‘Slumdog’ was directed by Danny Boyle and written by Simon Beaufoy. The film originated from a novel, ‘Q & A’ which was written by Vicas Swarup. ‘Slumdog’ was released in 9 January 2009. ‘Slumdog’ was distributed by Pathe Pictures and produced by Celador Films. It’s production budget was $15 000 000. The leading actors are Freida Pinto and Dev Petal. The film’s location was set in Mumbai, India. The film is classed as a British film because the director is British.
‘Slumdog’ is made up of four genres: drama, romance, crime and bollywood. This makes the film a hybrid because it has more than one or two genres. Representation is used throughout the film to highlight these four genres starting with crime.
The genre crime is represented through mise en scene. Salim wears dark clothing signifying his shady character. This conforms to the crime genre where an evil antagonist is a common convention. Jamal wears a white shirt to signify his good character. This also conforms to this genre where a good protagonist is common in the convention. Lighting is used to represent crime. The lighting was very dim on Salim when he was in the building with his boss and a group of girls, as well as, Latika. This signifies his dark personality. Jamal is usually bathed in light to signify is good personality. This conforms to the crime genre. Latika is usually in dim and bright lighting. This signifies she is trapped in the darker side, however she is still good. The building where Salim works in is dark and looks quite tacky. This signifies the peoples' dark and horrid personalities, which is a common convention for antagonists in crime genres. The dark, tacky building may connote the peoples' past as well, telling the audience that their pasts may have been horrible and so it reflects off their personalities and their environment. This is also conforms to crime genres because it is common for an evil antagonist to live or work in a dark, dingy area. The mansion Latika stayed in was very bright. When the man who owned the mansion comes in, the mansion appears darker and so changes the atmosphere. This signifies a disruption in the happy atmosphere and creates tension within the mansion. This connotes there is tension between the characters and there is suspense within the audience because they don't know whether the man will kill Jamal if he found out who he is. Tension and suspense between the protagonist and antagonist are common conventions and conforms to the crime genre. Props such as guns are used to signify power. Salim points a gun to Jamal's head to signify his power. This connotes his threat towards Jamal in order for him to do what he says. Money is also used to signify power. Salim works for a man who has a lot of money. This connotes that Salim wants this amount of power as well, and in order for him to obtain that, he has to work for him.
Cinematography, such as low angles, is also used to represent the genre crime. Low angles are used to signify the amount of power a person has. For example, teen Salim holds a gun to the man’s head, which is shown at a low angle to signify his power. This connotes he has full control of the situation. Extreme close ups are used to represent the crime genre. Salim holds a gun however, the gun is in focus and Salim isn’t. The focus of the gun signifies the amount of power it gives the holder and connotes a threat to the audience. This is a common convention in crime genre because the focus of the gun conforms to this genre.
Non-diagetic sound is used to represent crime. The sounds of gun shots are used to signify danger and threat, for example, Salim gets shot in the bathroom by a group of men. This conforms to the crime genre because gunshots are common conventions of crime genres. Silence is used to bring tension. There silence between Jamal and Salim when the gun is pointed at him. This brings tension and suspense to the audience for they do not know whether Salim will pull the trigger or not.
Editing techniques, such as cuts, are used to represent crime. Scenes are cut from place to place, such as the cut from Jamil and the blind singer to the scene where Salim and Jamil go and look for Latika in a sex house. This signifies action codes because the audience knows the story will carry on because one scene has been cut to the next, which adds to the story. This is commonly used in crime genres, as well as other genres, to push the film along and to add in other aspects, which will add more elements of the crime genre. Fast editing is also used. When Salim and Jamal rescue Latika, the man who took care of her came out and so action was taking place with fast editing. This signifies action is taking place and a lot of things are happening at once. This conforms to the crime genre because fast editing is usually used to promote action.
The genre drama is represented through mise-en-scene. Jamal works in a phone company where he serves tea. The place doesn’t look out of the ordinary and is extremely busy. This signifies the reality of Jamal’s life for he works in a busy compact building because he hasn’t been to school for a long time. This connotes Jamal isn’t very educated and so his job is to serve tea which isn’t a higher purpose. This conforms to the drama genre because Jamal’s job is realistic due to the lifestyle as a young boy. The clothes Jamal and Salim wore when they were boys are dirtied and tattered. This signifies they are poor and are trying to survive by themselves. This conforms to the drama genre because there is realism within their costume and tells the audience about their lifestyle.
Cinematography is also used to represent the drama genre. Extreme close ups are used on Jamal’s face to show his expression when he’s in the game show answering the questions which he knew the answers to due to his past. The expression on his face signifies his sorrow and seriousness when he has flashbacks of his past. This is used in drama genres because expressions focusing on certain things create realism and makes the audience feel sorry for the focused character which is a convention in drama.
Sound is used to represent the drama genre. Synchronous sounds in the street Jamal and Salim walk through creates a sense of cluster to the audience. This signifies that the street is very crowded and busy. This connotes that it is becoming more and more difficult for Jamal to be reunited with Latika. This conforms to the drama genre because it gives a sense of realism to the place. Asynchronous and diagetic sounds are used in the train station to create a sense of place. Jamal and Latika are at the train station and trains drive past. This signifies realsim, because the place they meet is realistic and easy to get to. This connotes that their meeting will be short because the trains are moviong quickly and that some actioon will be taking place. This subverts to the drama genre because trains and train stations are usually used in action films which promotes action.
Editing is used to represent the drama genre. Slow paced editing is used to make situations realistic. This was used when Jamal was in the police station. This signifies that the day was long for Jamal and connotes the seriousness of the situation. These are common conventions used in drama to give a sense of realism. Shot reverse shots are used to show the conversation between Jamal and Salim. This signifies their relationship. This conforms to drama because relationships are important because the audience can relate to the characters.
The genre romance is represented by mise-en-scene. The mansion Latika was living in was very bright and clean when Jamal found her. This connotes that Jamal has found his place of heaven because he has been looking for Latika all his life. This also connotes the happy atmosphere when the two make contact. This conforms to romance genre because happy atmospheres are often used in romance. When Jamal and Latika are together, the space between them is small. This signifies their relationship and the audience is entering their world. This conforms to the romance genre because the two lovers are often focused being alone with the audience entering their world.
Cinematography is also used to represent the genre romance. Two shots are used to represent romance. Two shots used on Jamal and Latika shows the space between them and signifies their relationship. This connotes that they are close because they are standing very close to each other. Shot reverse shots are also used to signify Jamal and Latika’s relationship and also to see the expression on their faces when they see each other again. This conforms to the romance genre because relationship is a common convention which is usually shown through cinematography.
Sound is used to represent the genre romance. When Jamal and Latika are seen together, calm music is played in the background. This signifies their relationship and connotes a link between the characters. This conforms to the romance genre because the same music plays whenever Jamal and Latika see each other. Jamal and Latika talk calmly and lovingly to one another. This signifies their relationship as their dialogue is different to one another than other characters in the film. This conforms to the romance genre because the lovers always talk to each other in a loving way.
Editing is used to represent the genre romance. When Jamal and Latika see each other, the pace of the editing is slow. This siginifies their moment and connotes their relationship. This conforms to romance because romantic films are usually slow paced.
The genre bollywood is represented through mise-en-scene. The location of the film is India. This signifies the story will be taking place there and connotes the cultural difference between Western countries to Asian countries. This is a common convention in bollywood films because bollywood films are usually Indian based. Latika is wearing a yellow scarf. This connotes she is happy. Bright colours such as yellow are often worn in bollywood films because it is one of the conventions because traditional clothing is brightly coloured.
Cinematography is also used to represent the bollywood genre. High angles are used to when everyone in the train station was dancing. This signifies the unity within the people and connotes that harmony has been restored when the audience denote the people dancing. This conforms bollywood because in bollywood films, everyone dances at the end in unison. Long shots are used to show the people dancing. Jamal and Latika are in the middle of the shot to signify they are the main focus. The other people within the long shot connote the exaggeration of their happiness finally being together. This conforms bollywood because the endings of bollywood films are usually happy.
Sound is used to represent the genre bollywood. Child Jamal and Salim speak to each other in Hindi. This signifies they're from India and connotes they re a different culture. This conforms to the bollywood genre because bollywood films usually have Hindi dialogue than English. Indian soundtracks are played when the children run away from the police. This signifies the country they are in and reminds the audience that the film's location is in India.
Editing is used to represent the genre bollywood. Fast paced editing is used when everyone dances. This matches the speed of the music and makes the audience alert. This conforms to the bollywood genre because there is always fast editing when there is dancing. At the end of the film, it stops when Jamal and Latika's lips touch. This signifies romance and their relationship because of the intimacy. This conforms to the bollywood genre because there is no kissing in bollywood films, however, their lips just touch.
With all these micro elements, such as mise-en-scene, included within the film, these help represent the four genres of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.
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