Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire was another film that won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing, but in 2008. This film interested me not only because it was given an 8/10 rating by IMDb but also because it got many good reviews and a lot of people have recommended that I watch it. A British drama film directed by Danny Boyle which is set and filmed in India, it tells the story of Jamal Malik, age 18, from the Juhu slums of Mumbai. As a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, he is able to answer every stage correctly and is accused of cheating. Jamal recounts his history, illustrating how he is able to answer each question. Below are the notes I have taken on the film:
At the start of the film there are multiple interesting transitions that take place between shots. For example, we can see that an officer keeps slapping Jamal, and after each slap the shot changes to something completely different, like when it introduces the plot of the film and lists the four possible outcomes. This was also used as another effective transition when switching between the present (interrogation for suspicion of cheating on the show) and the past (the show itself). The dull lighting during the interrogation also enabled the scene to be more engaging for the audience, as it created an atmosphere of helplessness and hopelessness.
The editing of the different shots of the Juhu slums is quite fast paced as it allows the audience to see where the setting of the film is. The are various shots of the slum and different levels and angles in order for the viewers to feel as if they are actually there. There is a lot of camera movement during this scene as well, as this further intensifies the audiences engagement when focusing on the subject, i.e the children of the slum. Camera movements included dollying (when the children ran on the rooftops of the slums) and follow shots (when the children ran through the slums). The fast pace of the music during this scene also favoured the editing, as each shot was edited to the music, giving the scene a very smooth fluidity.
In certain parts of the film the sound is reverberated/hazed in order to create tension and engage the audience. During the scene where Salim shoots Maman, the sound fades out slightly and becomes hazy with a close up of Jamal's face, emphasising his shock. The background is blurred out and his face is the main thing in focus, which enhances this emphasis and tells the viewer "this is what you're suppose to be looking at". This hazed sound also enables the editing to be more slow paced which in turn will allow the audience to have more time to absorb what has just happened.
During the scene at the construction site where Jamal and his brother are reunited, they get into an argument which leads to Jamal punching his brother in the face. We can see through various different camera angles and shots the reactions of both characters. These, along with several match cuts, enables the audience to feel the tension between the two characters, and makes the argument more believable. Sound bridges of dialogue are also added to take the air out of conversations, i.e. while one character says something, the editor cuts to a reaction shot of the other character while the dialogue is still being spoken.
Towards the end of the film there is a lot of crosscutting that takes place as a result of two completely different narratives going on at the same time. This happens when Jamal is about to answer the last question on the show and Salim tries to handle the situation of Javed. This crosscutting creates a state of suspense as the audience has no idea what is going to happen next in addition to creating a parallel between the two narratives, encouraging the viewer to compare them. During this scene the audience will also feel a sense of pride, as Jamal answers the last question correctly (winning the grand prize) and Salim makes amends for his past mistakes.
