Key narrative and technical conventions of the French New Wave approach to film making:

The French new wave movement is characterised by a number of narrative conventions including; non-linear storytelling, jump cuts, and improvisation. Directors often used handheld cameras to create a sense of spontaneity and realism, with many films being shot on location rather than in a studio for authenticity. The French new wave movement also emphasised personal expression and experimentation and many directors broke away from traditional narrative structures to explore new forms of storytelling.

There were two different approaches to film making in the French New Wave movement, the two groups were the “Left Bank” and the “Right Bank”. The Left Bank group included directors such as Alain Resnais and Agnes Varda, who tended to focus on more experimental, avant-garde filmmaking. The Right Bank group, which included directors such as Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, tended to be more focused on traditional narrative storytelling. While these two groups had different approaches to filmmaking, they both played a significant role in shaping the French New Wave movement.