also female representation and femininity)
• A sense of wider community present: the ‘groovies’, samba, the should group and religious group
• Theme of escape - Benny getting out and Lil’Ze being trapped in this life
• Rocket’s location in the sequence suggests his point of vantage, being inside and outside favela and the crime
• Giving Rocket the camera - a motif
• Emphasis on Benny and Lil’Ze’s friendship 
• Flashback to their childhood in the 60’s
• Sense of 1970s - music sense (infiltrates other parts of the globe - US cultural imperialism)
• Rivalry between Carrot and Lil’Ze underpins sequence

• When the lighting changes (flashing lights) it makes it look like photos are being taken - Fighting over a camera - the fighting and violence is so normalised it could be entertainment (picture taking)
• Lil’Ze fires his gun in the air because he doesn’t know what to do - violence breathes violence - Lil’Ze doesn’t know how to contain/manage his emotions
• Contrapuntal load music and flashing lights to mask the violence with entertainment
• Only the spectators can see Lil’Ze’s emotions as we see hime alone when all other characters have left the room - We saw his disappointment when Benny told him he needed a girl friend as well as when he got rejected to dance
• The flashing lights and loud music can be very disorientating which doesn’t 

• Begins with wide high angle and shots of people on the dance floor
• Medium close up - tilted angle and then focus on rocker in the gallery as DJ
• Rocket’s V/O - his position in the sequence matches his place in the story overall
• Quick camera movement and edits - atmosphere of the setting but also introducing a sense of spiral effect - events getting out of control increasingly
• Escalation of chaos from small things to the final violence and horror
• Sound works in parallel to visuals until tension introduced with Lil’Ze confronting and humiliating Knockout Ned
• Two shots of Jenny and Lil’Ze in medium close up - reinforces childhood friendship
• Light on Benny is brighter in these shots - He wants to get away from the violence and live a new life
• Lil’Ze’s feelings about Benny leaving are confused within his recent rejection by a woman (knockout Ned’s girl) leading him to call Angelica a ‘bitch’
• Lil’Ze is not comfortable in this setting, he is more comfortable with the violence int he favelas as it requires no etiquette - camera shots move in to show his loneliness and awkwardness - close up, centre of the frame - his isolation
• We are put in Lil’Ze’s POV
• In his own way, he is outside of events here due to awkwardness with women and in social environment - not the same as Rocket bring outside events - he navigates the disco and the music with greater ease

Performance - Farewell sequence

• A big space for characters movement
• One side not notice Knockout Ned being humiliated
• Benny’s friends
• Types of dancing - groups
• People get reunited before Bennys death - broken up by event
• Amalgamation - individual and group moment

Sound - Farewell sequence

• Contrapuntal music

Editing - Farewell sequence

- When Benny and Lil’Ze are talking - crosses the line - something not right; they are swapping places; things confused (leads to Bennys death)

Lighting - Farewell sequence

• Strobe disco lighting
• The same use of lighting throughout
• Lighting at the end, but the contact is different - conflict
• To emphasis the transition from the font o the horror
• Obscures the screen and uncomfortable to view
• Perhaps this means that one can never fly understand this event
• Flashing lights - feel like police cars (which are absent) - police not there/absese of justice and authority figures 

Representation - Farewell sequence

• Benny and Lil’Ze’s conversation regarding Angelica reveals aspects f gender (Lil’Ze wonders why he doesn’t have a girl friend, but blames Angelica for Benny leaving - his rejection - derogatory language
• Benny - ‘my girl’ more at ease with women but still uses possessive language
• Only two female characters who are spotlighted - both are linked to men
• Hierarchy - male characters, giving the camera - passed on to Benny then Rocket
• Angelica and Tiago the Angelica and Benny
• Ned’s girl and Benny’s girl - reveal about women ??
• Women have a sense of self but no autonomy 
• Centrality of Angelica and a personality - But toxic environment
• Visibility and invisibility

Context - Farewell party

• 1970’s pop and social culture
• Absence of influence of third wave feminism
• Neglect from the government in the favelas
• Global influence of American youth culture - music and dress code
• Political context - Absence of law, authority figure

Representation of Masculinity

• Rocket - he likes Angelica - but doesn’t respond aggressively when he sees her with Benny - compared to Lil’Ze

• Benny - goes against expectations of a gang member: sensitive, possible to have a positive masculine person; goodness highlights negative aspects around Lil’Ze
• Knockout Ned: although violent, not in this sequence; Lil’Ze corrupts him; brings life of the favelas into his life - starts off as an ‘average’ guy - becomes consumed by violence (a former soldier)
• Benny and Ned - parallels: if survived - Benny also corrupted
• Lil’Ze’s specific attack - of Ned: toxic masculinity - to emasculate Ned because somewhere within, Lil’Ze feels like this
• Power - to embarrass Ned because he was embarrassed 
• Ned’s response - ‘feminine’ because it is passive not confrontational

Restrictive narrative

• Spectators have insights which the characters do not
• When the pieces are put together piecemeal - and maybe never fully mapped out
• Montage - the trio going into different rooms - comedic element to the sequence

Card activity - Social/Political/Historical context shown in performance 

Written Task

Refer closely to two different sequences and analyse how elements of film form contribute to the representations in City of God

INTRODUCTION Two sequences: Bennys farewell party Opening sequence Why are you using those sequences? These two sequences are contribute greatly to the representations of violence and youth shown in City of God as well as subtly representing the role of women within the favelas.

Paragraph 1 - Bennys Farewell party  Representation of how violence is so ingrained into their way of life to a point where it's almost become entertainment - The flashing strobe lights mimic the flash of cameras which are used for a to of entertainment uses and also informative - entertains the people in favelas - informative to us the spectators

Paragraph 2 - Opening Sequence Opening sequence is repeated towards the end of the film. The children are sent off to catch a chicken, but they’re equipped with guns. This sets the standard of the role of children and how they are instilled with violence because they grow up in the favelas. Point guns at Rocket very casually during conversations

Overview and Conclusion Violence is represented as some sort of staple part of the favelas in City of God. Elements of film form such as mise-en-scene and also lighting contributes to the idea of how common violence is in the favelas, and also how is commonly instilled in residents from a young age.

Final Essay

The film City of God uses various elements of film form such as lighting, mise-en-scene and sound in order to portray representations of violence, youths and their relationship with violence and also a woman’s role within get favela slums. Two scenes in which this is proven are the opening sequence in which who’s role sets the mood for the film as whole; as well as Bennys Farewell sequence as its a crucial turning point in terms of the films pace and final outcome.

The opening sequence of this film is actually a flash back as the sequence is payed again towards the end of the film in the proper order it was supposed to be in. The entire scene sets the mood in terms of violence a long with youths and their affiliation with it through the use of mise-en-scene and camera work. The scene opens up with quick stucco shots which switch between the sharpening of lives, chickens, singing and dancing and chickens getting killed. This is paired with diegetic upbeat festival/carnival type music. The music is quite contrapuntal to the images of chickens being killed and knives being sharpened but this enforces the representation that in the favelas, violence is something their quite comfortable around as well as something they celebrate side by side with. Another point to mention within the opening sequence is how violence has sort of become part of some people in the favelas and even the youths. Mise-en-scene also contributes to the representation of violence; as during the opening scene one of the chickens escape during the cooking process, Lil’Ze’s response to this is sending a group of children as well as himself to capture the chicken, arming themselves with guns. Whilst causing chaos running after this chicken they come across Rocket who came back to the favelas to take pictures. As Lil’Ze is talking to him, you can see that he’s waving his gun around, almost as when someone is talking with their hands. The way he waves his gun around carelessly makes it seem as if this gun was an extension of his own arm and therefore ingrained in him. This use of mise-en-scene allows the spectators to recognise how deeply instilled violence is in these peoples lives as they treat it as a part of themselves.

Whats more is that this constant theme of violence, and peoples comfortableness with it continues through the film to Bennys farewell sequence. As the scene evolves the spectator is able to settle and find some sort of ease within the chaos of the lights, songs and dancing. This comfortableness is quickly taken from under the spectators feet as Lil’Ze forces a man to strip at gun point. As well as violence, this scene also represents masculinity in the slums through Lil’Ze’s actions. Earlier on in the sequence Lil’Ze can be shown getting rejected by a girl to dance, this clearly embarrasses him and so he has quite a toxic response to this which is to put his own embarrassment onto someone else in order to gain some sort of power. Lil’Ze goes over to Knockout Ned (the boyfriend of the girl who rejected him) and forces him to strip on front of everyone. As this happens, the music gets louder and strobe lights start flashing which can disrupt that sense of ease for the spectators. Additionally this use of lighting looks very similar to how cameras flash, cameras typically take photos commonly used for informative and even entertainment purposes. This could indicate that this violence and aggressiveness could be some sort of entertainment within the favelas and could suggest that these visuals can inform those outside the favelas of the events that occur on a regular basis.

Overall violence is represented as some sort of staple part of the favelas in City of God. Elements of film form such as mise-en-scene and also lighting contributes to the idea of how common violence is in the favelas and how its perceived; along with how it is commonly instilled in residents from a young age. Furthermore, representation of masculinity are continuously shown as toxic through the character of Lil’Ze.

Questions: How can a detailed analysis of the opening and closing sequence in City Of God influence the spectator’s understanding of the film’s contextual and/or representational issues

Similarities	Differences
Key elements: Fast paced editing Low angle hand held shots Music corresponding to camera movements and editing rhythm Slow motion for dramatic effect Set of favelas accentuates criminal trappings Music key to culture of the favelas; comes from the favelas The sequence slows down when Lil’Ze emerges when he spots Rocket Slows down again when we see Otto and Ned - signifies danger Both repeat motifs - Danger and violence - Emotions Knives and guns	Key elements: Camera shot is gun shot Meditative ending - slow and quiet POV - Rockets eyes in the end scene not in the first (in the opening he does take the picture but we don’t see through the lense-only in the closing sequence) - journey and trust in his perspective
Context:	Context:
Representation: - Youth and their correlation with violence and guns	Representation:

1:48 ‘The beginning of the end’

• Diegetic sounds - fun and the knife (don’t hear the gun in the opening sequence) kick starts this new moment - beginnings and endings in the cycle of crime and violence (circular narrative pattern)
• Familiarity of the chicken escaping and the chase but this time round we see the earlier lead up to the moment which at this point is more sinister: Lil’Ze handing out guns to the young runts - recruit them in his conflict
• Repetition of the shot in slow loathing of the police taking Lil’Ze
• The police: ‘let them kill each other’ - the violence between Lil’Ze’s men and Carrot’s
• Police step back amidst the violence and only step in when it begins to subside - taking Lil’Ze and Carrot
• When the police let Lil’Ze go in exchange for money and jewellery - Rocket captures this
• Throughout - Rocket captured following the events taking pictures
• In the opening! we don’t have the same insight to Rockets character and how he has grown up inside violence in the favelas
• Attention to aspects of sound
• Restricted narrative represents complexities in City of God
• Representations of Youth, crime and violence in both
• Masculinity as a gender attribute

Performance

• On screen and off-screen acting or performance
• Movement of actors - how thy use the space o the cinematic frame
• How actors interact with each other
• What movements and performance means for individual characters thing the context of the films themes: poverty, crime violence

Character	Performance
Lil’Ze	Sensitive side, but rejects those feelings; can show more masculine side to uphold his image - surface - influence the on-screen persona Presence - seems strong e.g. chasing the chicken - looks dominant and in charge (not a natural presence) tries to make himself look strong Takes up a lot of space in cinematic frame Towards the end - loses control so we literally see less of him at the end Benny’s Farewell - insecure in this sequence. Lil’Ze uses Benny as a crutch - swapping places (Lil’Ze - mocks Bennys hair - takes away his security for himself)
Benny	His performance, relief rom tension: sequences with him less tense - until his party - He is calmer - moments with Tiago about fashion Benny seems confident, swagger - out of place (has confidence) Emotional stability - neutralises the instability of situations he’s involved in Benny’s red shirt (Hawaiian leaf) - indicates longing to escape; out of place - tropical patterns contrasts the slums where he lives
Knockout-Ned	3 different aspects (not toxic): on the bus as a driver (compared to the gangs in the favelas); at the party being humiliates for being sensitive (those opposite to him); guy who wants revenge and becomes angry He changes - forced to adapt - by the end with Otto He ends up being as violent as the ret of them, whereas his earlier persona as a drier is so different Performance changes according to his life changes
Angelica	Has very few lines - shows that women are not important in the favelas Influences change within Benny - motherly role - to look after him ANGELica - surrounding moral behaviour Benny gets killed because of her - suggests giving rocket the camera  She fades away ‘Dies’ with Benny Absencex and irrelevance after Benny
Rocket	The only one who manages to make it out the favelas  Once he gets out, will he still be valued as a photographer? - became a photographer after taking photos of life inside the favelas Unlike others in the favelas - remains very non-violent till the end of the film - only ‘shots’ he fires are camera shots Non-toxic male character

Benny’s Farewell sequence - Performance and Mise-en-scene

• Actors are actually from favelas
• Different styles of clothing for the people of different groups (Religious, Groovies, Samba, Soul etc) Benny is all inclusive - Benny is confidently moving around the venue and dancing - He has the respect of other people despite being part of Lil’Ze’s gang
• The spectator is able to see a range of Lil’Ze’s emotions in the moment when he’s rejected - something no one else sees

Past Question:

Discuss how key elements are used to communicate themes in your chosen films. Make detailed reference to particular sequences in your answer

Key themes?

• Outcasts - population of the favelas
• Violence
• Youth
• Poverty
• Corruption
• Culture
• Crime

Highlight key elements

These elements - Communicate some themes?

Scene selections

Bennys Party	Motel Massacre
Despite being part of a violent gang - Benny still managed to get everyone together (Should crowd, Samba crowd and even religious crowd)	First time with quick editing - Party and Music - Overhead shots, and we can’t see the whole thing (youth and crime/Some humour in the un-wholesomeness)
Entertainment and crime/violence live side by side - Partying on one side of the hall and Benny making Knockout Ned strip at gun point on the other
Benny is confident in the party atmosphere - gets along with everyone - Lil’Ze tried to be confident but got shot down so he reverts to his toxic, masculine self	Non-diegetic music - Guns and screaming
Moving to Favelas	How Blackie became a leader
Non-deigetic sound, up beat, landscape - irony, voiceover - Rocket; underdevelopment of place	Never truly focus on one part of the room - Timeline of events - The room is constantly moving with the dissolve transitions
Camera angles - To show landscape to allow us to familiarise	Lighting shifts: Orange the blue tint - shows its happening over period of time
Mise-En-Scene - White clothes, victim of floods, innocence
Slow moving hand held camera - Moving against their will
Movement of the population - uprooted powerlessness

Structure 

1. Introduction - Rationale for the choice of sequence (perhaps your choice is linked to an analysis of particular themes) - Outline several themes - In this essay I will focus on
2. Sequence 1 - (linking key elements with themes)

      Sequence 2 - Same

      Sequence 3 - Same

3.   Sum up

Discuss how key elements are used to communicate themes in your chosen films. Make detailed reference to particular sequences in your answer

INTRO - Key elements are used to create numerous themes of violence and also displays how the residents of the favelas react to said acts of violence In both the opening sequence as well as Bennys farewell sequence were faced with themes of violence and how it resides along side daily life within the favelas These themes of violence are communicated through the use of key elements of film form such as sound, performance and lighting.

PARAGRAPH 1 - Opening sequence  Themes of violence: During the opening sequence of City of God, the use of diegetic sound and music sets a theme of violence, but also sets the spectators expectations for how violence is perceived by those living in the favelas. Were presented with visuals of knives being sharpened along with chickens being killed quite contrapuntal, cultural, upbeat music. During the quickly paced jump cuts, we also get quick snippets of people dancing to the music which indicates that the sound is in fact diegetic The combination of the dancing visuals and upbeat, cultural music alongside the snippets of chickens being skinned and killed communicate the idea that the residents of the favelas are comfortable living along side violence, and the music could suggest that violence could be considered part of their culture.

PARAGRAPH 2 - Benny’s Farewell party Themes of violence and masculinity During this sequence, the spectators get a chance to see emotions from Lil’Ze that the characters in the film cannot. Lil’Ze goes up to a girl to ask her to dance, after we were told that Lil’Ze never dances. Lil’Ze gets rejected and you can see the emotions he goes through. Lil’Ze is hurt by this and he probably feels embarrassed and powerless in that moment. This triggers some toxic traits within Lil’Ze as he finds Knockout Ned (the boyfriend of the girl he asked to dance) and forces him to strip infant of everyone at gun point. This act of violence and humiliation upon Knockout Ned was inflicted due to Lil’Ze’s need for power, and how he had the embarrass Knockout Ned in order to make up for the fact he was embarrassed by Neds girlfriend. Furthermore, during this scene, acts of violence are playing out directly next to forms of entertainment such as dancing and music.  This further displays how violence and entertainment co-exist almost as one Themes of violence and entertainment simultaneously set the standard for how people are so used to violence they are desensitised to it and almost see it as entertainment.

CONCLUSION -  - Themes of violence are very apparent throughout the film and the use of key elements of film form highlights them even further.

Key elements are used to create numerous themes of violence and also displays how the residents of the favelas react to said acts of violence. In both the opening sequence as well as Bennys farewell sequence were faced with themes of violence and how it resides along side daily life within the favelas These themes of violence are communicated through the use of key elements of film form such as sound, performance and lighting.

During the opening sequence of City of God, the use of diegetic sound and music sets a theme of violence, but also sets expectations for the spectators of how violence is perceived and reacted to by those living in the favelas. We are presented with visuals of knives being sharpened along with chickens being killed. These visuals are quite contrapuntal compared to the cultural, upbeat music being played behind them. During the quickly paced jump cuts of the quite graphic imagery of chickens being killed, we also get snippets of people dancing to the music incorporated with the imagery of death which leads us to believe that the cultural music we are hearing, is in fact diegetic. The combination of the dancing visuals and upbeat, cultural music alongside the more graphic clips of chickens being skinned and killed, communicate themes of comfortableness with violence, and the idea that the residents of the favelas could even be welcoming violence as part of their lives, and the cultural music they are seen dancing to simultaneously could suggest that violence could be considered part of their culture.

Furthermore, during Benny’s farewell party themes of violence and masculinity are communicated to audiences through use of performance and mise-en-scene. During this sequence, as spectators we get a chance to see emotions from Lil’Ze that the characters in the film cannot. Lil’Ze goes up to a girl to ask her to dance, seeing as this is after we are told that Lil’Ze never dances, we are able to understand that he may feel vulnerable for perhaps the first time, which allows us to see his future actions with another perspective as to why he may of acted in that way. Lil’Ze gets rejected t dance and you can see the emotions he goes through. Lil’Ze is hurt by this and he probably feels embarrassed and powerless in that moment as this is entirely new to him as a gang leader. This triggers toxic traits within Lil’Ze as he finds Knockout Ned (the boyfriend of the girl he asked to dance) and forces him to strip in front of everyone at gun point. This act of violence and humiliation upon Knockout Ned was inflicted due to Lil’Ze’s need for power over others, and how he felt the need to embarrass Knockout Ned in order to make up for the fact he felt personally humiliated by Neds girlfriends rejection. This performance by Lil’Ze communicates themes of Toxic masculinity and its direct link with violence. Furthermore, during this scene, these acts of violence by the hand of Lil’Ze are playing out directly next to forms of entertainment such as dancing and music. This further displays how violence and entertainment co-exist almost as one. Themes of violence and entertainment simultaneously set the standard for how people are so used to violence they are desensitised to it and almost see it as entertainment.

Ultimately, one could suggest that themes of toxic masculinity, and violence more so; are very apparent throughout the entirety of the film and the use of key elements of film form highlights them even further, and even directly links it to daily life and favela culture. 

Essay - Discuss how key elements are used to communicate themes in your chosen films. Make detailed reference to particular sequences in your answer

Overview

• Moving away from conventional, familiar and dominant strands of filmmaking
• Examination of how film and cinema is shaped outside of the mainstream
• Influence of time, place, spaces, culture, tradition (in addition to wider contexts)
• Film and cinema fro Europe and beyond offer narratives and stories which are window on to other worlds

Ida (2013)

City of God (2002)

Ida (Pawlikowski, 2013)

Influence of European tradition in terms of style and film movements: Italian neo-realism, French New Wave - the ‘new’ wave in polish context, with traces of film noir as a genre - the lighting and use of monochrome

At the same time the narrative emanates from Europeans history (dark history) and specifically from the perspective of Poland and the Jewish community.

A narrative which has re-located the past at a time when the movement towards an integrated Europe has tried to heal the painful individual and collected memories of the recent past.

Wider Contexts - Production Contexts 

• First film by the director in Polish
• Funded by Polish film institute 
• Uses personnel from Polish Film Industry (employment)
• Filmed on location in Poland

Wider Contexts - Social, cultural, historical, political

Historical and Political: German occupation, Holocaust, Stalinism

Set in Poland 1962

• After Second World War - communist rule (overseen by Stalin/Soviet Union
• Many Polish-Jews died - Holocaust victims
• After 1945 Poland a mostly homogenous nation
• Ruled by Polish People’s Republic
• After Stalin’s death in 1953 - some relaxations of political pressure from the Soviet Union
• Early 1960s economic problems

Social and Cultural

• Domination of Communist rule - closed society and political system impacts on social and cultural life
• Early jazz scene in 196s Poland
• Anna - a novice (Poland is predominantly Catholic by faith)
• Her aunt Wanda - a woman who is in a high position is the legal profession - a state prosecutor under Stalinism
• This is unusual or unconventional for the context the times - a male-dominated society

Wanda is financially independent, lonely, promiscuous. There are echoes of Louis Malle’s Au Revoir L’Enfant, a film about a young jewish boy in France who is hidden in a catholic boy’s school during the Second World War.

Key Elements of Film Form

• Monochrome - Effective for historical setting, mood, themes and wider contexts
• Compactness - 80 minute duration means on the boundaries of short film and feature film - links to layers of history at the heart of the narrative
• Cinematography - establishes place, themes of alone-ness/loneliness, struggle, secrecy, guilt, violence, identity and origins

Highly visual and symbolic - mise-en-scene

Performance - casting, authenticity

Anna/Ida - unknown actress Agata Trzebuchowska

• Use of sound - Stillness reflects austerity and poverty of life in Poland in the 1960s (sense of harsh realism)
• Lack of non-diegetic parts - suggests an emptiness of emotions which also links to themes of loneliness
• Some sequences - diegetic music: night club sequence

Key Characters

Ida/Anna Lebenstein - catholic novice/Jewish girl

Aunt Wanda Gruz - State prosecutor 

Lis - Saxophonist Wanda and Ida meet

Feliks (senior and son)

Opening Sequence

• She’s not in the centre of the screen at first, off set to the left
• Snow is really bright after the dark lighting of inside
• Off set to the left again when putting up Jesus statue
• As nuns are eating, they are a lot lower than mid level on screen
• Lots of scenes where the subjects are not centre screen - Out of place - Reference to Ida and how she’s out of place as she’s jewish in a nunnery 
• Absence of non-diegetic sound can enhance realism 
• Absence of dialogue until mention of her aunt and how she has to leave the nunnery - Not being able to express herself until she leaves
• In the shot where Ida is eating, the nuns around her look the same, you can’t tell which is Ida until she looks up - Conformity and about being the same not different
• Almost doesn’t want to leave the nunnery - “Do I have to Mother?” - theme of fear?
• Everything is monochrome throughout - Snow still stands out though but this lets you focus on performance instead of colours

Certain key elements such as framing and mise-en-scene are effective when it comes to setting themes of being out of place, and conformity within the opening sequence. During this opening sequence, There are many scenes in which the subject is off centred on screen; for example the very opening scene where Ida is restoring a Jesus statue. We can see that the framing of the scene sees Ida as slightly lower than mid level and off to the left. This should suggest Ida’s misplacement in the nunnery seeing as we later find out she is actually jewish. Furthermore, a sense of conformity on Idas hand is highlighted in the scene where the nuns are sat down to eat. Ida is seen in a line of a few other nuns all in which are dressed in the exact same clothing, and even seem to look the same in the face due to the monotone colours. This display of similarity between the nuns suggest how they all want to be the same rather than different so they can all feel the same, and like they belong.

Seminar Questions

1. Did you feel pressure creating a film centred around a religion that wasn’t your own

Aesthetics

Aesthetics in film are essentially visual elements which sustain mood, ‘tone’, atmosphere

Individual films sustain their own distinctive aesthetic through: colour, cinematography, mise en scene and also performance

Film aesthetic connect to the genre and/or narrative as well as the film’s wider production context - for example an indie film creates a particular aesthetic which connects to the low budget values, storylines, values

Sometimes sound is effectively interconnected with visual elements

Whilst aesthetics are applicable to a wide range of film forms, styles and movements, it is also the case that distinctive aesthetics emerge in global filmmaking as an aspect of cultural or local detail

Aesthetics in Ida

How does he director create a distinctive aesthetic in Ida

Is this effective

What meanings emerge

How does the aesthetic support the representations, ideas and themes?

How far does the film's aesthetic qualities contribute to the film’s themes and messages?

Make detailed references to key sequences

Structure and Planning 

• Read the question. How many parts? What is it asking you to do?
• To what extent dictates the structure
• How far…
• If not aesthetics - what are the other aspects driving themes and messages?
• Establish the theme and messages
• Identify the sequences to use (AO2 - Application of knowledge and understanding

Putting elements together

• Give a working explanation of how you apply the idea of ‘aesthetics’
• Choose your sequences
• ‘To what extent-…’ so you can discuss and apply uses of sound

Structure

• Part one of argument
• Sequences with opportunities to discuss aesthetics (Linked to messages and Ideas)
• Part Two - Sequences/For sound (not strictly an aesthetic) linked to messages and Ideas

Selected Sequences so far

Aunt Wanda’s exit

Ida dressing up

Sequence where Ida and saxophones come out of the bar

The ‘bone’ digging sequence

The intro

Sequences to discuss points other than aesthetics

• (Daniel) - Script - Screenplay - Dialogue
• A film without too much dialogue 
• Absence of dialogue
• Wanda asking the son whether he killed her family… Works with themes
• Themes here” Isolation, lingering theme of holocaust, individual responsibility
• Guilt as a theme
• Does aunt Wanda in her exit sequence feel guilt… SOUND prominent
• She fills the empty space/the room with Mozart… emotional gap? Drown the pain?
• Sound links got aunt’s sense of isolation

Counter arguments/themes/not through aesthetics 

• Aunt Wanda’s guilt links to leaving son begins and fighting for the ‘cause’

Outline your essay response

How far does the film's aesthetic qualities contribute to the film’s themes and messages?

Intro: Key themes - Camera work and framing - Monochrome/Lighting Chosen sequences - The intro sequence and Wandas Exit sequence Aesthetics in film are essentially visual elements which sustain mood, ‘tone’, atmosphere Individual films sustain their own distinctive aesthetic through: colour, cinematography, mise-en-scene and also performance, however, in Ida, the use of camera framing along with the black and white monochromatic filter as an aesthetic, contribute to themes of not belonging as well as messages of post war Poland, and the affect that had.

Paragraph 1: Intro sequence Themes of misplacement Shown through the off placement of subjects in the camera framing The chosen aesthetic of the cinematography contributes to setting the theme of Ida’s misplacement to a great extent. The camera framing in the introduction sequence frequently puts the subject at an uncentered position, particularly at the bottom half of the frame. This technique really highlights how out of place Ida feels at this nunnery, and can even foreshadow the reveal that she is in fact jewish. Furthermore, during one of these uncentered scenes in the intro, we see a row of nuns, seemingly identical due to the nuns habit and the montane filter. We as spectators can’t seem to tell which one Ida is until she looks up above the crowd. This similarity between Ida and the rest of the nuns could suggest that whilst Ida feels out of place, as indicated by the camera framing, she seeks comfort in the conformity of everyone dressing the same, and almost disappearing with the crowd. Counter argument - something that contributes to themes but isn’t aesthetic sound? dialogue  ‘Do I have to Mother?’ - doesn’t want to leave - comfort in conformity - outside is scary and unknown However key elements such as sound and dialogue also contribute to certain themes in the opening sequence of Ida as well. During one of the last scenes in the opening sequence, Ida can be seen talking to a higher up mother in the covenant. Here she is told that she has an aunt who is her only living relative she can go stay with. Most people upon hearing that, most people would be delighted to have that they have a living relative, however Ida responds with, “Do I have to mother?”. This response gives the notion that Ida doesn’t want to leave; that despite she may feel out of place in the nunnery, she seeks comfort in the conformity that everyone is the same and no one stands out. She feels that the outside world may incite fear as its the unknown. This goes to show that it’s not only the films aesthetic qualities which contribute to the film’s themes and messages.

Paragraph 2: Wandas exit Messages of Polands economic state after the holocaust and the war - Soviet take over?? Lighting aesthetic - Dark apartment light outside window Shown through how the outside of Wanda’s window seems brighter than the inside - Better place analogy  The lighting aesthetic used in Wandas exit scene contributed substantially to the messages conveyed about Polands economic state after the War and holocaust. During the long shot before and after Wanda’s exit, the lighting inside Wanda’s apartment looks quite dark and dim, which makes the view outside her window look especially bright due to the day light along with the bright white snow. This idea of outside her window looking much brighter compared to inside almost make it seem that after Wanda jumped, she was almost in a better place of some sort. This analogy can be applied to Poland, and the economic state of the country due to the war and especially the holocaust. The inside of Wandas apartment represents the uniformity and restrictedness of Poland after it was taken over by the Soviet Union, which can be seen through the plain and emptiness of Wandas apartment. And so Wanda may of thought the only way out was through death (outside her window) Counter argument  Sound - not part of aesthetic Mozart - filling the room - drown out her guilt for her son However, similarly to the opening sequence, sound also contributes greatly to the formation of themes. During her exit scene, Wanda turns on Mozart as she ‘prepares’. This music almost seems to fill the emptiness in the room, and perhaps even ‘drown’ her guilt, the guilt which is centred around her leaving her son behind and fighting for the ‘cause’ during the war. This music contributes to the theme of emptiness, whether it be the emptiness of Wanda herself, or even the mise-en-scene around her; furthermore proving that the films aesthetic quality aren’t solely responsible for the films themes and messages.

Conclusion Sum everything up Lighting, cinematography When faced with the question How far does the films aesthetic qualities contribute to the films themes and messages i’d have to say to a great extent, yet they aren’t the only factors to it. Visual aesthetics are crucial when it comes to forming messages and constructing themes within films, however audio and dialogue also play an important part in doing so.

Final Essay

Aesthetics in film are essentially visual elements which sustain mood, ‘tone’, atmosphere

Individual films sustain their own distinctive aesthetic through: colour, cinematography, mise-en-scene and also performance, however, in Ida, the use of camera framing along with the black and white monochromatic filter as an aesthetic, contribute to themes of not belonging as well as messages of post war Poland, and the affect that had.

The chosen aesthetic of the cinematography contributes to setting the theme of Ida’s misplacement to a great extent. The camera framing in the introduction sequence frequently puts the subject at an uncentered position, particularly at the bottom half of the frame. This technique really highlights how out of place Ida feels at this nunnery, and can even foreshadow the reveal that she is in fact jewish. Furthermore, during one of these uncentered scenes in the intro, we see a row of nuns, seemingly identical due to the nuns habit and the montane filter. We as spectators can’t seem to tell which one Ida is until she looks up above the crowd. This similarity between Ida and the rest of the nuns could suggest that whilst Ida feels out of place, as indicated by the camera framing, she seeks comfort in the conformity of everyone dressing the same, and almost disappearing with the crowd. However key elements such as sound and dialogue also contribute to certain themes in the opening sequence of Ida as well. During one of the last scenes in the opening sequence, Ida can be seen talking to a higher up mother in the covenant. Here she is told that she has an aunt who is her only living relative she can go stay with. Most people upon hearing that, most people would be delighted to have that they have a living relative, however Ida responds with, “Do I have to mother?”. This response gives the notion that Ida doesn’t want to leave; that despite she may feel out of place in the nunnery, she seeks comfort in the conformity that everyone is the same and no one stands out. She feels that the outside world may incite fear as its the unknown. This goes to show that it’s not only the films aesthetic qualities which contribute to the film’s themes and messages.

The lighting aesthetic used in Wandas exit scene contributed substantially to the messages conveyed about Polands economic state after the War and holocaust. During the long shot before and after Wanda’s exit, the lighting inside Wanda’s apartment looks quite dark and dim, which makes the view outside her window look especially bright due to the day light along with the bright white snow. This idea of outside her window looking much brighter compared to inside almost make it seem that after Wanda jumped, she was almost in a better place of some sort. This analogy can be applied to Poland, and the economic state of the country due to the war and especially the holocaust. The inside of Wandas apartment represents the uniformity and restrictedness of Poland after it was taken over by the Soviet Union, which can be seen through the plain and emptiness of Wandas apartment. And so Wanda may of thought the only way out was through death (outside her window). However, similarly to the opening sequence, sound also contributes greatly to the formation of themes. During her exit scene, Wanda turns on Mozart as she ‘prepares’. This music almost seems to fill the emptiness in the room, and perhaps even ‘drown’ her guilt, the guilt which is centred around her leaving her son behind and fighting for the ‘cause’ during the war. This music contributes to the theme of emptiness, whether it be the emptiness of Wanda herself, or even the mise-en-scene around her; furthermore proving that the films aesthetic quality aren’t solely responsible for the films themes and messages.

When faced with the question How far does the films aesthetic qualities contribute to the films themes and messages i’d have to say to a great extent, yet they aren’t the only factors to it. Visual aesthetics are crucial when it comes to forming messages and constructing themes within films, however audio and dialogue also play an important part in doing so.