The french new wave - What is and why does. it matter?

Transcription

1 The french new wave - What is and why does An artistic movement whose influence on film has been as profound to modern cinema and cinamagraphic style. A further celebration of auteur and the rise of the camera stylo. Promoted a explosion of young it matter?

2 Origins of the NEW WAVE The label NEW WAVE appeared in a sociological investigation of the phenomenon of the new post war generation published in L Express in This survey involved 8 million French people between the ages of 18 and 30 who were asked questions relating to fashion, morals, values, lifestyles 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]

3 Cahiers du Cinema In the 50s, a collective of intellectual French film critics, led by André Bazin and Jacques Donial-Valcroze, formed the groundbreaking journal of film criticism Cahiers du Cinema. They, in turn, had been influenced by the writings of French film critic Alexandre Astruc, who had argued for breaking away from the "tyranny of narrative" in favour of a new form of film (and sound) language. The Cahiers critics gathered by Bazin and Doniol-Valcroze were all young cinephiles who had grown up in the postwar years watching mostly great American films that had not been available in France during the Occupation.

4 Cahiers du cinema had two guiding principles: 1) A rejection of classical montage-style filmmaking (favoured by studios up to that time) in favour of: mise-en-scene, or, literally, "placing in the scene" (favouring the reality of what is filmed over manipulation via editing), the long take, and deep composition 2) A conviction that the best films are a personal artistic expression and should bear a stamp of personal authorship, much as great works of literature bear the stamp of the writer. This latter tenet would be dubbed by American film critic Andrew Sarris the "auteur (author) theory."

5 Contributions and Contibuters The filmmakers of the French New Wave are unique and distinctive enough to stand out on their own but they collectively comprised one of the most influential movements in cinema history. The films weren't aiming at mainstream success, yet many of these films became popular and critically acclaimed worldwide, the subject of much debate, and, ultimately, the inspiration to filmmakers everywhere. The five filmmakers who came from the 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.

6 The style was also a product of advances in film an sound technology particularly... The hand-held camera Portability The portable sound recorder

7 Allowances: A greater sense of flexibility Erasing the boundaries between professional and amateur cinema/ fiction and documentary Creativity in filmmaking creation of narrative is unrestricted LOW budgets An exploration of the contemporary Digression and subversion

8 The Aesthetic of Direction The auteur director is also the scenarist/ scriptwriter for the film The director does not follow a strict pre-established shooting script The director privileges shooting in natural locations The director uses a small crew The director opts for direct sound The director does does not depend on additional lighting The director employs non-professional actors The director will direct famous actors in a free manner

9 New Wave Filming Alternative framing Natural lighting sharp contrast between Black and White Techniques Fast and sensitive stock Coutard s Self reference Auteur ( ) the appropriation of certain cinematic techniques and director styles influence REPORTAGE the HIDDEN camera Cinema verité Liberation of the camera from the TRIPOD Collaboration with cinematographers

10 New Wave Editing Techniques FLASH PANS Discontinuity of shot - A disregard of continuity editing Syncopated editing The LONG take static/mobile or lateral tracking RAPID REFRAMING from one shot to another jumpcut MODERN MONTAGE Break the rules CREATE new ones BREAK THEM

11 New Wave Sound Many New Wave films can be explored sound in unconventional ways The Nagra became an essential tool for the on-location, often improvisational techniques of the young French New Wave directors of the late 1950s and early '60s, such as François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard and Claude Chabrol, as well as US documentarians like DA Pennebaker, who used the Nagra to record Bob Dylan's 1965 tour featured in Don't Look Back. Many New Wave artist credited Stefan Kudelski with helping to make possible the informality and journalistic realism of their work. Interior Monologues and random comments MODERN SOUNDTRACKS Direct Sound sacrifice the sound for authenticity Transcribing direct sound and post synchronization (The NAGRA)

12 Key Films A BOUT DE SOUFFLE 1960 LES MISTONS 1958 ET DIEU CREA LA FEMME [And God Created Woman] 1956 LES QUATRE CENT COUPS 1959 JULES ET JIM 1962 LE BOUCHER [for the new wave style] 1970 LA PEAU DEUCE 1964 CHARLOTTE ET SON JULES

13 Jean Luc Godard & A Bout de Souffle The Story: Michel steals a car to drive to Paris. However, two policemen on motorcycles chase him. Michel runs into engine trouble. He turns off the road and attempts to fix his car, but is followed by one of the policemen. Michel shoots the policeman and runs off. The Style: Aesthetic features using the following techniques (innovative at the time): Location shooting Hand held camera - Shaky Natural lighting Subversion of rules of classical film making and editing - films are spontaneous and improvised performances rather than a mere recreation of the script. Subverts continuity editing Sequence does not aim to show sequence clearly but the VISION of the auteur.

14 And Now the Main Attraction

15 How do you think we see New Wave film reflected in film today? The evolution... Documentary Narrative and Cinema Verité - the filmmakers of the cinéma vérité movement acknowledge the presence of the camera and the filmmakers while seeking a direct connection with the subject, sometimes through confrontation, sometime interaction, sometimes merely removed observation.

16 How do you think your upcoming pocket film is like French New Wave?

17 Whats your story, your scenes, your storyboard?

18 Next Week!!! Project Proposal Review - Due March 10th - Week after next! - Setting up groups for pocket film - Sound to be discuss but screening canceled. Have a great week!