Editing Task

The opening scene of City of God is quite strong and dramatic through the editing techniques used which enhances the audience’s interest from the start.

The opening scene starts with an extreme close up of a knife being scraped across a rock, which connotes that it is being sharpened. In between each close up shot of the knife there is a cut to a blank screen repeatedly for a few seconds, and a sound bridge is created as we are still able hear the diegetic sound of the knife being sharpened despite not being able to see it. This technique creates tension as the audience do not know what the knife is being sharpened for, and what it will be used for. The straight cuts link to the sharp movement of the knife, and it is as if the knife is cutting away at each shot. This makes the audience feel uncomfortable and will see this as threat as knives are associated with danger.

The scene continues and the cross cutting technique is introduced; this helps the audience to realize that the knife was in fact to be used for cooking and we begin to get a better insight into the environment. We get close up shots of locals playing music, slicing chicken, chopping carrots and dancing in between the shots of the knife that is being sharpened. Fast paced editing is used to help emphasise the swift shots, by doing so the scene seems hectic as everyone is busy. 

However, the scene also seems playful as people are dancing around and playing music, such as the shots that are being used as there are constant changes between close ups and medium shots, low angles and the irregular zoom in/out of the only chicken that is still alive, this makes the scene more lively.  The use of mise en scene i.e. their costumes suggests they’re from a poorer environment as they are wearing flip flops and dull coloured clothing. Sweat has been added onto the characters faces emphasise the rush they are going through to find the chicken, and also the warm environment of Brazil later on in the scene. High-key lighting is mainly used to represent the sun light, actual sun light may have also been used in this scene. This also makes the scene look as if it takes place during daytime. The joyful diegetic drumming music gives us a hint of the environment and location without the use of a typical establishing shot, the drumming represents traditional Brazilian music, which as a result suggests that the location is most likely a favela in Brazil.

The diegetic drumming music comes to a sudden halt as we get an extreme close up of a plate filled with chicken blood with a pile of chicken feathers in the background. This foreshadows the loss of life that may come later on in the film, the blood also represents danger and the fact that the music stopped suddenly suggests that the atmosphere of favela’s in brazil are not always so lively but overpowered by crime instead.

We get a medium hand held shot of the chicken as it goes around the corner, this makes the audience feel at level with the chicken as it slowly walks around. Another cross cut is used to the local man who states the chicken is getting away. The use of a foreign language helps the audience to link back to the location of the film. The man’s dialogue uses quite a lot of profanity which suggests this is the norm for him, as soon as demands for people to go after the chicken we get a low angle of people coming down from different places. The low angle makes them seem superior towards the chicken as they jump down with loud thuds. The use of props helps the audience to get the idea that man may in fact be a gang leader as he is armed, and all of a sudden a large group of young men carrying guns come from all sides of the favela. This links to the theme of crime running throughout the film.  The fact that they’re all carrying guns shows the audience the disorder of the favela as people are carrying guns freely, which in most countries is a crime. We get a cut away shot of the gang leader laughing hysterically which contributes to the disorder as the audience gets the impression he may slightly be a maniac. The disorder is emphasised further through the use of hand-held cameras rather than the usual steadicam as they are followed around the maze-like environment. An aerial shot is used as they run around the favela showing the enormity of the place, which highlights the effort that they will have to go into to find the chicken. Panning is used to show the speed of the chicken as it runs away, and tracking is used to follow the chicken. This helps the audience to track the spontaneous movement of the chicken, which emphasises the difficulty of having to catch it. Fast paced non-diegetic sound (music) is played throughout the chase to correspond to the fast paced editing.

Towards the ending of the scene, the non-diegetic stops and starts throughout the cross cutting between the protagonist, who seems more relaxed as he is seen talking to his friend and the gang leader. This shows the contrast between the hectic scene taking place in finding the chicken and the laid back protagonist. The cross cutting continues until the two, the protagonist and antagonist meet.

The audience see how superior the gang leader is as they see him threaten a local with a gun, the disorder continues through the cross cutting until the protagonist and the gang leader eventually clash. The police arrive and the protagonist is caught in between the gang and the police, with the gang demanding him to grab the chicken. The audience hear the reloading of guns, which implies that the protagonist is in a dangerous and hopeless situation, and this is where the protagonist states “If I run away they get you, and if I don’t run away they get you”. The use of this dialogue is effective and cuts to the actual start of the film, suggesting that the opening scene is actually the end, and watching the entire film will take you there.  A full arc is used to take the audience back in time i.e. a flash back. I personally like the use of this technique as we get to see the protagonist in the same stance but several years back.

Overall, I believe many media techniques contributed to making an effective and interesting opening sequence such as cinematography, editing, mise-en-scene and sound.