The French New Wave was a movement by French filmmakers when they rejected the traditional conventions during the late 1950s, partially because of their lack of budget in post WW2 France. They opted for a new, more experimental editing/visual style.

Stylistic/structural elements:

• discontinuity, involving:

• jump cuts
• freeze frames
• non-diegetic sounds
• repetition of scenes/shots
• abrupt cutting
• (basically any violation of the continuity rules)

• disjunctive editing, which makes itself visible to the audience compared to the invisible style of editing.

• Breaking the 180degree camera rule
• rapid changes in scenes
• long tracking shots

These techniques are used to make the audience aware that they are watching a film, to wake them up.

Films/directors that inspired Arthur Penn:

This Film, Breathless (1960) directed by Jean-Luc Godard heavily inspired Arthur Penn.