Slumdog Millionaire Camera Shots

The movie I chose to watch over break was Slumdog Millionaire. I watched it today on Thanksgiving, which really put into perspective a lot. The children on the show are living in an extremely different world than we are, and the living conditions are really shown through the use of the camera styles. The movie takes place in Mumbai, a place that many Americans are probably not familiar and the extensive use of long shots helps to portray the world that the characters in the movie grew up on. During the chase scene that occurs at the beginning of the movie, it pans out at a specific moment to show the rooftop of every house in what looks to be about a 3-mile radius, each house having the exact same rooftop, with one each and every house piled up right on top of the next one. I believe that this shot in its own is the best demonstration that helps put Americans in the minds of the characters. This was their childhood, their neighborhood, their entire life. The birds-eye-view here is great to what their life looks like as if it were to be seen from overhead. Similarly, there was another long shot after the main character’s hometown was raided. After he fled with his brother, they watch their village burning from on top of a hill several miles away. This seems to be a great shot to establish setting among other things. On the opposite spectrum, the close up has a purpose that speaks mainly to one specific character – as opposed to setting the scene for an entire group of people. It is used for purposes of drama, to show the true feelings of a person by putting the viewer so close physically to the character, we are able to see truly into the minds of the character and what they were / are / are going to face. Since the show is about an 18- year old on a game show, each question that he knows the answer to takes us to a time in his life when he learned of the answer. Typically, after a dramatic trip into how he found the answer, the camera returns us to the present day with a dramatic close-up shot of the main character, deep in thought (or regret, or hurt). The shot is mostly used for emotional purposes, while the extreme long shot is used for setting. The over-the-shoulder shot is a common shot used when people are in conversation, and it occurs with the main character and his brother a lot when they are communicating face to face. Other shots that are not about the relative distance of a person include the eye level shot, high angle, low angle. Jamal and Salim visit the Taj Mahal, and the use of the low angle shot portrays exactly what Jamal says to his brother when they first say the Taj Mahal: “Is this heaven?” Jamal and Salim’s positive view of being rich is shown through the use of them both looking up at the Taj Mahal. This shot and its opposite, the high angle view also show perspective from the character as well when they are on top of a roof, standing below a high building.

Looking up different types of camera shots and watching this movie has shown me the importance of using specific camera shots to get a point across, whether it be from the characters point of view, their view of something, or to help tell the story.