Editing in City of God
The film starts with brief shots of a knife being sharpened, which then fades to black and then reappears. This use of a transition suggests there has been a change in time meaning these snapshots show that the knife is sharpening across the course of the meal and not just in the duration the audience views it on screen. its also an effective use of the kuleshov effect, where something that is clearly a threatening and violent object, is made to appear as merely a toll for chopping vegetables because of the transitions between music and food, shown only briefly which adds to the chaos.
One of the main focuses in the opening scene is the chicken and its used as a device to draw the audience into the story, portrayed by shots that cut to and from the animal. Another use of the kuleshov effect is when the chicken looks as though it is directly reacting to the other dead chickens, showing emotion as one shot shows a chicken being cut and the following focuses on the chicken and how it appears to react. Match on action is used frequently in this scene, such as the shots showing various actions which are jumbled up to show a disorientating atmosphere and later on when a police car nearly runs over the chicken.
Focusing the attention on Lil’ Ze, shot pace is shorter, longer and far less frequent when the camera shows Lil’ Ze, but shorter when on background characters. This choice was made consciously as it shows his character in far greater detail. Some examples of this include when he pushes over a man and looks down at him, doing a glance shot that shows his point of view and then shows several shots of him laughing in order to show that he is doing so maniacally because these shots draw out the time he is present on screen. Furthermore, slow motion is used primarily on Lil’ Ze when he confronts Rocket, emphasising the effect that it has on Rocket and implies the relationship between them.
Before this however, we are first introduced to Rocket when the film cuts from the frantic chase to he and a friend are talking to show a brief moment of calm whilst the audience are fully aware of the chase that is still happening, a technique known as parallel editing. Moving back to the confrontation, the camera focuses on Rocket and the frame rates slow down to show his reaction and the effect that it has on him.
Finally, a cross fade shows the transition of time whilst establishing a link between the time periods, ending the scene and demonstrating to the audience what is going to happen without giving too much information away, leaving them intrigued and wanting more.
Mise-en-scène
An aspect that is vital for a successful film, Mise-en-scène creates the overall appearance of a movie and if done correctly, will draw an audience in to the settings that characters have been placed.
The scene starts with the opening titles which have been coloured in blue, contrasting with the dull setting of the rest of the film, followed by short, rapid shots of a knife sharpening that’s followed by snapshots of a happy and lively atmosphere which is unfamiliar to a Western audience and heavily contrasts the tone of the film. The situation starts off as being quite comic but soon changes to concrete buildings with broken items lying around and dirty clothing suggesting a poverty stricken area that is very chaotic.
There are a large number of indicators present that show the city is uncared for and in chaos such as: the scrap metal that’s left in the streets next to electricity cables that have been unearthed and left dangling, windows with bars on them due to fear and high amount of violence and sign for City of God being partially destroyed which seems to be a metaphor for the destruction that the gang warfare has caused.
After the transition, the colour palette changes and is a lot brighter, distinguishing the change in time periods and the clothing changes also as the children in the 1960’s wear shorts but later on they are wearing jeans, showing the movement from the innocence of childhood and the harsh reality of adulthood. An important thing to note during the transition is that the setting changes from police vs gang to team vs team in a game of football with kids, reflecting how corruption runs deep through the city of Rio Di Janeiro.
Sound
Sound plays a key role in this scene, with much of the characters’ emotions being reflected through the sound that has been chosen.
To begin with there is a lack of sound as the titles appear to create anticipation, followed by quiet wind that slowly builds up to create tension. Digetic music is used to show a happy atmosphere despite the death of the chickens and can be heard during the opening shots but later on when Rocket is talking, it’s contrasted by calmness, showing the violence in the city being crossed with innocence. This mix of sounds heavily implies that the the city is chaotic and overcrowded. The majority of the chase can be seen through the perspective of the chicken which is shown by excentuated noises that would normally be quiter than they actually are. Also, the chicken appears to cluck in time with the music, giving a sense of focus to all the chaos and a loud beating of drums and music adds to the tension.
During Rockets confrontation with Lil’ Ze, a loud pulsing noise is present almost like a heartbeat to show his fear when faced with both the gang and the police. Finally, the scene transition from modern day to the 1960’s is portrayed by a loud ticking noise that gets increasingly louder until it stops when the full transition has taken place almost like a clock.
Cinematography
‘City of God’ was filmed on 16mm film which produces a grainy texture because it’s cheaper than other alternatives and more portable with twice as many sequences. Also, the opening sequence was filmed on a long focal length in order to make the viewer feel oppressed becuase of the lack of background that’s visible and was filmed through a series of close- up and extreme close- up shots rather than an establishing shot so the audience feel disorientated.
The majority of shots used are low angle shots to make everything seem clostraphobic with harsh direct light illuminating everything to make the setting appear unfriendly. There is commonly a lot of disoreintating handheld shots during the chicken chase which adds to the chaos but is then replaced by steadicam tracking shots with wider shots as the chicken escapes which gives the viewer a better understanding of the setting. Lil’ Ze is the only person we actually see with a close- up in the gang and at a low angle to show his dominance.
Focusing on the confrontation between the gang and the police where Rocket is placed at the centre of the action, when the police initially arrive a shallow depth of field isnt used as it’s important to see what happening in the background but when the camera dollys close to Rocket, our attention is focused on him as it moves from a wide shot to a close- up whilst introducing a shallow depth of field and making effective use of a ‘Whip arc shot’ which focuses the attention on the the character in the frame. When he is first introduced, the shots are steady to distinguish between the calm setting of him talking and the chaotic action of the chicken chase. The symmetrically framed shots further focus the audiences attention on the characters who are in the centre frame.
Finally, after the transition In time periods, the colour grading is far warmer and the camera is higher up with more use of wide shots which show the sky something which reflects how the city us consumed by violence and chaos.
Performance
In regards to performance, the scene opens with a lot of cooking and dancing which shows the characters happiness but later on, everyone has guns, specifically the children which highlights how the city is out of control. Also, all the children swear which clearly shows that there are no good role models to follow which has corrupted them.
Focusing on Lil’ Ze, he orders the kids around with a devious smile and maniacal laughter showing he enjoys his power and when he pushes a man to the ground, it shows his rapid turn to violence and how he isnt to be messed around with, striking fear into others. He tells Rocket to get the chicken and Rocket dies exactly as be is told which further showing the power that he holds and tells people not to leave when the police arrive demonstrating his control.
Turning the attention to Rocket, he walks alongside his friend close together, representing his they have a strong friendship but there is a lack of subtitles at selective moments which has been deliberately done in order to secluded the viewer from the conversation they are having. The film is often interjected by narration from Rocket who seems to have a tone of resignation that there has always been crime. When these two characters confront each other, Rockets facial expression shows how threatened he feels by Lil’ Ze which contrasts the gangs expression as they are happy and having a good time.
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