Media Essays

Text: Slumdog Millionaire 
Question: Factors Affecting Production 
Essay: There are many factors that have affected the production of the film Slumdog Millionaire. 
The film , directed by Danny Boyle is et in the busy city Mumbai. The film is not only set there but was also filmed there. Filming on location has benefited the production in many ways. For example, the real life sets and locations adds authenticity to the film. It did however cause some problems whilst the film was being shot. Due to Mumbai being a very busy city, a lot of onlookers would gather round at the sight of a camera, which would in turn ruin takes and make shooting a scene more challenging. The city landscape is always changing meaning that by the time cast and crew would revisit scenes and locations the layout would have completely changed. Danny Boyle described it as being like the sea, always looking the same but constantly changing. Some of the scenes are set in the train station of Mumbai which is known for being very busy and round the clock. 
Due to this Danny Boyle would have to film the scenes when the trains were operating as it was impossible to stop them. This meant that filming with the younger actors was much more challenging and dangerous especially because of the size and amount of trains they had to work by. 
The casting of the film was also crucial as it is centred on 3 different characters throughout 3 different ages of their lives. The person responsible for the casting was Lovleen Tanden. She was eventually given the title of co-director alongside Danny Boyle, due to the amount of work she did whilst working with the younger actors , especially because she acted as translator and communicator between the younger actors and the director. The actors had to be believable due to the closeness of the age gap. Two of the three young actors were not actual professional actors, but children from the slums of Mumbai, this factor would help add realism to the film. Dev Patel , who plays Jamal is the only British actor within the film. The reason for this is because Danny Boyle wanted and ordinary looking boy instead of muscled man which was common in India at the time of filming. 
The film has been adopted by the novel Q&A into screen play by Simon Beaufoy. Beaufoy decided to pay many visits to Mumbai in order to fully understand the culture and the way of life of Mumbai. Boyle only decided to direct this film after he heard that Simon Beaufoy was involved. 
Boyle originally wanted to use 35mm cameras but found that they were too static,so in turn used ones that were easily movable. This was so they could weave around the alleys and step reefs of Mumbai. Boyle didn't want the audience to just look at the slums he wanted them to actually experience them. Danny Boyle as a director for this film is a positive and energetic factor, her worked closely with the cast and crew in order to produce the best film possible. 
Completed: Yes Word Count: (Highlight essay, look bottom left corner) 511 Grade: