REVISION - CITY OF GOD + PAN'S LABYRINTH

ESSAY PLAN

Explore how Mise-En-Scene and performance are used to enrich meaning in both films.

Sequence: Runt sequence.

- Realistic performance: the crying makes you uncomfortable.

- They don't use professional actors: Realism

- Naturalistic scene: makes the audience more involved with the horrors of the favelas.

- Grim and dusty area, as though you are experiencing the real acts in the favelas.

- The blood on his foot, harsh colours and adds to the performance making it seem as though it is real; documentary feel to it. 

Sequence: Benji's death.

- Lil Ze's upset; you start to sympathise with the character.

- Enclosed space; unable to escape the favelas no matter how hard you try.

- Strobe lighting, adds to the suspense of the scene and the fighting between Benji and Lil Ze.

- Lil Ze's isolation adds to the meaning behind his characters actions. 

- Dark mood/atmosphere; the fear of the unknown.

The scene in which Lil Ze starts to terrify the runts by threatening them with guns, mise-en-scene and performance are heavily used to create meaning. The scene is introduced by the spectator being able to see a certain area of the favelas where the runts live. The scene contains a dark brown and grey colour palette, emphasising the horrors of the favelas as well as the poverty they live in. When Lil Ze shoots a runt in the foot, he squeals and cry's in a horrible fashion. This makes the spectator feel uncomfortable as his performance adds to the naturalistic element of the film. The anger in Lil Ze's facial expressions further show to the audience how erratic he really is, making him a figure of fear for the spectator. The runts contrast to Lil Ze as they are much younger and have dirtier clothes; presenting the most poor side to the Favelas. They stand very close to each other, expressing a sense of family within. This creates meaning behind the runts as we see their camaraderie between them, even in the harshest of environments. The way that Lil Ze blocks the runts, presents the idea that there is no escape from the Favelas for anyone. Furthermore, the framing of the scene expresses a documentary feel for the spectator; adding to the involvement for the spectator and creating meaning for all the characters. 

In the scene where Benji plans a party to leave the favelas, mise-en-scene and performance are both used in unison to express the inability to escape the favelas. Lil Ze expresses a huge amount of anger towards Benji using physical violence and verbal, as he needs Benji to keep him 'sane'. This adds to Lil Ze's isolation as he previously sat alone without anyone beside him, helping the spectator to understand the reasoning behind his actions. This creates meaning behind Lil Ze as we start to understand why he resorts to violence to gain power, and not popularity like Benji. When Benji and Lil Ze fight, the strobe lights start to come on and the whole scene starts to speed up. These strobe effects alongside the fight, adds a huge amount of tension and suspense for the spectator, anticipating violence from Lil Ze. When Benji gets killed, he is laid on the floor in the middle of the enclosed area. This expresses the inability to escape the poverty and violence of the favelas, which creates meaning behind the horrors of the favelas. All these features creates meaning behind the motives of the characters and the unpredictability of the favelas; you are punished for leaving. 

PALE MAN SEQUENCE

- Tracking back/in: more involvement for spectator.

- The camera mainly follows every action that Ofelia undergoes as it shows all her emotions presented.

- Over the shoulder shot: the spectator sees what Ofelia sees so they can react with her.

- Track right to Ofelia's movements same reaction at the same time as Ofelia. 

- Shot reverse shot - shows what Ofelia is looking at and her reaction to the monster and what the monster is doing.

- The spectator expects a scare from the pale man due to the close-up of him.

- Whenever Ofelia is in the frame she is centre but there is a constant threat to the right of her. 

- Threat is on the right as she looks back. There is constant threat behind her. 

- Shallow depth of field as we want Ofelia to look at the threat behind her.
- Close up to the pale man eating the fairies.


MISE-EN-SCENE
- Colour palette from dark blue in Ofelia's room to reddish-orange in Pale Man's lair - hellish imagery.
- High arches - church or strength = imposing.
- Pale Man at head of the table - parallel framing w Vidal during banquet scene.
- Pale Man in frame as looming threat.
- Piles of shoes (props) - fascist regime = link to Nazis/holocaust - also paintings // with Goya's Child Eater.
- Repeated hand imagery - sand timer, heart, PM w long, extended fingers.
- Steam emitted from hatch through which Ofelia escapes.
- Prosthetics - monster makeup, Del Toro's obsession w monsters, also dieting after obesity - sexless, ageless, inhuman.


EDITING
- Dissolve down corridor - when Ofelia climbs through hatch.
- Slow-paced, few cuts at start (shots around 4 secs each).
- SFX for fairies.
- When Ofelia sees the child-eater murals, we cut back to her expression - reaction.
- When Pale Man rises, editing fast paced - more cuts (1 sec long)
- When she runs away, cuts between PM and Ofelia.


PERFORMENCE
- Facial expressions of Ofelia show her reactions - spectator aligns with her.
- PM running = slow, awkward, unnatural, inhuman - shows how old he is, has been dormant for a long time - creaks/cracks when he moves.
- Non-verbal communication - Ofelia = wonder, adventure.