French New wave auteurs like Godard envisioned their films as a radical re-visioning of the static filmmaking of the French studio system. What experimental ideas or techniques did you notice in Breathless (could you explain in some detail)? How do these experiments change the way we enjoy a film? Are they engaging or annoying? Do they bring meaning to the film? Do they make fun of the whole idea of bringing meaning to film?
Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless" established itself as a seminal film and it paved the way for the French New Wave, completely changing cinema and cinematography techniques. With its use of engaging techniques including shot length and camera movement, "Breathless" puts itself out as something completely different than any film preceding it. The shot length is the most obvious of these techniques, and both short and long shots are implemented to give different effects to the audience. For example, quick cuts after short shots help the audience stay engaged and focused on what the characters are saying. One great example of this is from 21:00-22:00, when Michel and Patricia are in the car. The camera keeps the same angle, looking over Patricia's left shoulder from behind her. With this single angle, Godard could have chosen to make this scene a single shot, yet he splits up the shots and cuts the scene over 10 times. Most of these happen while Michel describes his dream woman: "I love a woman who has a nice neck, [cut] nice breasts, [cut] a nice voice, [cut]…" (22:00). Additionally, each cut shows Patricia's reactions to what he says, showing her turning her head away and presumably rolling her eyes. These cuts not only show Patricia's annoyance with Michel's insolence towards women, but it also keeps the audience engaged with what Michel is saying, emphasizing each thing he says here. Camera cuts like this, however, completely do away with the Hollywood method of continuity editing, as each cut brings entirely different lighting and backgrounds without changing the subject of the shot, something that had previously been inconceivable. The camera movement in "Breathless" follows this trend of innovation. A great showcase of Godard's "new wave" camera movement appears when Patricia tells Michel that she revealed his location to the police. Patricia circles the room as she explains that she does not want to be in love with him, and the camera follows her, with a continuous straight-on of her face as she walks. However, the camera (without cutting) then focuses on to Michel, who laments about the unfairness of women. The purpose of this movement is to highlight what each of the characters are saying without specifically cutting to each of them. Movement like this, while it might seem common in today's films, was revolutionary for the time. Techniques like these by Godard in "Breathless" characterize the French New Wave, and they set the stage for future films not just from French directors, but across the world.
ReplyDeleteBreathless is a staple film of the French New Wave movement. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard and released in 1960, the film is considered to be one of the defining works of French Cinema. The French New Wave was a cinematic movement that emerged in the early 1960s in France. It comprised young French filmmakers who rejected traditional filmmaking practices and focused on experimentation and individual expression. It was characterized by focusing on experimental techniques, such as jump cuts and handheld cameras. Godard's use of jump cuts is particularly innovative, as he uses them to create a sense of immediacy or dramatic effect. The abrupt shifts from one image to the next can help create a sense of movement and action. The film's use of close-ups and extreme close-ups on the faces of the characters creates a sense of intimacy and intensity. These elements are seen in many conversation scenes, and it helps to create a sense of time passing and makes the scene more dynamic. Handheld camera movement shows how the French new wave wanted to break away from traditional Hollywood filmmaking techniques. Only static camera work was featured in Hollywood films at the time. Godard's use of the handheld camera in "Breathless" was intended to create a sense of realism and spontaneity, and to capture the impulsive energy of the film's characters. The use of handheld cameras allowed for a more dynamic and fluid visual style, with the camera moving with the action and characters in a way that feels more natural than traditional Hollywood films. The camera often follows the characters in close-up, allowing the audience to feel as if they are right there with them. This helps to create a sense of emotional intensity, especially during the film's more tense or dramatic moments. An example of this is seen at 1:24:10, when Patricia is talking about her feelings towards Michel after calling the police on him. The camerawork in this scene creates a more natural shot. In conclusion, Breathless is a groundbreaking film that exemplifies the French New Wave style. The film's raw, experimental editing and camera work continue to influence filmmakers today, making it a classic of world cinema.
ReplyDeleteThe film, “Breathless,” directed by Jean-Luc Godard, revolutionized a new way to create movies, completely changing how all directors could shoot films with new camera and cinematography techniques. Created in 1959, Godard set out unto the streets of Paris using new lightweight cameras, cutting the immobility of a huge film crew, no granted permission to film, and an unfinished script he would often write the morning of each shot. This raw-guerrilla-like take on creating films headed the birth of the French New Wave. And though viewers might view this technique as unprofessional, he could perfectly portray different elements and effects in the film to the audience with new strategies that are abundant in cinema today. Firstly, Godard would consider the shot length and camera movement in scenes to ensure the audience stays engaged and focused. The scene where Michel and Patricia talk in the car is an excellent example. Viewers can see that the camera doesn’t move from its position over Patricas left shoulder, yet there are still cuts in the scene, happening while Michel describes what he wants in a woman. After each description, the scene cuts, allowing the audience to stay engaged while also telling them how insolent Michel is. As the description of his perfect woman seems short, the scenes' cuts emphasize how long he rambles on by creating an effect where the viewers continually skip forward in his chat until the end. With each new shot having new lighting and backgrounds to portray that time has passed. These sudden jump-cuts and odd continuity brought freedom to cinema that was quickly adapted into Hollywood films influencing movies today.
ReplyDelete“Breathless” by Jean-Luc Godard is a 1960 film that is the definition of the French New Wave – experimentation and interesting camera movement/angles. The filmmakers completely abandoned customary practices and instead decided to mess around and innovate. Handheld cameras were used, which added more motion and intensity to certain scenes that an unmoving camera couldn’t. It’s debatable whether or not this was a good choice - as constant movement/shakiness could confuse the viewer and make it harder to watch – but the beauty of this film is that it was all about experimentation. Another technique Godard used to create a feeling of movement and intensity was abrupt jump cuts – which weren’t traditional at all in Hollywood-style movies. The abruptness of a jump cut, if used correctly, could add energy and emotion to an otherwise dull scene – such as a conversation or during travel. Camera movement was also used to make things more interesting – for example, there is a scene near the end when Patricia called the cops on Michel, and the camera followed her around in a circle. The movement added confusion to the scene, but I feel that it was a good thing. Michel just learned that someone he cares deeply about was the one who ratted him out to the police. One last interesting part of the movie that I’d like to mention is the use of multiple languages. There are multiple scenes where Patricia and others are mixing French with English in a single sentence, and I think that just adds to the whole experimentation theme. Overall, the French New Wave is a time of pure experimentation and innovation.
ReplyDeleteSome of the techniques and styles I noticed were very much unique, but incredibly subtle. A lot of these techniques are distinct in the way the camera is moved and positioned during certain scenes. The camera in this style is a lot more centered on the actors. Two particular instances I can think of are scenes of the two characters, one where Patricia is walking in circles, and the other of Michel awkwardly running away from the camera. I really liked the long take, which, while isn't unusual, is great for what it was used for. Seeing the camera always in front of Patricia as she's talking with Michel is just great camerawork, great acting, and it really worked. It was something about the way it focused on the actor, with the repetitiveness of the scene that melded with the themes present in the movie, of Patricia going around in circles and trying to figure out what she wants. I even managed to recognize a similar shot to this in the latest Spider-Man movie, which is cool to see. When Michel gets shot, that entire sequence, contrary to the previous one, doesn't work very well. It is also a long take, but the way in which it's shot, with the actor fumbling around on a street before falling over is just goofy, which I think was intentional, even if it didn't personally work for me. I understand the purpose of the angle, the scene, and everything involved, but it really just didn't resonate with me like I thought it should've and that's okay, because in the end, all of these techniques and styles are all a part of experiments made during the French New Wave movement. A great representation of this is in breaking certain rules in filmmaking, like when it comes to jump cuts. At various points in the film, a character will be explaining something to the camera or to someone else, and the film will jump cut between each word they say if they're listing off certain things. Personally, I thought that it worked. It added a kind of quirky charm, but also really added to the monotony of certain scenes. Like when Michel is explaining his tastes and troubles with Patricia in the car, he's just going on and on, never really stopping, and I think those jump cuts demonstrate a kind of feeling that's really hard to put into words. It's the same feeling you get when someone's words just blur together, and you zone out. Almost like a miniature montage? Regardless, a lot of the styles present in this film represent a good amount of experimentation that French New Wave is famous for, and generally, it adds more to the film then it takes away.
ReplyDeleteThe new, experimental film and editing techniques in French New Wave cinematographer Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless are used to give viewers the emotional experience of being a part of a modern, youthful relationship. The film takes place in Paris and follows the relationship between its two protagonists, Michel Poiccard and Patricia Franchini. The film portrays their relationship as quick, intense, and fleeting and emphasizes these characteristics through scenes with sporadic cuts and short shot lengths. An example of the use of quick cuts is in the scene where Michel and Patricia are driving in the car. The scene is made up of quick, often repeated shots, with Michel telling Patricia different things he likes about a woman. With each attribute he names, such as a “nice neck,” “nice forehead,” or “nice knees,” a cut takes place, despite each one being of Patricia captured from the same angle. These quick cuts emphasize the film’s portrayal of youthful relationships as brief and fleeting, with moments that we often remember only in pieces. By editing this scene with lots of cuts and short snippets of dialogue, the film brings the audience into the feeling of being in a modern, youthful relationship. They are quick, as well as intense and passionate, as Michel is describing the physical aspects of women that appeal to him. The editing techniques used in Breathless bring the audience into the relationship between Michel and Patricia and allow viewers to experience the feelings of their fleeting time together.
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