Jordan Ilan A-Level Film Studies

Auteur Theory  Auteur Theory - The theory that the director is viewed as the major creative force in a motion picture. The director who oversees all audio & visual elements of the film, is more to be considered the 'author' of the movie compared to the writer of the screenplay. Visual elements>plot line. - Supporters of this theory convey that the most cinematically successful films will contain the personal stamp of the director. - This theory is a reflection of the director's artistic vision so a movie directed by the filmmaker will have recognisable & recurring themes & shows a consistent artistic identity throughout the director's filmography. - Example of Auteur Directors are Alfred Hitchcock and Quentin Tarantino. Origins of Auteur Theory: - Origins: France in the late 1940's. Auteur = French for author. - Auteur Theory was a foundation stone of the Nouvelle Vague (the French cinematic movement) - Two of the theoreticians (

5 scenes: Story of Tender Trio, Story of Lil Ze, the Runts, assault on Ned, Rocket reporter

All information on powerpoint below - analysis of the deaths of Shaggy, Bene & Lil Ze: https://1drv.ms/p/s!AqehsAVXKdOPgReB8YKUwXyHplib

Representation in City of God Representation is Time-Period People Places Lifestyles Religion FOS: FOCUSING, ORGANISATION, SELECTION Representation is always someone's version of something - not reality Selection: Whatever is shot on screen is a snapshot of the full picture, much more will be left out Organisation: The elements of the shots are organised carefully to tell a certain story: incorporating the mise-en-scene and narrative of the piece Focusing: Audiences are pushed towards concentrating on one aspect of the text. You make your own decisions about what is worth our attention. The media tries to do this for us through mediation: what the director wants to make you feel. Representation refers to the construction in any medium (especially the mass media) of aspects of 'reality' such as people/places/objects/events/cultural identities Mediation - Encountering media texts, not seeing reality but someone's version of it. Media takes

Researching Brazilian Films Prior to City of God City of God premiered in 2002 so I have decided to research two other Brazilian films (Pixote and Central Station to identify how the Brazilian Cinematic landscape has changed over time and to compare the similarities and differences between City of God and the Brazilian films that came before it. Pixote (1980): - Pixote: A Lei do Mais Fraco (Small child: The Law of the Weak) is a Brazilian drama released in 1980 and was directed by Hector Barbenco - Pixote is a documentary-like account of Brazil's delinquent youth and how corrupt police & other crime organisations use them to commit crimes. - Plot: Follows Pixote, a young homeless adolescent who is thrown into jail where he is tortured, before fleeing and becoming a criminal in an underworld of violence and transporting drugs. - The film is critically acclaimed and directors such as Spike Lee have cited 'Pixote' as being amongst their favourite films. Wha

City of God: an interview with Fernando Meirelles (the director) who talked about 'City of God' to Slant Magazine in 2003. Link to interview: https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/city-of-gods-an-interview-with-fernando-meirelles Notes: - City of God tells the true story of the lives of children that grew up in the favelas over three decades (late 60's/70's/early 80's). - Meirelles' connects the films multiple narratives - 'exposing an epic battlefield of urban corruption at the centre of one of the world's most populous cities' - Influences: Tarantino's influence is all over City of God and the way the film is assembled resembles Goodfellas by Scorsese. - The film was a massive hit worldwide which gave Meirellles a platform to focus the world's attention on the darkness of Rio's slums; a drastic change from the positive image the media used to present about Rio. - Meirelles attempts to globalise the horrors of the fa

All information on context of Rio in the 60's, 70's and 80's on the prezi below. https://prezi.com/view/r2bdQNCBu7obkeKVUmL5/

Film Studies Essay: 'With reference to two scenes from City of God, explore how the film represents masculinity as being aggressive' One way 'City Of God' represents aggressive masculinity is the constant power battle to be in charge of the City of God that occurs throughout the film as Meirelles shows how the characters assert their dominance by using violence. Meirelles represents aggressive masculinity in characters from Lil Ze to Knockout Ned to the Runts in order to depict the extremes that these characters are willing to go to due to their power hungry nature, their need for revenge or their upbringing. Meirelles epitomises Lil Ze's aggressive masculinity from a young age when he goes on his killing spree by conveying to the audience that Lil Ze is taking masculinity to an extreme as he wants to prove to the 'Tender Trio' that he is more than the person watching guard and wants to be in on the action so he uses the act of killing to assert his pow

The apartment scene in City of God is a scene that shows the transition of the apartment (which is the main port of drug dealing in the favela) over the years and how the people and the place has changed between 1960 & the 80's. Important key film terminology to take note off in the opening scene: - Cinematography - Mise-en-scene - Editing - Sound (diegetic & non-diegetic) General observations from this scene - Each owner is younger than the previous owner; this presents how more and more youngsters are turning to life of crime in order to survive in the City Of God. - The furniture becomes less and less as the scene progresses, presents the degradation of the apartment; the apartment used to inhabit furniture but not inhabits crime, distrust & death - The apartment becomes a metaphor for who's running the City of God/the neighbourhood - The viewer is an observer in this scene -> their sole purpose is to take things in - Lack of women: sidelined, cata

https://1drv.ms/p/s!AqehsAVXKdOPgRSr7sy08BZs3Bh7 All information on powerpoint. Scene 1) Choosing which of the two boys to shoot Scene 2) Benny's Farewell Scene 3) Climax