Editing of another film

Deconstrustion for the opening of

City Of God and one other film

(step up 2: the streets)

Step Up 2 : The Streets

• Credits are white with a black background, we begin to hear the score which is a soft piano, this gives a positive and dream like atmosphere for the audience.
• the camera then cuts to a low angle shot of the street dancers, this makes them appear to be idyllic, superior and even talented.
• the camera uses a variety of cuts, all showing crowd shots. this implies that the subject involves more than one person.
• the voice over is from the main character which gives them their identity.
• slow and fast paced editing of the dancers clips emphasise the talent of the sport as well as giving it a sense of realism.
  the camera uses a sepia type theme, which enforces the idea of the main characters flash back, this then ties in with the score and the with the topic of the voice over. there are also ambient sounds of crowds and amplified camera shots which also gives it the sense of realism, the ambient crowd also makes the sequence seem like a flash back.
• when the voice over says "then she was gone" the camera cuts to black, then picks up again when she says "..including the streets" where we see a dancer which has been brightened and put against a white background, this has been done in order to make the sport seem dream like as well as something to aspire towards. then the camera fades into the title.
• the camera then cuts to a steady paced editing of a variety of shots of the city, everything appears to be "normal" like an every day thing. then there are tracking shots on different civilians boarding the tube train. the camera then tracks a character very unsteadily, this builds the enigma as we know something is about to happen due to the character being portrayed in this way. the fly on the wall shots of the rest of the passengers emphasise that the character being tracked is different, therefore creating a contrast between them.
• When characters start dancing, the pace of the editing is fast and there are varied types of angled shots, this creates confusion in the audience as it was unexpected and heightens the dramatic impact.
• A dancer then does a fit like impression of a dance on the floor and the camera goes steady as well as all the other characters keeping still, this emphasises his skill in dance and makes the audience aspire towards him.
• we then cut to the police chase where the camera is yet again very unsteady, this reinforces the idea of being rebellious. when the police lose the youth the camera goes steady again, making us as the audience lose them as well.
• the camera then begins to zoom on the escalator, the audience can see that the station is empty, the camera then cuts to medium shot of the business man, this portrays the idea he is a main part to the story line, he is also in dark lighting a slightly shadowed which creates the impression he is hiding something.
• Next there is a tracking shot of him on the escalator with the camera focusing on his suit and brief case, the camera then stops and zooms out to reveal the youths tag on the escalator wall. We as the audience then create a clear link with the business man and the group tag itself.

The City Of God Opening

• the opening begins with a blank screen and the ambient sound of a market. then cuts to a shot of a knife being sharpened with the sound amplified. automatically the audience get the impression of violence due to the knife an possibly crime. this sequence is very fast cut, this builds enigma for the audience as they want to know more about this knife.
• we then hear the ambiance of local music which creates a sound bridge for the following sequence of different shots within a town, e.g. the chickens, to the local band, to people cooking and finally people dancing. this introduces the audience to the kind of culture featured in the film.
• during the chicken run sequence the editing is also fast, there are also many point of view shots which heighten the dramatic impact as it is very unsteady which builds tension and therefore we as the audience are unsure of what will happen next.
• there are a variety of different shots used in this sequence such as the tilted camera, low view shots and high angle shots, these all emphasise the seriousness and the challenge of catching a chicken, it also creates a slight area of humour for the audience from the high angle long shot of the chicken run and how serious the gang are taking the situation.
• When the character Rocket is in the shot we get a voice over, this establishes him as a character himself.
• We then see a slow motion arc around Rocket, this reinforces him being established as a character and the situation he is in. this then speeds up to a fast paced arc around him, then there's a match on action used as he is in the same crouched position but in the past on a football field.
• when he says in the voice over " let me introduce myself" the camera zooms in focus like a camera and we hear an amplified camera sound. this automatically allows the audience to make a clear link between the character and possibly something he does or is interested in.