COG - Mierelles Flashcards
when lil ze asks steak
when lil ze asks steak to go on a walk with him, steak tells his mom he is ‘going out with friends’ and runs off smiling - this highlights his vulnerability and the responsibility lil ze holds over his presence
the establishing Ariel shot
the establishing Ariel shot of the slums made out of waste is congested and claustrophobic, heightened by the wires and the overlapping rooves - symbolic for the congested city and the isolation that the citizens feel as they can’t get out. Meirelles is contextualising the reason why these children have to steal from shops and how it is a way of surviving in their conditions
the j-cut
the j - cut of hearing the runts as we are watching lil ze make his way foreshadows their fate and the danger they’re about to be in. they’re vulnerability and youth is exacerbated by their laughter over one of them burping, having close-ups on their face to show that they’re young boys
the motif of lil zes laugh
the motif of lil ze’s chaotic laugh is emphasised further during the hand-held camera capturing the chaos of the children running away but also the slight focus on lil ze as he is laughing psychotically
the low angled camera is level with lil ze’s gun
the low angled camera is level with lil ze’s gun - it glimmers in the sun and is glorified - on the other side of the shot is the little boy who looks no older than 5 as he’s being dragged to the wall - lil ze shows to have no struggle pushing him, in fact it looks like it was no effort
the camera focuses on steak
the camera focuses on steak when lil ze asks the children if they want to be shot in the hand or the foot, the reaction shot of steak suggests that he is uncomfortable and cannot physically watch as he looks away, squinting his eyes
as the camera moves to the young boy
as the camera moves back to the young boy, the camera slowly pans down, revealing his clothes being suitable for a baby (possibly outgrown them and has no other clothes) but they do this to highlight his timidity and vulnerability
through the slow zoom in of the boy crying
Through the slow zoom in of the young boy crying, we are immediately drawn to his extreme fear of the situation he is suddenly now in and the inevitability that he will get physically hurt, due to our attention drawn towards the gun
we know that lil ze is going to
we know that lil ze is going to hurt them through our previous experience with lil ze and his lack of empathy for people, despite how young they are or not
the hand held camera behind lil ze
the hand held camera behind lil ze shows the reaction shot of the little boy as he begins to how his got in agony, crying as lil ze and his gang laugh - highlighting the brutality of the violence