I have decided to film at the waterfront and frigate area of st Helier, this gives me a wide variety of natural and street sets which is needed in a script, the area is a public place therefore I am able to film here legally. I will be filming this during night time to match the tone of my film and to limit the number of public members which may interrupt recording.
This would be my iconic shot because it is the scene where lil ze get shot by the runts. This scene is so iconic as there is a sense of revenge from the runts after lil ze shot one of the runts in the hand.
I would give the film an 8/10. this is because I like how the narrative was fairly straight forward to to follow. i like how the subplots intertwined with the main narrative giving us more context to certain characters. i like the use of cinematography as it is fairly messy but this gives a rough atmosphere to the film which portrayed how life was like at that time
For me, this was my chosen iconic shot because it shows the divide in the community and how smug Li’l Zé and his gang look (wanting to get photographed as they are proud of their win), which is ironic because this scene unfolds the final war that leads to Li’l Zé’s death.
The use of split screen in this scene made it the most memorable scene in City of God for me, as it brought together the calm and calculated nature of carrot alongside the violence and shock factor he brought to the screen.
3. Iconic shot
this shot sums up the film for me as it depicts how Rocket is caught in the middle of the war and violence, both physically and allegorically, Rocket is forced into the violence of the slums just by living there.
I’d give this film an 8.5/10
Despite the disturbing nature of this film, I loved how eye opening it was to how a lot of other people have to live. The cinematography too was outstanding with unique handheld shots that whip the camera around to help create this sense of chaos.
My memorable scene is when Benny was murdered. The editing coincided with the rave lights, creating the sense of a lower frame rate and the shot cutting from one place to another rapidly, emphasising an unsettled feeling, preparing the tone for Benny’s death.
My iconic shot is when Lil’Dice is revealed to be going on a murder spree, with a horrific smile and laugh on his face during the montage of murders. This helps cement the type of person Lil’Ze is, and why he is so feared throughout the movie because of his twisted mindset. This twisted mindset also runs through the movie and helps audience understand the type of world these people live in.
Score – I would give this film an 8/10. I thought the soundtrack was really well used, and the film itself had a good narrative so it was very captivating to watch. Though I thought the start of the film took a while to get into, but when the plot started becoming more clear it was a very entertaining watch.
Memorable Scene
I chose this scene as my memorable scene, because it is a special moment for Angelica and Rocket, though this is quickly changed from a sweet gesture to the beginning of a war because it results in Benny getting shot.
Score – 10/10
A memorable scene for me is the flashback revealing that Lil Dice had escaped the motel, and became Lil Ze. Specifically, the montage depicting him shooting several people stood out, not only using elipsis to show him aging up but also connoting to the audience how much he enjoys murder and how long he had been killing people for.
An iconic shot from the film is that of Lil Ze sat by Benny’s dead body. This was significant to me as it reinforced the idea that nobody was safe from the violence in the City of God, regardless of who they were. It is also the one time that Lil Ze shows genuine emotion towards another human being, since Benny was his best friend and the two had grown up together.
Overall I am rating the film a 9/10. Director Fernando Meireless does a good job of spreading the message of the film in an interesting way. The film is well paced, shot well and has exiting editing. An iconic scene for me is the scene where Lil Ze makes a kid murder another kid. The shock factor of the scene is hooking and show how far gone Lil Ze is and how the the upbringing he had affected his deranged actions now. The scenes cinematography utilizes blurring of the camera lens to show the shock the kid is going through. An iconic image for me is the final shot of the movie. It shows some kids walking down an alleyway with guns saying how their going to go kill people. This shot summarizes the whole movie as it is a loop of Lil Ze and shows the effect the city has on the younger generation.
overall i think the film is a 9/10
a memorable scene would be Lil’ Ze’s reintroduction, as the use of cinematography and editing are used to show how he is different to what he was like when he was young, as before the camera would always be at a high angle facing down to him, and in his reintroduction the camera is a low angle shot facing up at him. and the editor, Daniel Rezende used montage of shots showing him firing a gun paired with the shots, creating an impactful scene.
