COG

Question 1

Who are the co-directors of COG?

Answer 1

Lund and Merielles

Question 2

Who was in charge of editing?

Answer 2

Rezende

Question 3

Who was in charge of Cinematography?

Answer 3

Charlone

Question 4

Who was in charge of Mise en scene?

Answer 4

Peak

Question 5

Key themes in in City of God?

Answer 5

• stylized violence
• favelas in the 60s, 70s and 80s
• Representation of masculinity
  -Cinema Novo

Question 6

City of God key characters?

Answer 6

• Rocket
• Benny
• Shaggy
• Knockout Ned
• Lil Ze/Lil Dice

Question 7

Meaning created by freeze frames to introduce Lil Ze?

Answer 7

• Links to the criticism that the film glorified violence and gang culture, reinforces the powerful representation an important representation of the character

Question 8

What is the significance of the low angle and montage of Lil Ze shooting someone on the ground?

Answer 8

• The pairing of camera angle and montage reinforce this idea of Lil Ze being a powerful character
• use of a montage emphasizes how many people he’s killed linking to the presentation of him as an antagonistic character type

Question 9

what is the significance of the green kicker light on Lil Ze’s face paired with canted camera angles?

Answer 9

Links to the idea of lil Ze as an unstable character, could also link to the idea of glorifying him as a character as it presents him as quite powerful

Question 10

What is the significance of removing sound during knockout Neds death sequence?

Answer 10

• Links to the idea of presenting knockout Ned as a false hero, at the end of the film we find that he is just the same as every other hood.
• The removal of sound removes the meaning and impact of his death, conveying the idea that he’s just the same as all the other Hoods that have died meaninglessly

Question 11

Meaning created by utilization of the three shot paired with a low angle to introduce the tender trio?

Answer 11

• three short lengths of the idea of equilibrium conveying this idea that in the 60’s that was far less crime and gangs, but the Hoods that committed crimes gave an equal benefit to both the individuals on the community as a whole
• The low angle also links to the positive representation of the tender trio, also linking to the criticisms around positive representation of crime/hood life

Question 12

what is the meaning created by the visual parallel between Lil Ze in Benny’s death sequence and knockout Ned?

Answer 12

Links to creating the presentation of both of them being similar, foreshadowing knockout Ned as a false hero - He’s just the same as Lil Ze

Question 13

How is meaning created through the use of colour to represent the 60s to 80s?

Answer 13

• 60’s - The use of a warm colour pallete with bright, orange, saturated colours linking to. the theme of community, lack of hood violence/crime/culture
• 70/80’s - The use of a cold colour pallete with blue, sombre colours linking to the theme of unhappiness in the favelas due to increasing hood crime/violencs

Question 14

What meaning is constructed through the use of cutaways during the sequence when Rocket confronts the reporters?

Answer 14

Thanks to the idea of presenting the systemic racism that exists in Brazil, as many of the reporters that the camera cutsaway to are white which contrasts with the many racially diverse people we see living in poverty in the favelas, reinforcing the idea that these industries such as the newspaper mainly hire white people as they are systematically racist
- this links to the theme of Cinema Novo, genre which explores inequality in Brazil such as the issue with racism in institutions

Question 15

What significance does the use of the POV shot through rockets camera showing the police taking money from Lil Ze have?

Answer 15

It links to the idea of City of God being a cinema Novo film, Is it criticizes a very common problem in Brazil of corrupt police who are often working with hoods/gangs