Task One

Task 1
　
Danny Boyle uses montage in his films to condense space, time or information. In Trainspotting there is a montage sequence, set to the song “Nightclubbing” by Iggy Pop, where Renton, Sick Boy and Spud get back on heroin. We see them stealing and dealing drugs to fund their habit. Renton narrates all the drugs that he and his mates deal and steal, and despite the action in this scene, the choice of music and editing used in this montage convey the message to the audience that the boys are happy to be back on heroin and are having a good time. The good times don’t last though. If you listen carefully you can hear an infant’s distorted wails playing over this montage, and the “good times” displayed in this scene come to a screeching halt with their flatmate Allison’s screams after discovering her baby has died from neglect. It is also during this sequence that Tommy starts using heroin, which later leads to him contracting AIDS and dying. The purpose of this montage is to show the audience all the horrible and devastating things that occur while the boys are high on heroin without them even noticing. It lets us know what a powerful and dangerous drug it is, because previously to this scene we had mostly only seen the positive consequences that heroin had for them. This sequence brings the characters and the audience back to reality.There is also another montage sequence in Trainspotting where Renton moves to London to become a property-letting agent.This scene shows some of the main features and landmarks of London, and the editing is extremely quick which lets the audience know how fast-paced life in London is. We see Renton enjoying his job, earning and saving money, and keeping in contact with his girlfriend. Trainspotting constantly swings between integration with society and withdrawal from it, which is basically the life of a heroin addict. Like the previous montage, things soon take a turn for the worst with the arrival of Renton’s violent friend Begbie.

There is an important montage midway through Slumdog Millionaire. This sequence takes place on the railways of Mumbai, where a young Jamal and Salim ride from place to place, stealing what they need to survive.


Although this doesn’t sound like much of a life, it is one of the most cheerful moments in the film. It is set to the upbeat and catchy song “Paper Planes” by M.I.A, and conveys to the audience quite simply a feeling of happiness, because we see the boys are happy themselves. This montage sequence is very similar to the drug montage in Trainspotting in the sense that the characters are living what we would consider an unhappy life, living in poverty and stealing to survive, but in both montages we see that the characters are happy with the way they are living and enjoying and appreciating what they do have. These sequences make the audience feel grateful for what they have. At the end of this montage in Slumdog Millionaire we see the boys jump off the train, and suddenly they have aged several years. This montage is used to show the passing of time.

In The Beach there is a montage which shows us how apparently idyllic and perfect life on the beach is. We see the community all working together, playing games, relaxing and enjoying themselves. It makes the beach seem like the paradise that Richard and everyone on the island had always hoped for. Of course, just like in Trainspotting, the good times don’t last. The montage sequence ends with Richard relaxing in a hammock playing Nintendo, with distant screams in the background. Boyle then cuts to a shot of one of community members being dragged up the beach by another, after being attacked by a shark, while a third who has also been attacked is left lying on the beach. It then cuts back to Richard on the hammock before he realises what has happened. The purpose of this montage sequence is similar to those in Trainspotting, to bring everyone back to reality and show that good times can’t last forever. This montage sequence also conveys one of the main themes of the film to the audience. There is no such thing as paradise.
　
Danny Boyle’s films each have a completely different story, setting and mood. He uses the soundtrack to emphasise important moments in the film, incorporate settings and cultures, and stir up a wide range of feelings in the viewer.
The music of Trainspotting is used to evoke many feelings in the viewer. The film begins with Iggy Pop’s, “Lust for Life” which is an energetic punk song that matches the scene where Renton, Sick Boy and Spud are trying to escape the police. Not long after this the tone is changed with the song “Habanera”, from the opera “Carmen”, as Renton is trying to give up heroin. This evokes a sense of irony in the viewer, as the music doesn’t match the struggle that Renton is going through. The final scenes in the film, where Renton steals drug money off his friends, are emphasised by the song “Born Slippy” by Underworld. This is a heavy and energetic dance track, which gives of feelings of excitement but also those of regret and conflict. Danny Boyle chooses music that will indicate important moments in the film, but also makes humorous or ironic choices to help us further understand the inner workings of the characters minds.

Slumdog Millionaire is a faced-paced, intense film which needed a driving score to accompany it. The soundtrack is made up of a unique mix of Bollywood and hip-hop, combining both the traditional yet contemporary and modern setting of the film. Danny Boyle said that he wanted a “pulsey” score, and told composer A. R. Rahman, “Never put a cello in my film.” Boyle wanted edgy and upfront music, and Rahman created pieces to match what we were visually seeing on the screen. The first song we hear is “O…Saya”, performed by M.I.A and A.R. Rahman. This song is up-tempo and electrifying and creates suspense and intensity for the viewer as we see the young Jamal and Salim getting chased through the streets of Mumbai. This is similar to the scene at the beginning of Trainspotting where an upbeat song with a driving beat is used to intensify a chase scene for the audience.

The Beach is famous for its soundtrack, which is extremely memorable and sets the mood for the film. The song “Porcelain”, by Moby, is probably the most memorable of the film.You can’t listen to it without being instantly transported back to the world you were in while watching The Beach. This song is used when Richard first lays eyes on the beach and perfectly captures the wonder and amazement he feels. Danny Boyle has chosen to use some of the same artists in this film as he has in previous ones, such as Underworld, a techno/dance group. He’s used a more toned down, relaxed track for The Beach as it better fits the mood of the film. The music generally stays with the tone of the film, relaxed and calm when all is well, and more upbeat and dramatic when the story calls for it.

Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire and The Beach have some of the most unique settings I have ever seen in a film before, and although all three are completely different, there are a few similar aspects.
Whether it’s urban Scotland, the slums of Mumbai, or a hidden island in Thailand, Boyle ensures that his settings have a unique, grungy, and somewhat enchanting feel. The purpose of this is to transport the audience to a world they have never experienced before, while still keeping it believable enough for them to imagine themselves there. Boyle captures the audience with the setting which helps them relate to the characters and further understand the themes and ideas in the movie.
These films were shot on location, rather than in a studio. Boyle chose to shoot Slumdog Millionaire entirely Mumbai, which gave a great depiction of India, from its impoverished slums to its lavish urban areas. Boyle didn’t sugar-coat anything in the setting, showing the audience how bleak and wretched many third-world regions around the world can be.
Trainspotting is set in an economically depressed Scotland. The setting is mostly urban, showing run down, filthy disgusting buildings, with only one scene where we see some kind of natural landscape, when the boys all go out to the hills. The setting represents the lives of the drug addicts, mostly hopeless and grimy, but with a few glimmers of hope, but even when Renton is looking out at a stunning Scottish landscape, he can’t find anything to be positive about, showing the audience the hopelessness and despair in his life.



The setting of The Beach is crucial to the storyline and helping the audience understand the main themes and ideas of the film. It is set on a secluded Island paradise in Thailand, so that’s where it was shot, because natural beauty like that can’t be manufactured. The stunning setting is used to show that it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, or how perfect it may seem, people will always turn on each other, and life is more about the people you surround yourself with than where you are.