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CITY OF GOD - OPENING SCENE - Coggle Diagram
CITY OF GOD - OPENING SCENE
CINNAMONTOGRAPHY
Close ups / extreme close ups
Claustrophobic and trapped
Like we're trapped in the favela
Also,
crash zooms
and
whip pans
Home footage looking
Filmed on rough,
16mm cameras
(the ones used for home footage)
Gives the film a rough, authentic feel
Frantic, handheld shots
Like we're watching the film from the lens of Rocket's camera
CAMERA = THE TRUTH, BECAUSE A CAMERA CAN'T LIE
ECU for the first shots of Lil Ze
Makes him look
monstrous
(PL reference)
Villainizing him from the start
High angle of the kids jumping down the stairs
Shows the power and authority over the city those kids have
Low angle shot from above
God is looking down on the city
We're watching the
"spectacle of violence"
from afar but having no affect on it -
poverty tourists
Low angle from the POV of the chicken
Pity for the chicken and for Rocket since we're following him trying to escape
ALIGNED with the chicken and Rocket
The whole world is moving at a million miles per hour
Metaphorically and literally for Rocket
Rewind time
Moving anti-clockwise, like we're going back in time
Complimented by the ticking clock in the background
Decade bias
The warmer colours in the 60s compared to the colder ones in the 70s present the favela in a better and more ideal light
Smooth cam
Compared to the beginning, the cinematography is far more stable, representing how the new range of council estates had control in the 60s, and how that was later lost.
Rocket shot in long, steady camerawork - classicistic
The audience recognise their protagonist / anchor character
Establishes a safe space compared to the chaos in the rest of the favela
MISE EN SCENE / PERFORMANCE
The knife is the first thing we see
Shock factor for the audience
Lets viewers know that they're watching a dangerous thriller
No establishing shot - straight into the action
Title card is Rocket behind bars
"If you run, they get you. If you stay, they get you too."
Sets up the main theme / conflict for the film.
Chicken
The chicken is scared of the predicament that he's in and tries to escape only to have the whole city after him
Represents Rocket's desire to escape the favelas in the film, and how his acts may end up with his death
Lil Ze is the first main character we see
Shows the power and importance that he has
Cage like wires from the telephone poles
Metaphorically trapped in the city
Chicken is caught between the gang and the police
Foreshadows how Rocket will be in the middle of a conflict not in his control or interests
"Yeah, well he's gotta find me first"
Instantly gets found by Lil Ze, like fate or any other higher power is controlling him
One character in the film says
"God has left the city"
, when right now that might not be the case
Failure of society
The smaller, more quaint homes compared to the towering, ugly, crumbling skyscrapers in the beginning represent the collapse of Brazilian favelas
Progression of interests
The frame represents how over time the kid's interests change from football, a casual, friendly but exciting game, into gunplay, a dangerous, risky and potentially fatal game
Most of the cast is of non professional actors, and most of the dialogue is improvised
NEOREALISM
Guns established as key props
Heavily contrasted with Rocket's camera - his non-violent, truthful weapon, and his way to get power.
Phallic - symbolises male power and control
Rocket caught between the police and the gang
Torn between two rivals - both corrupt, both violent
EDITING
Frantic cuts
Represents the chaos of the Favelas
Kuleshov
editing
There is a series of B-roll shots of the chicken looking around and in the edit they arranged the footage so it looks like the chicken is fearing for it's life, creating emotional attachment with the audience and the chicken
"Meaning is made through the edit"
When the chicken is free, the editing is slower
A moment to breathe and to contrast how chaotic the favelas are
The pace of editing slows down when we get to Rocket
Tells the audience that he's a calmer, more collected person, not associated with the chaos of the favela
The pace of edits are far more conventional and classical
Constantly cutting back and forth between the knife and samba, almost equal screentime given to both
Samba is more commonly associated with the positive image of Brazil
The film giving us moments of joy and fun, but reminding us of the danger is always there
SOUND / MUSIC
Music is louder when it cuts to the instruments
Hyper immersion for the audience
Jazz music stops
A musical
"hol up"
Background music fades away when he sees Lil Ze
Like Rocket's world is now hyper focused on trying to contain his situation with Lil Ze
Background heartbeat when the spinning moment begins
Simulating what's happening in the mind of Rocket for the audience
Camera sound effect when Rocket is introduced
Once again, camera = the truth, and by having a camera sound effect alongside a freezeframe tells the audience that you can trust Rocket
Whole film is told through
a flashback
"What's the matter, lives flashing before your eyes?"
