What is the importance of mise-en-scene and/or sound in creating meaning and generating response in City of God?

 The importance of mise-en-scene and sound in City of God is to show the darker unknown reality of what life is like in Rio, this is particularly shown within the opening scene of City of God with the sharpening of the knife the meaning of which is to show that people live on a knives edgy, they are in a world balanced between life and death. Within the  mise-en-scene of the shot it is lit from top down the meaning of which is to symbolise how the film is shining a light on this side of life, this idea is further realised with every shot being zoomed out further from the original super close up bringing it into pure day light. The knife sharpening is juxtaposed with shots of people dancing and playing music which is the reality of Rio that people already know shown through the use of light natural light showing that it is in pure daylight (already known), this reality being one of a paradise, the mise-en-scene and sound shows this through the use diegetic Latino music which gives a happy feeling and the high key natural lighting making the scene feel warm, together they show Rio to be a place that you would want to visit which is a perspective people shared before the film was released. Both shots are cut together showing that both realities are true and happening simultaneous, with more shots on the knife showing that that reality is more prominent and common.

Through the mise-en-scene the beginning sequence represents what life is like for the people living in the gangs and the slums of Rio by representing them through the chickens. Throughout the sequence you get close up shots on chickens in various stages of preparation for a meal from slaughter to cooking. The overall scene is constructed with the cooking happening in the foreground and a singular chicken in the background watching on. The meaning of this is to show cooking being the effects of being in a gang which is slaughter and that the living can do nothing but watch on and the close up on the chicken shows that there is no escape. The use of the cooking metaphor has another meaning with closeups on slaughter of the chickens represents that the violence in the slums is as common as cooking dinner therefore very normalised. The evidence of how common this is the statistic stating that 1 person dies every 90 seconds. The chickens also interact with the sharpened knives therefore further a statement in my opinion that the people of the favelas are linked to the darker side of Rio.

 Later on in the scene the tied up chicken escapes at this point the diegetic Latin music abruptly stops, the meaning behind this is to show that paradise is over and that the reality has set in the music is replaced with a non diegetic score of tribal music more befitting with the reality of this life the score is very war like which symbolises the state in which favela is in which is a state of constant gang warfare similar to tribal warfare before colorization.

At this point a chase sequence begins between the chicken and Li’l ze’s gang the meaning behind this is that there is no way out of the life. Within the mise-en-scene of the chase the gang members use guns to capture the chicken the meaning behind this could be foreshadowing for the fate of any character who tries to escape or leave the gangs another meaning could be to show how uneducated the gang members are that they don’t know how to capture a chicken which must be a basic skill in that part of the world instead they use guns which could mean the only thing they know how to use or do is fire a gun hinting towards how all encompassing the gang life is.Overall mise-en-scene and sound is very important in showing the reality of life in the favela.