Expository – documentaries that aim to inform audiences of a specific topic from a certain perspective/POV. E.G. ‘An Inconvenient Truth‘ (2006, directed by Davis Guggenheim)

Reflexive – documentaries in which the filmmaker documents/records themselves in order to build a relationship with the audience so that their point is clearly made and understood. E.G. ‘Man With A Movie Camera‘ (1929, directed by Dziga Vertov)

Poetic – counter typical documentaries that emphasise images over narration in order to create a story through visuals. E.G. ‘Sans Soleil‘ (1983, directed by Chris Marker)

Participatory – Documentaries in which the filmmaker is included in the film and directly interacts with the subjects of the documentary. E.G. ‘Sherman’s March‘ (1986, directed by  Ross McElwee)

Observational – Documentaries that aim to film realistic, everyday life without interference. E.G. ‘The War Room‘ (1993, directed by Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker)

Performative – Filmmakers involving themselves in the events of the documentaries in order to find subjective truths. E.G. ‘Michael Moore in Trumpland‘ (2016, directed by Michael Moore)

Mockumentary – A fictional film that is presented as a documentary for comedic purposes, often to comment on current events. E.G. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016, directed by Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone)

Documentary Film – A non-fictional feature film that intends to document reality for instruction, education or historical preservation.

Examples:
The Stone Roses: Made of Stone (2013, directed by Shane Meadows)

Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010, directed by Banksy)

Val (2021, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo)

Blocking – how an actor is expected to move and place themselves in front of the camera.

Staging – Placing, adapting or moving physical objects to suit the frame in a film.

Technological – City of God is well known for it’s experimental editing – including montages, still frames, flashbacks, change of colour grading and text overlays.

Historical – The film is based on a 1997 novel of the same name by Paulo Lins, which detailed the true events of life inside the favelas. The likes of Rocket, Lil Ze and Knockout Ned were all real people who experienced what spectators saw on screen.

Social – 20 percent of Brazil’s population live in complete poverty, which is roughly 32 million people. Therefore it was important for City of God to accurately represent such a large amount of people.

Political – In 2002, when City of God was produced, President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva led the first left-wing Brazilian Government in over 40 years.

Institutional – Several production companies, mainly Brazilian ones such as TV Globo and O2 Filmes, were involved with the making of City of God. Internationally, it was distributed by Miramax, a successful company known for releasing international and independent films.

Gender is represented in the Toad King quest through the low angle shots as Ofelia travels through the inside of the small and claustrophobic tree, showing her character becoming bold and fearless, whereas diegetic wipes take the film back to Vidal and his men unsuccessfully searching the woods for the rebels. This challenges the patriarchal society presented to spectators throughout the events of the film. Costumes also provide gender representation as Ofelia gets muddy and dirty whereas Vidal remains tidy and avoids any ‘hard work’ while searching. Ofelia’s outfit could be an intertextual reference to Alice in Wonderland – also about a girl embarking on a quest in a fantastical reality.  

Representation

Very few women appear in City of God, and those that do are treated badly and violently by men, primarily Lil Ze. Following Benny’s death, Angelica is forced by Lil Ze to leave the club, with him blaming it on her. Additionally, Knockout Ned’s girlfriend briefly appears, firstly where he turns down a dance with Lil Ze, and secondly where he confronts her and Ned, attacking the two and raping her.

Aesthetics

Tone – City of God’s third act is highly suspenseful, with tension being built as the gang war between Carrot and Lil Ze continues on. In fact, the war begins around 40 minutes before the end of the film, so a large amount of the runtime is spent leaving audiences questioning who will win. This is enhanced with the fast pacing of shots and editing giving the effect that so much is happening all at once to the people living in the city throughout the conflict.

Visual Style – City of God uses two main styles of colour grading. For the majority of the film, the appearance could be described as highly saturated with softer colours, whereas the colour grading becomes grittier and could be described as ‘kitchen-sink’ following the beginning of the gang war.

Realism – City of God is a social realist film, depicting the lives of those who experience several horrific things such as murder, drug abuse, rape, war, and poverty. The use of handheld shots reinforce the documentary style approach Fernando Meirelles took in order to make the world feel real and create a sense of verisimilitude.

Filming week 1 – Monday 27th May to Friday 31st May

Location 1 (Tuesday 28th) – House (EXT and INT) – The aim here is to get a first shoot of the majority of scenes featuring the character of Seb.

Sound – City of God uses narration from Rocket so that the audience sees the events from his perspective and interpret them how he did, as well as simply using it to build an understanding of the city. This is impactful as spectators then wish to see Rocket’s character succeed more so than any other individual in the narrative, and grow familiar with the people around him.

Mise-En-Scene – The run-down appearance of things like houses and cars reinforces the idea that the City of God is not a nice area of Brazil to live in, and is where poorer people are based.

Cinematography – POV shots are used when Rocket watches the release and subsequent murder of Lil Ze. These place spectators in Rocket’s position, with them witnessing the events through what is intended to be the lens of his camera. The fact that these shots appear through his camera is reinforced by the fact that the same shots later appear in the diegetically, through the newspaper.

Editing – Rhythmic montage, one of the five soviet editing techniques, is used in the opening scene. There is a cut at every action that is done (instruments being played, vegetables being cut, chickens moving, etc). This creates a sense of rhythm and energy, immediately immersing spectators in what is being presented to them.