The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography in Moscow, Russia, also known as VGIK, has changed significantly since its founding in 1919. In 2023, it remains one of the most prestigious film schools in the world and is still a state-run institution, however, the school has become more focused on international collaboration and has opened its doors to students from around the world. The school has also starting including courses in areas such as animation, television, and video games. The VGIK has also developed in teaching methods and technology, using the latest equipment and techniques, such as digital editing and production equipment, as well as the latest software for post-production. While the fundamental principles of VGIK remain the same, the school is still considered to be at the forefront of film education and training.
The Russian expressionist art movement emerged in the early 20th century and was characterized by the use of a more abstract approach to art. Some of the stylistic conventions associated with the movement include the use of bold and vibrant colors, distorted and exaggerated shapes forms, symbolic imagery, and experimentation with new materials and techniques such as collage and mixed media. The movement aimed to express different states of the human mind, explore philosophy and spirituality, and reflect the turbulent political and social climate of the time. The Russian expressionist art movement was influential in shaping the development of modern art in Russia and beyond.
Books (Please) in all Branches of Knowledge – Alexander Rodchenko, 1924
Month of May – Vladimir Tatlin, 1916
Within these two paintings, you can visibly see these conventions throughout, Rodchenkos piece featuring more vibrant red tones while Tatlins bears a wider colour palette, both containing very abstract, sometimes geometric shapes. Rodchenko also uses mixed media within his work, which places it within a more relatable and realistic concept that connects with the audience of the time.
The aftermath of the First World War and the Russian Revolution had a significant impact on the production and content of classic Soviet constructionist cinema. Politically, the establishment of the Soviet Union as a socialist state resulted in the use of cinema as a tool for propaganda to promote Vladimir Lenin’s socialist ideologies. Socially, the Bolsheviks wanted to create a more egalitarian society by promoting concepts of communism, which was reflected in the content of Soviet cinema. Economically, the nationalization of the film industry by the Soviet government meant that they had more control over domestic filmmaking.
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
The content of classic Soviet constructionist cinema was designed to inspire the working class and promote socialist values. Films often depicted the struggles of the working classes and celebrated the country’s developments in science and technology. They also portrayed the triumph of the collective over the individual.
Visually, Soviet constructionist cinema was characterized by its use of montage. This technique was used to create a sense of urgency and inspire viewers to take action in a way that cinema hadn’t done before, which is why this style of filmmaking was considered to be so unique.
In my opinion, Citizen Kane was a 9/10, for its powerful messages and deep-rooted concentration on mortality and the futility of possessions and wealth.
My favourite scene within Citizen Kane is the final scene, where men are shown burning many of Kane’s possessions, one being “Rosebud”, his sled from his childhood and his final word before his death. It suggests that Kane wishes he could’ve had the life he had ripped away from him by his mother’s control, and implies that Kane was attempting to fill an unfillable void left by his unattainable childhood.
The use of mise-en-scene within El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, directed by Vince Gilligan, creates a post-apocalyptic atmosphere within a crime underworld in 2010 Albuquerque, New Mexico. Following the events of the TV series, the plot follows Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) as he flees law enforcement in search of freedom from the life of crime he was forced into.
In this scene, Jesse has a shootout with one of the people who had imprisoned him for months before the narrative takes place, Neil Kandy. From the mise-en-scene within this first shot, it’s obvious that the men in this building are considered very “masculine” and fit the stereotype of the classic American man. Imagery that reinforces this idea is the calendar on the fridge – bearing a woman in revealing clothing – The cans of beer and other bottles of alcohol placed around the room, and the various pieces of equipment such as the dolly and buckets, which represents the hard labouring jobs that men typically work in. The colour palette also links to this idea, with dull browns and greys in the walls, floors, and ceilings of the room, and even in the outfits of each man. From the first shot alone, it’s obvious that this is ‘no place for a woman’.
These next two shots provide more insight into the state of the ‘man cave’ that these men are placed it, which in turn helps to foreshadow the brutal display of violence that is to come as this scene progresses. The use of lighting in these two shots keeps the faces of Jesse and Neil more darkened as compared to the other man in shot, with the light above him. This suggests the third man’s innocence compared to Jesse and Neil when relating to acts such as murder and other serious crimes. It creates links to the dark truth that at least one of the men isn’t making it out of the room alive, and implies the heavy weight of the situation.
These two shots from the scene, which make use of the 180 degree rule, display the fearlessness and courage within both characters. The camera focuses more on the men in this sequence, preventing the audience from focusing on anything else in the scene as the tension builds, forcing them to think about what happens next. The second shot also shows Jesse’s scars close up, suggesting that he’s lived through hell and is content with either outcome, but the expression and confidence in his facial expressions show that he knows he’ll win, which is concealed from the audience in plain sight.
In this shot, Jesse is made as the focal point of the image, his eyeline matching with the gun. Again, this shot tries to force an audience to focus on the characters to raise tension, and does so by first focusing on the gun in Neil’s holster to then focus on Jesse, hand ready to grab his gun.
The use of other objects placed around the room, such as this other gun hung up in a holster on the wall, further adds to the tension by suggesting that the man in shot plans to do something to kill Jesse before it’s too late.
Gilligan then uses a match cut between Jesse and Neil’s eyes in an extreme close up, bringing the suspense to a breaking point as the gunfight breaks out.
As the fight ends, the camera then focuses on only Jesse once again, displaying the look of trauma and regret he feels after killing the two other men. It juxtaposes the mercilessness that other characters within the series have shown while killing others for petty reasons, such as greed, as opposed to Jesse’s desire for survival.
Gilligan’s use of mise-en scene helps amplify the terror and suspense, and uses colour as a key storytelling element, often increasing the tint of blues and oranges to create tone.
Because of Thomas Edison, film production moved primarily to Hollywood, where innovators could avoid Edison’s patents on the filmmaking process. It was also more beneficial as the climate was very consistent throughout the year.
The nation with the best film industry in the 1910s, as stated by Cousins, was Denmark, for it’s innovative impact on the growing industry.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)Häxan (1922)
Two directors from Denmark that were cited as remarkable were Carl Theodor Dreyer and Kristian Levring. They also said the same for films such as Häxan and The Passion of Joan of Arc.
Birth of a Nation (1915)
Birth of a Nation, a very controversial film revolving around racist ideals to do with the KKK was directed by D.W. Griffith and Thomas Dixon Jr. in 1915.
Key light – The brightest light in a shot with three-point lighting, typically placed at a 45 degree from the camera, placed in front of the main subject that the cinematographer wishes to highlight.
Key light combined with fill light on a subject
Fill light – Used in the opposite direction of the key light in order to reduce contrast and create a more realistic look on camera (less grain).
Back lighting on a subject
Back light – Lighting that hits the back of the subject, usually from a higher elevation, adding more shape and depth to the image.
Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd were considered the greatest of American comedy film directors. Keaton changed the way that characters work, forming excellent characters without the necessity of laughter with every scene, and Keaton’s “deadpan expressions” was considered to have sold every scene.
Chaplin revolutionised comedic films with his “architectural thinking,” using various unique features of his set for gags within his films, such as the wall of the house in “One Week”.
Lloyd was considered the King of “Daredevil Comedy,” known for hanging from a clock tower in his 1923 silent film “Safety Last”.
The three of them inspired various iconic directors throughout the Golden Age of film and onwards, such as Indian director Raj Kapoor, Austrian-American director Billy Wilder, and French director Jacques Tati.
