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City Of God: Close analysis of opening scene (and one other)

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  CITY OF GOD opening In the title sequence of City of God, we begin to see a picture of rocket through bars, which not only foreshadows the ending of the film but it also hints how the camera will become a significant symbol in the film. Further, straight away in the opening of the film we perceive a montage of visuals with a high contrast of lighting, that keeps to blue tones, thrust upon the audience with the cuts matching on the action and seemingly dancing to the diegetic sounds of the sharpening of a blade on a stone. Also, there's instrumental latin music along with chickens being killed and food being prepared for a cook out. The miss-en-scene and collection of sounds combined give the audience instant recognition of possibly a street market in a South American locale, which establishes the Brazilian culture.  This seemingly all comes from the point of view of a chicken, which the editing constantly cuts back to, looking around its environment and seeing its imminent demise
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Shaun Of The Dead: Narrative Resolution

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 SHAUN OF THE DEAD Shaun's inner conflict is represented through Pete and Ed who are extreme versions of him:  - Pete represents the responsibility that Shaun desires and Ed represent the immature side of him that he doesn't want to let go of; which is the main reason for the issues in the film and dilemmas in the relationships that occur.  - SOTD is filled with scenes where Edgar Wright draws parallels between zombie-like behavior and the way people act in modern society. However, he doesn't just restrict himself to one target. in the title sequence, he shows people working dead-end jobs in retail and performing repetitive zombie-like actions, however, he also depicts the people stuck in the pub as drunk soul-less zombie-like figures. By including this, it's almost suggesting that people who are too bound to either responsibility or immaturity, will inevitably end up like zombies, slaves to routine. Only those who can escape and find a balance between them can hope to
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Shaun Of The Dead: Opening Scene Analysis

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  SHAUN OF THE DEAD Cinematography (camera): The opening shot is a close up of the main character Shaun This introduces the main character that the film will revolve around The scene seems to open with Shaun in the middle of a conversation with Liz  Over the shoulder shots of Liz and Shaun talking to one another  They are shown in separate shots which highlights that there is an emotional distance between them and their relationship  Shot composition of thirds; Ed in between Liz and Shaun Symbolises how Ed will and does get in between their relationship  This also sets up the entire film by showing how it's a comedic film with important messages integrated  Slowly pans across settings and the shop workers  adds to the impression that the people around them were already acting like zombies due to their cyclical routines Whip pans to Ed Humour and comical effect as we didn’t know he was there Reflects how in situations he often did little to help, significantly in the relationship b
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EXAM QUESTION: No Country For Old Men/Captain Fantastic

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FILM STUDIES EXAM QUESTION How far do your chosen films demonstrate the importance of visual and soundtrack cues in influencing spectator response? Refer in detail to at least one sequence from each film? (40 marks) In ‘No Country For Old Men’ the Coen brothers mostly rely on visual storytelling through the cinematography of the film to influence the spectator's response as there are scarce soundtracks throughout the film. This allows the audience to be more active and interpretative as there isn’t any music to manipulate them into feeling a particular way. The opening scenes of ‘No Country For Old Men’ and ‘Captain Fantastic’ are vaguely similar in terms of cinematography. In ‘Captain Fantastic’, we are initially presented with long shots of the natural world for a long duration. This was probably done on purpose by the director to allow the audience to appreciate the beauty of the forest and nature as a whole. There are diegetic sounds and no artificial lighting, the colors are b
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No Country For Old Men: Ending and resolution

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 NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN - Acceptance of death and nature of life, "you can't stop what's coming" - We initially expect the movie to be about a 'good guy' defeating a 'bad guy', however, no one is the 'good guy' in the film - The world as Chigurh sees it is something he needs to impose some sort of order on - He believes in rules just like sheriff bell, to the point where he can only let fate decide things - The end scene encapsulates how violence preys upon the soul, and a reminder to the audience that it's not the world that changes, but us. - Death is essentially the resolution - Coin toss with jean, her death becomes honorable because she took control over it rather than letting fate decide for her - Jean may have cracked Chigurh to the point where he could be questioning his morals when he realizes that he takes control of someone's life by using fate  - The character arcs are unexpected and not satisfying  - The last we see of Chig
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No Country For Old Men: Opening Scene

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 NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN In the opening sequence, we are introduced with a voiceover of a mysterious character who we don’t know yet, however, it is evident that he’s going to be a significant character in the movie. Diegetic sounds are clearly used such as the sounds of the police officer and the closing of the police car door, as well as the sound of the protagonist placing an object on the front seat of the car. The non-diegetic sounds of the wind blowing softly emphasize the isolation of the setting and atmosphere, which as a result, makes the placement of the characters strange. The lack of soundtrack during the killing of the policeman illustrates the lack of importance of the character’s death, mirroring the lack of empathy the main character has. Moreover, Chigurh's first dialogue is threatening along with his expression. His voice is monotone and he slightly smiles as he shoots the police officer. This gives the audience the impression that he also may be a psychopath.  The
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No Country For Old Men: Questions to consider

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 NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Do you find the ending of the film to be a satisfying resolution? why? - The ending was more ambiguous rather than satisfying as it definitely exceeded the audience's expectations. However, I love the way it is open to different interpretations and there's essentially no right or wrong answer. While the film has the look and feels of a classic Western, the morality of the story seems to be much more complex.  - One interpretation of the ending is how the dream may feel like the conclusion of a man who knows death is his next goal. He's already retired from the profession that his father did before him, his Father's been dead for years, and so his subconscious may be telling him that a reunion in the afterlife seems to lie ahead.  - Another interpretation could be that it could symbolize his guilt for Moss's death. Just like in his dream, he was entrusted with a task but he failed, despite promising Carla Jean, he would succeed. He most likely
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