Any Prior Knowledge?

What do you know about South Africa ?

* Put your name on the little map* Colour in where you think the country of South Africa is *Surround the map with ideas / facts / impressions you have South Africa* Add a little frame

2.2 Analyse specified aspects of studied visual texts supported

by evidenceExternal: 4 credits

2.2 Assessment Requirements

• Show your knowledge of the film e.g. what happens, the order in which it happens, why it happens, what is said, how characters interact and if they change, themes and the setting

• Understand and explain how the director uses film techniques to suggest ideas e.g. lighting, sound, camera techniques, costume etc

Note: You will need to memorise these details!!

Tsotsi• Tsotsi means thug in

Afrikaans• Pronounce it as you read it, say the 'ts' part quickly, as an interrupted 's' sound.

• What does thug mean??

Why Did I Choose It For Our Study?

• It provides lots of ideas and film techniques to discuss in a Level 2 film essay

• It is an Oscar and other awards winner• Although it is set in a particular place, it has

universal, global themes and relevance• It provides challenge and something different • It broadens your general knowledge about the

world

Key Data• Director: Gavin Hood (Sth Africa)• Writer: Athol Fugard, adapted from his own novel(also directed X Men Origins, Wolverine, Ender’s Game etc)• Year Made: 2006• Awards: e.g. Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the

Year 2006 and many others• Genre: Psychological thriller? Social realism? Crime

drama?Warning: It is violent at times.

Where Is South Africa?

• Johannesburg

Setting Background • Soweto township is part of Johannesburg, a city in South Africa

• Soweto is a slum contrasted in the film with the rich suburbs where the educated middle class black couple live

• It’s post –apartheid South Africa, but tensions between black and white still evident in the film

• Its name is comes from South Western Townships

Soweto Uprising 1976• The Soweto Uprising, also known as 16 June, is a series of

protests led by high school students in South Africa that began on the morning of 16 June 1976.[

• Students from numerous Sowetan schools began to protest in the streets of Soweto in response to the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in local schools.[

• An estimated 20,000 students took part in the protests. The number of people who died is usually given as 176, with estimates of up to 700.

• 16 June is now a public holiday, Youth Day, in South Africa, in remembrance of the events of 1976.

Famous Image From the Uprising

Soweto Housing

Some Grim Facts• 51% of 15-24 year olds are unemployed in Sth

Africa (NZ 17.7%)• 18% of population have HIV/Aids(NZ 0.1%)• SA: Population below the poverty line = 31%

(NZ NA%)

Source: CIA Fact Book 2013

Universal Themes• The effects of poverty and violence

• The possibility of redemption• Decency• The battle between good and evil within the

individual and in society• Motherhood• Loyalty• The gap between rich and poor• The role of chance and opportunity in life

Eek! It’s Got Subtitles!• This film has a mixture of languages in it e.g.* Afrikaans* English • Local Soweto dialects

Good Points About Use of Subtitles* It’s easier for us to study the dialogue * It adds authenticity to the setting* It broadens your language horizons

Music on the Soundtrack • Kwaito Music

a music genre that emerged in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1990s.

• A type of house music featuring the use of African sounds and samples

• Kwaito often contains catchy melodic and percussive loop samples, deep bass lines, and vocals. Although bearing similarities to hip hop music, a distinctive feature of Kwaito is the manner in which the lyrics are sung, rapped and shouted.

• American producer Diplo has described Kwaito as "slowed-down garage music," most popular among the black youth of South Africa.[1]

• Source: Wikipedia