french new wave (1959 64)
Post on 22-Apr-2015
415 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
The french new wave
(1959-1964)
The french new wave
Origin:
The label ‘New Wave’ appeared in a sociological investigation of the phenomenon of the new post war generation published in L’ Express.
The survey involved 8 million French people between the ages of 18 and 30 who were asked questions relating to fashion, moral values, life styles and cultural behaviour .
The findings were published in a volume under the title of La’ Nouvelle vague: Portraits de la jeunesse (The New wave: Portraits of youth )
The french new wave
Origin:
In the 50’s a collective intellectual French Film critics led by Andrew Bazin and Jacques Donial-Valcroze formed the ground breaking journal of film criticism ‘Cahiers Du Cinema’.
They influenced the writings of French Film Critic Alexander Astruc , who had argued for breaking away from the “tyranny of narrative ” in favour of a new form of film language.
The cahiers critic Bazin and Valcroze who had grown up in the post war years watching mostly American films that had not been available in France during the occupation.
Cahiers du cinema
Two Guiding Principles:
A rejection of classical montage style film making, in favour of : mise-en-scene or literally ‘placing in the scene’ . Long take and deep composition.
Cahiers du cinema
Two Guiding Principles:
A conviction of that the best films are personal artistic expression and should and bear a stamp of personal authorship, much as great work of literature bear the stamp of the writer. This later tenet would be dubbed by American film critic Andrew Sarris the “Auteur (Author) theory”.
The french new wave
The film makers of French New wave are their own style and distinctive. But they collectively comprised one of the most influential movements in cinema history.
Some of films aged better than others. Even though they weren’t aiming at mainstream success. Many of these films became popular and critically acclaimed worldwide. The subject of much debate and ultimately inspired filmmakers everywhere.
The five film makers who came from cahiers du cinema (Truffaut, Godard, Chabrol, Rivette and Rohmer) were incredibly prolific: in the years between 1959 and 1966, the peak of the new wave. They made 32 films.
A technical practice - an Aesthetic
The auteur director is also the scenarist/script writer for the film.
The director doesn’t follow a strict pre-established shooting script.
The director privileges shooting in natural locations.
The director opts for ‘direct sound’. The director doesn’t depend on additional
lighting. The director employs non-professional
actors. The direct will direct professional actors in a
free manner. Unhappy ending films
Techniques in Camera
Mise-en-scene – a new visual fiesta
Natural lighting
Liberation of camera from tripod
Use hidden camera
Actor looks camera while acting
Techniques in Editing
Discontinuity of shots while editing.
The long take, (Citizen Cane ASL* – 10.7, Matrix ASL – 3.3 Sec)
Syncopated editing
Jump cut & Unnatural Jump cut
Break the rules- Create new one- Break them
ASL –Average Shot Length
Techniques in Sound
Interior monologues and comments
Modern sound tracks
Direct sound recording
No scripted dialogues (Improvise in situation)
The new approach allow for?
A greater sense of flexibility. Erasing the boundaries between
professional and amateur cinema/ fiction and documentary.
Creativity in film making –creation of narrative is unrestricted.
LOW budgets. An exploration of the contemporary. Digression and Subversion.
Key Directors
François Truffault Jean-Luc Godard Claude Chabrol Jacques Rivette Eric Romer Agnés Varda Louis Malle all of these directors started as critic except for Agnés Varda and Louis Malle
top related