Slum Dog Millionaire Directed by Danny Boyle

In the film ‘Slum dog Millionaire” directed by Danny Boyle, the mysterious character of Maman, is introduced to us in the scene at a dumpsite. This scene also shows the three principle characters together. Boyle uses this scene to create a good vs. evil theme, which can also be seen as a character trait, to provide descriptions of a particular character wich has created a mystery within the scene and answer questions formed from the technique used. He uses four techniques to show this – low angle, diegetic sound, side lighting and establishing shot.

Boyle uses a low camera angle to portray the theme, good vs evil. This is shown when Maman leans into the tent, slowly and reluctantly, as he hands the vulnerable Jamal and Salim a cold Coca-Cola. The use of low angle, creates a sense of mystery and shows us the audience, this man should not be messed with displaying the good vs evil characteristic Maman has. This makes the audience display emotion towards Jamal and Salim because the low angle makes Maman look powerful and possibly harmful to the children. Boyle also uses diegetic sound when the Kids are eating around the table, and when they are singing. The use of this technique shows reality in the scene as diegetic sound is a type of sound you can see. This continues a good vs evil theme as the dialogue used when the kids are talking to each other sounds happy and excited, however what they are actually saying ‘we aren’t allowed talk to others’ tells the audience that there is more to the story than what we thought.  Diegetic sound also reinforces the mystery created by the low angle as the audience is willing to find out what is going to happen next because of the diegetic sound used.  Also this foreshadows a question later in the movie during the game show ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ in which Jamal participates in.

Another technique used by Boyle is side lighting to furthermore display good vs evil. The use of this technique questions the fact weather Maman is actually a good person. This reinforces the idea of mystery created by past film techniques, because when Maman is standing in the distance watching the children eat their food, one side of his face is lit up which creates a sense of evil or even a rush of creepiness throughout the audience. Maman has provided the kids with food, water and adequate shelter, as they didn’t have it at the dumpsite, which displays Maslows basic hierarchy of needs. Maslows hierarchy is the description of human behaviour. In order to achieve this, one must satisfy lower tier level more basic needs before progressing on to meet higher tier level more complicated needs. When a lower need has been satisfied it will go away, and our activities become automatically directed towards meeting the next set of needs that we have yet to satisfy. Because Maman has given the kids the first level of Maslow, which will give them a chance in life, this makes the audience suggest that Maman is good, however the use of this technique over shadows this suggestion. Later in the film we remember this scene because we begin to realise what Maman actually does. Another effective technique used to develop good vs evil is a series of camera shots. We see this as an establishing shot of the yellow van, after collecting the children from the dumpsite, driving in the country side. This creates a rhetorical question within the viewers of ‘where are they going’? Then Boyle cuts to a close up of one of Jamal inside the van, which shows us his facial expressions which is excitement. The use of this technique puzzles the audience because we don’t know why Jamal would be excited. It then jumps to another establishing shot of many disabled kids playing on a playground, again questioning the audience and reinforcing the theme good vs evil. These shots signal the continuation mystery, as the audience is eager to find out if Maman is good or evil setting up the plot for the rest of the movie.