Blocking: A term that describes where, when and how subjects are placed and move within the frame. Working out the details of an actors moves in relation to the camera.

Staging: The placement of objects in the frame as well as the camera in relation to your performance blocking.

Historical and Political- The story takes place in Spain in the year 1944 during the early Francoist period five years after the Spanish Civil War. The film showcases a group of rebels fighting against an outpost of the fascist government. Ofelia is brought into the middle of the war zone in which she experiences the hardships it follows. An escape for her is the mystical elements she encounters throughout.

Social- Since the film takes place in the 1940’s, the representation of women is affected by the patriarchal society at the time. This is why women are often disrespected by the men in the film as seen with characters such as captain Vidal.

Technological- Director Del Torro used a mixture of CGI and practical effects in order to create the illusion of the mystical creatures seeming realistic as they can interact with the real world. He does this without breaking the immersion of the film

Part A: Gender

in Pans Labyrinth is portrayed in a progressive way in the film towards women. The film represents the female gender as important and taking the lead. There are many examples of this throughout the film. For example, the main character, Ophelia represents the curious and adventurous side of women as she is the main focus of the story and we as the audience experiences the magical world through her. Another way Women are represented in the film is by showing their bravery and independence. We can see this with the characters Mercedes. At first she is presented as a meek and submissive character to Captain Vidal as she is serving as an undercover. Throughout the course of the movie, she changes after the death of her brother. This causes her to attack and disfigure Vidal showing her independence and protection over Ophelia.

Name: Amnesia

Historical context: The film is set between the end of the 1960’s and the beginning of the 1980’s. The film is based off a true story by Paulo Lins and accurately presents the growth of organized crime in the Cidade De Deus suburb of Rio de Janerio with gangs leaders such as Lil Ze taking control. This resulted in it becoming a lawless land and the City of God having some of the highest murder and crime rates.

Political Context: The film showcases the problem of the fight against inequalities and social exclusion in impoverished communities. During the time the film was set, the government had little control over areas in Rio de Janerio and the gang violence and crime that was ongoing. The police were also corrupt and would be payed off by criminals to not interfere. An example of this in the film is when the police try to extort money from Lil Ze for his freedom.

Institutional Context: During its release in 2002, the movie became a wide success. It was seen by 2 million Brazilians in its first two months. It received overwhelming press coverage and triggered heated debates among critics and intellectuals.

Part A: The important characters of City Of God are almost all male. Women in the film are presented as simply bodies for men to carry out acts of violence against them. An example of this is the Wife of Shorty who is murdered by Shorty after having sex with goose. In this regard, Gender in the film is not presented equally and is favoured towards men

Part B: How does director Del Toro use Aesthetics?

Tone: The overall Tone of the film is that of perilous violence. We see many different narratives of characters end with bloodshed. This happens to villainous characters such as Lil Ze, however it also effects good people like Goose and Benny. We see countless acts of violence throughout the film to men, women and children which showcases the poor situation the city is in.

Visual Style: The film begins with brighter colours within the slums. During darker moments in the film the visual style switches. The atmosphere created when Benney dies changes significantly from the colourful and joyful disco to the dark and gloomy streets.

Realism: The film is very realistic in its portrayal of the rough streets of Brazil. Since the film is based off of a true story, a lot of realism is involved as it enhances the viewing experience. An example of this is the any gun fight scene. The scene’s present gunfights as short and quick. This is different to other movies which follow more overdramatic gunfights.