Slumdog Millionaire

I watched Slumdog Millionaire during session 3 of my class. This film had many points in it that were defined by the text. Some of these are the location vs studio, setting and its effects, costume and makeup design, keeping the image in motion, and the use of lighting.

The starting point of the script was Mumbai 2006 and a young man was bing interrogated. The script then jumps back and forth between a game show stage during a live broadcast and the interrogation. In both circumstances the same young man was depicted. This sets the mood for the film and gives a peek to the viewers as to what the film may entail. The location being for the most part not in studio really gives the reality of the place to the viewers. I have been to India and I don't think that any studio could give the reality quite the way to real place does. The effect would be completely lost if the shooting of the film had not been on location.

Some extra visual effects that I noticed were some side ways angles of the camera in contrast to the setting. I think that this was to focus the audience on the subject rather than the background. Other ways in which the focus was kept on the subject was by keeping the focus on the subject in motion. When the main characters were children running through the slum the camera kept right along side the boys as they ran. This kept the focus on the children.

Having been to India I think that not to much really had to be done makeup wise. The country is so colorful on its own that having a boy painted as a God or having a beautiful henna design on the girls arms is not to far fetched nor difficult to come across in daily life in India. One time during the film that the makeup must have been somewhat difficult was when the main character as a child jumped into an open latrine in order to obtain an autograph from a famous Indian actor. The costuming throughout really stated who was who. The game show host was well dressed in a sparkling suit while in the slum people walked around with worn out torn clothing.

Some of the lighting used was when as children the kids were escaping their captures and running through the forest. The flashlights in the background heightened the excitement and nervousness of the situation. Also when the boys were pulled from the top of the train in New Delhi soft focus was used with a bright sunlight behind it to create a dust type image. This I felt was representing a new chapter in the boys lives. When the boys went back to look for the young girl they entered a sex trade part of the city. When they were in this part of town a yellow lens was used to intensify the feel of the place. The yellow helped to give a feel of dirtiness and filth.

Some slow motion was used toward the end of the film. When Jamal the and Latika found each other at the train station the slow motion was used to intensify the connection between the two. It also represented how nothing around them mattered to them only each other. During this time a flashback of the childhood experiences that brought the two to the train station played. This flashback was played in slow motion to give the audience the feel of the struggles that were overcome throughout their lives.

Overall I like this movie. This was not the first time I had watched it. This was probably my third time watching the film. I think that in itself shows how much I like the film.