Tsotsi - opening sequence Flashcards
What is the focus of tsotsi
Representation
What is the opening scene, and what things does it encode
Low key lighting
-shows darkness, and poverty
Mis en scene of tsotsis shack, e.g the paraffin lamp, paneless window, and broken table
-Shows the desperate, poor situation which the boys are in
What does the fact that tsotsi and his friends are gambling in the opening sequence show
Gambling is a way of acquiring money by chance, which encodes that the only way the boys will be prosperous, is if they get lucky
What is tsotsis costume, and what does this tell us
Red shirt
-Red has connotations to blood, violence, anger, and danger
Black jacket
-Black has connotations to darkness, enigma, and death
-A leather jacket is also a stereotypical item of clothing for a thug
Tsotsis jacket appears too big for him
-Suggests that he is growing into the role of a gansta
What is Die Apps costume, and what does this tell us
Die ap wears a jacket which says “state property”. The audience can decode that this is from a state prison, evidencing that he has been in trouble with the law
What is butchers costume, and what does this tell us
Butcher wears a leopard print teeshirt
-his encodes his predatory nature, as well as his name butcher
What is Bostons costume, and what does this tell us
boston can be seen wearing glasses
-This is a stereotypical indication of a high level of intelligence
What changes in tsotsis costume in the opening sequence, and what does this tell us about him
When he enters the train station, his hood is up
This is a stereotype for characters involved in urban crime, and the fact that he is concealing his identity encodes that he is shifty and untrust worthy
What in the train station tells us the boys difficulty to survive
The HIV/AIDS advert, gives us the idea that young people in SA have been traumatised or orphaned by the AIDS epidemic
This creates sympathy for the young men
What non diegetic sound plays in the train station, and what does this tell us about the intent of the boys
The sound of a rattle plays, which encodes the idea of animalistic predatory behavior, and the audience would associate the sound with that of a rattlesnake
Who might the fat man remind tsotsi of
His own father
