This is an extensive Top 20 List on Film Techniques of famous Film Directors. You might have focused most of your time on 2 or 3 of these Film Techniques, but did you realize that some of the other techniques might be able to work in your film style as well. Learn about the techniques from the Classic Hollywood Narrative to French New Wave, and even to the more modern film techniques, such as; Modern Contemporary Expressionism, SurReal “Lynchian” Narrative, and Special Effects Narrative in this Top 20 Film Technique List.
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1.) Soviet Montage
¡Qué viva México! (1979)
The Soviet Montage Film Techniques (Of the 1920s) are all about creating cinema that relies heavily upon editing (montage is French for “putting together”). Although Soviet filmmakers in the 1920s disagreed about how exactly to view montage, Sergei Eisenstein Filmmaking Techniques marked a note of accord in “A Dialectic Approach to Film Form” when he noted that montage is “the nerve of cinema”, and that “to determine the nature of montage is to solve the specific problem of cinema”.
Eisenstein’s (Battleship Potemkin) view that “montage is an idea that arises from the collision of independent shots” wherein “each sequential element is perceived not next to the other, but on top of the other” has become most widely accepted.
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2.) French New Wave
Qui etes-vous, Polly Maggoo? (1966)
The French New Wave Film Techniques or (Nouvelle Vague) came to development between 1958 – 1967. It began when a young group of filmmakers, unified in their ideas, came together. Over the next ten years, filmmakers such as Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut and Claude Chabrol (all original “Cahier” critics) would create a radically new and invigorated form of film technique. Francois Truffaut and Jean Luc Godard, who was associated with a group of filmmakers connected to the magazine ’Cahiers du cinema’ rejected the classical film techniques of French cinema ’le cinema du papa’ and wanted to explore a more experimental ‘auteur’ based concept to their works. Francois Truffaut who was associated with a group of filmmakers connected to the magazine ’Cahiers du cinema’. Also connected to the magazine was Jean Luc Godard, they among others rejected the classical film techniques of French cinema ’le cinema du papa’ and wanted to explore a more experimental ‘auteur’ based concept to their works.They took their cameras out of the safety and comfort of the sound stage and into the streets of Paris. Long tracking shots were severed by jump cuts within and between scenes creating a jarring, spastic narrative. While a number of their innovations were born of necessity in the Post-World War II French economy, the films created during this time have continued to inspire directors for their resourcefulness and originality.
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3.) German Expressionism
Warning Shadows (1922)
The German Expressionism Film Techniques (1919-1926) developed in Germany (especially Berlin) during the 1920s. During the period of recovery following World War I, the German film industry was booming, but because of the hard economic times filmmakers found it difficult to create movies that could compare with the lush, extravagant features coming from Hollywood. The filmmakers of the German UFA studio developed their own style, by using symbolism and mise en scène to insert mood and deeper meaning into a movie.
F.W Murnau Filmmaking Techniques were highly symbolic and deliberately surrealistic portrayals of filmed stories. The first Expressionist films made up for a lack of lavish budgets by using set designs with wildly non-realistic, geometrically absurd sets, along with designs painted on walls and floors to represent lights, shadows, and objects (Chiaroscuro). The plots and stories of the Expressionist films often dealt with madness, insanity, betrayal, and other “intellectual” topics (as opposed to standard action-adventure and romantic films); the German name for this type of storytelling was called Kammerspielfilm.
The themes of Expressionism were integrated into later films of the 1920s and 1930s, resulting in an artistic control over the placement of scenery, light, and shadow to enhance the mood of a film. This dark, moody school of filmmaking was brought to America when the Nazis gained power and a number of German filmmakers emigrated to Hollywood. They found a number of American movie studios willing to embrace them, and several of the German directors and cameramen flourished, producing a repertoire of Hollywood films that had a profound effect on the medium of film as a whole.
Two genres that were especially influenced by Expressionism were the horror film and film noir. Carl Laemmle and Universal Studios had made a name for themselves by producing such famous horror films of the silent era as Lon Chaney’s The Phantom of the Opera. German emigrees such as Karl Freund (the cinematographer for Dracula (1931) set the style and mood of the Universal monster movies of the 1930s with their dark and artistically designed sets, providing the benchmark for later generations of horror films. Meanwhile, such directors as Fritz Lang and Michael Curtiz introduced the Expressionist style to the crime dramas of the 1940s, influencing a further line of filmmakers and taking Expressionism through the years.
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4.) Italian NeoRealism
Ossessione (1943)
The Italian NeoRealism Film Techniques (1942-1951) made during the film movement which started in 1943 with Ossessione and ended in 1952 with Umberto D. Though short lived its influences on many other neo-realist movements, including the most current coming from the middle-east, most notably from Iran. The movement is characterized by stories set amongst the poor and working class, filmed in long takes on location, frequently using nonprofessional actors for secondary and sometimes primary roles. Italian neorealist films mostly contend with the difficult economical and moral conditions of postwar Italy, reflecting the changes in the Italian psyche and the conditions of everyday life: defeat, poverty, and desperation. Because Cinecittà (a complex of studios in Rome–the center of commercial filmmaking in Italy since 1936) was occupied by refugees, films were shot outdoors, amidst devastation.
The movement was developed by a circle of film critics that revolved around the magazine Cinema, including Michelangelo Antonioni , Luchino Visconti, Gianni Puccini, Giuseppe De Santis (Roma ore 11, 1952 and Bitter Rice, 1950). Largely prevented from writing about politics (the editor-in-chief of the magazine was none other than Vittorio Mussolini, son of Benito Mussolini), the critics attacked the telefono bianco films that dominated the industry at the time. As a counter to the poor quality of mainstream films, some of the critics felt that Italian cinema should turn to the realist writers from the turn of the century.
The neorealists were heavily influenced by French poetic realism. Indeed, both Michelangelo Antonioni and Luchino Visconti had worked closely with Jean Renoir. Additionally, many of the filmmakers involved in neorealism developed their skills working on calligraphist films (though the short-lived movement was markedly different from neorealism Elements of neorealism are also found in the films of Alessandro Blasetti and the documentary-style films of Francesco Federico Fellini Filmmaking Techniques.
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5.) Special Effects Narrative
Jason And The Argonauts (1963)
The Special Effects Narrative Film Techniques are best known as an art, science, and a story all in one. The “science” part involves the complete understanding of how the audio-visual sensory parts of our body and brain perceive the world around us, while the “art” part involves the strategic use of this information to fool the sensory system. While the “story” implements both the science and the art into a cognitive form of understanding played out in a sequence of events.
Principle of Motion Picture : The Principle of Motion Picture is totally based on the phenomenon of Persistence of Vision. Without it, motion picture as we know it simply would’nt exist. Our eyes can retain a picture for a fraction of a second after seeing one. Before this time frame expires, if a another similar picture is shown in its place, the eyes see it as a continuation of the first picture, and don’t perceive the gap between the two. If a series of still pictures depicting progressively incrementing action is flashed before the eyes in rapid succession, the eyes see it as a scene depicting smooth, flowing action. All visual media (Movies, TV, Electronic Displays, Laser Light Shows, etc) exploit this phenomenon. Thanks to Persistence of Vision, our entertainment industry could make a transition from perpectual live shows like dance and dramas, to record able entertainment like movies.
Persistence of Vision : Look at a bright light for a few seconds and then abruptly close your eyes. The image of the light seems to stay in your eyes a little longer even though your eyes are closed. This phenomenon is termed as Persistence of Vision because the vision seems to persist for a brief moment of time. When the retina of the eyes are excited by light, they send impulses to the brain which are then interpreted as an image by the visual cortex in the brain. The cells in the retina continue to send impulses even after the incident light is removed. This continues for a few fractions of a second till the retinal cells return back to normal. Until that time, the brain continues to receive impulses from the retina, and hence seems to perceive an image of the source of light, giving rise to the phenomenon called Persistence of Vision.
What is Motion : Motion of an object is the continuous displacement of the object in space with reference to another object. In the absence of a reference object, motion ceases to be apparent. What this means is that motion is always measured in relation to another object, which is used as a reference point. When we drive, the road & the surroundings move past us. Thus we get the sensation of motion. So the road & surroundings are our reference points. When we fly, the earth beneath us is our reference point. But as you can see, the closer the reference point, the more acute the sense of motion. That’s why astronauts in orbit seldom sense speed (though they are moving at thousands of miles an hour ) because earth, their only reference point is quite far away.
OK, but what has this got to do with Special Effects?! An Sfx technique called compositing totally relies on the way our mind perceives motion. Compositing is one of the most useful tools in a Sfx technician’s bag of tricks. Keep these two in mind; the object, and its reference point(s); both of these are necessary to perceive motion in a scene. James Cameron Filmmaking Techniques were a breaking point in two effects… CGI/Digital and a newer 3D camera, known as the “Simulcam”.
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6.) Social SurRealism
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The Social SurRealism Film Techniques works with symbolic images representing the inner visions of the workings of man within the context of the collective unconscious. Social Surrealism uncovers the monsters created, and the suffering inflicted, by man’s misinterpretation of reality. It exposes, examines and satirizes the hypocrisy of society, making it the most unsettling type of Surrealism. Because Social Surrealism looks for the true meaning of justice, it conveys the reality of how all societies fall short of their highest potential.
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7.) “Hitchcockian” Suspense
Spellbound (1945)
The “Hitchcockian” Suspense Film Techniques is the state of anxious uncertainty or expectation, or a quote from the master of suspense himself, Sir Alfred Hitchcock, is “Suspense is an inciting breathless curiosity and in establishing a complicity between the director and the spectator”. Suspense in films is to be thought of as a harmonious subject, as the director and audience need to be on the same wave length to feel the true and full potential of suspense right. A suspense film contains a build up throughout the film, to bring the audience to the climax of the film and leaves them on the edge of their seats, while they wait for that crucial heart stopping moment they have been waiting for. Once the director has played out the suspense, the build up starts again, further more bringing the audience to the anxious uncertainty.
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8.) Existentialism
Fight Club (1999)
The Existentialism Film Techniques is a primarily 20th century school of thought. Existentialists defines life as meaningless outside of our own personal choices. Most existentialists are athesists, and believe that there is no after-life. They define reality as absurd. Existentialism is just as popular now as it was during its prime in the mid-twentieth century. Many well known films have existentialist themes like individuality, alienation, and the power of nothingness. Existentialism in film is based more around specific philosophers and their beliefs. Such as:
Nietzsche: Considered to be the father of existentialism. Important themes of his work include the meaningless nature of existence, challenging societal values, nihilism, and the power of strength. Some of his most important works include Will To Power, Thus Spoke Zarathrusa, and Beyond Good and Evil.
Sartre: Considered the most successful existentialist writer. His works focus on themes of alienation, loneliness, corruption in life and the importance of defining your own existence. Some of his most memorable works include Being and Nothingness, Nausea, and the play No Exit.
Camus: Best known for his novel The Stranger which tells the tale of a man faced with the absurdity of life. The stories themes include the search for integrity, living with unfortunate circumstances, and the importance of making one’s own choices.
One of the more influential Existential Film Directors; Ingmar Bergman Filmmaking Techniques.
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9.) Classic Hollywood Narrative
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10.) Conditional Narrative
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11.) “Lubitsch” Comedy
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12.) Modern Contemporary Expressionism
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13.) Realism
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14.) “Capraesque” Narrative
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15.) Psychological Realism
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16.) Slapstick Comedy
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17.) SurReal “Lynchian” Narrative
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18.) Screwball Comedy
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19.) Fantasy Narrative
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20.) Nonlinear Narrative
Chicago Film Director Woody Lindsey
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