Man with a movie camera
Techniques:
How far your chosen films reflect aesthetic qualities associated with a particular movement
The film Man with a Movie Camera comes under the artistic branch of constructivism, specifically soviet montage. Constructivism stresses the importance of the power of industry, usually through construction itself. Its a utilitarian art form in theory and seeks to return art to the worker/ proletariat from the bourgeoisie reflected in its industrial focus; often using industrial materials unlike the canvas paintings before. Soviet montage was a form of propaganda developed by Russian filmmakers, such as Vertov, which aimed to celebrate the proletariat role within the Soviet industrial system.
Man with a Movie Camera embodies constructivism through its depiction of industry and man within industry, seen through the use of editing and various techniques. This includes a sequence with a close up on a rolling mechanism which is juxtaposed in the next scene by a rolling wave, this is graphic matching and compares the force of nature to the power of industry, another sequence utilises rapid cuts and super imposition to show the man with the movie camera within industry, therefore placing art in industry. Close ups of spinning cogs are juxtaposed with the process of editing film to show the art form of constructivism as part of the soviet industrial system, showing it to be part of this larger collective effort which fits in line with communist ideology. This also works to present constructivist art as for the proletariat, as the cogs can also be seen as metaphor for the individual labourers contribution to the collective effort in which they will prosper from, so the proletariat will similarly prosper from this constructivist art which is part of the collective effort. This can also be seen as a rejection of the more bourgeoisie classical art which was not for the common people. This point is further illustrated in the aforementioned sequence with rapid cuts and super imposition, as the camera man.
The film's conclusion captures the propagandist aspect of soviet cinema, with its criticism of the bourgeoisie; this is shown through a diegetic audience in a cinema passively watching the bourgeoisie institution of ballet be essentially destroyed, through using new cinematic techniques like split screen. This is aptly shown when the Bolshoi Ballet HQ is being split in two using the innovative technique of split screen; cinema and its innovation is destroying this old bourgeoisie institution. This therefore shows the new proletariat friendly form of entertainment (cinema) eclipsing this older bourgeoisie institution, thus reflecting soviet values, specifically of innovation associated with industry and the rise of the proletariat
Muscular film making - film in industry - manual labour = Constructivist film/ art
. Circle - like a camera lens we are seeing the industry through - camera lens as an industrial piece of equipment
. Rotation, cycles - camera panning across cogs then bigger cogs then cut to cyclical machine then cut to massive wave - wave as collective effort of the individual cogs (metaphor for communism)
. Cycles - routine of the labourer mirrored by the rotation of the cogs
. split screen tram scene - trams as modern invention, the split screen exaggerates the amount of trams, and the split screen directly compares the new technology of trams to the new techniques Vertov is presenting
. Rapid cutting, fraction of a second edits
The panning close ups, firstly present a small cog that further pans along to reveal a larger cog, then cuts to a cyclical machine, which graphically matches the white choppy wave in a wide shot, directly comparing the two which shows industry to be a force of nature. This works as a metaphor to show the impact of the individual labourer's influence of working in union of the collective effort. The close up focusing in on a single labourer then panning to revealing they are working to power something bigger like a factory, (the smaller cog panning to the bigger cog) shows the source that powers the city is seen in the wide shot reveals the impact of the wave, representative of a source of life. Therefore the individual labourer works in a collective effort to sustain the city. The wave being juxtaposed with industrial imagery shows industry to be as powerful as nature itself and this links with constructivist.
THEMES
. constructivist
. industry
. soviet montage
. collective labour
. celeberation of industry
. power of the people
In the final scene Vertov uses a diegetic audience for the spectators to identify with, as they witness the progression of women's roles in soviet Russia. The spectators are firstly shown footage of ballet, a traditionally classical and bourgeoisie art form.
- split screen
- Fast/slow mo
- Freeze frame
- Dissolve
- Super imposition
- Stop motion
- Camera angles
- Graphic matching
- EDITING;
. Length of cuts
- Artistic;
. Abstraction (realism vs expressionism)
. Constructivism / Juxtaposition
. Industrialisation
-Themes;
. Industry
. Age
. Cycles/ rotation
. Cleaning and Washing
Techniques:
. fast motion
. super imposition
. cogs turning = thriving industry
. Intercutting water w/cogs (electro dam) = harnessing nature for industry, industry as a force of nature, the water being used by us and the cogs as we have harnessed the power of nature
. Industry and labour (the celebration of)
. Physical and manual labour - stokers, machine maintenance = interaction of man with machine - man with the camera documenting industry while being a part of it, he is seen in the furnace with the camera (muscular film making)
. One small cog represents the effort of the individual, pan to reveal larger cog made up of smaller cogs showing collective effort, then cuts to a wave that mimics the movement of the cog, the wave a metaphor for this unification in industrial labour built on the collective effort of individuals within industry + the collective effort of individuals in industry can harness the power of nature + comparison of labour to the wave
. Fetishisation of industry
. small cogs juxtaposed w/giant wheel and crane, showing the small cogs great ability
. graphic matching
. waking sequence
. Life cycle
. work cycle
. leisure cycle
. Man = Industry = Art
. Svilova
. Rapid editing + super imposition of industry and the man w/ camera, shows art becoming interlinked with industry as well as man becoming interlinked w/ industry
How far your chosen films reflect aesthetic qualities associated with a particular movement
The film Man with a Movie Camera comes under the artistic branch of constructivism, specifically soviet montage. Constructivism stresses the importance of the power of industry, usually through construction itself. Its a utilitarian art form in theory and seeks to return art to the worker/ proletariat from the bourgeoisie reflected in its industrial focus; often using industrial materials unlike the canvas paintings before. Soviet montage was a form of propaganda developed by Russian filmmakers, such as Vertov, which aimed to celebrate the proletariat role within the Soviet industrial system.
Man with a Movie Camera embodies constructivism through its depiction of industry and man within industry, seen through the use of editing and various techniques. This includes a sequence with a close up on a rolling mechanism which is juxtaposed in the next scene by a rolling wave, this is graphic matching and compares the force of nature to the power of industry, another sequence utilises rapid cuts and super imposition to show the man with the movie camera within industry, therefore placing art in industry. Close ups of spinning cogs are juxtaposed with the process of editing film to show the art form of constructivism as part of the soviet industrial system, showing it to be part of this larger collective effort which fits in line with communist ideology. This also works to present constructivist art as for the proletariat, as the cogs can also be seen as metaphor for the individual labourers contribution to the collective effort in which they will prosper from, so the proletariat will similarly prosper from this constructivist art which is part of the collective effort. This can also be seen as a rejection of the more bourgeoisie classical art which was not for the common people. This point is further illustrated in the aforementioned sequence with rapid cuts and super imposition, as the camera man.
The film's conclusion captures the propagandist aspect of soviet cinema, with its criticism of the bourgeoisie; this is shown through a diegetic audience in a cinema passively watching the bourgeoisie institution of ballet be essentially destroyed, through using new cinematic techniques like split screen. This is aptly shown when the Bolshoi Ballet HQ is being split in two using the innovative technique of split screen; cinema and its innovation is destroying this old bourgeoisie institution. This therefore shows the new proletariat friendly form of entertainment (cinema) eclipsing this older bourgeoisie institution, thus reflecting soviet values, specifically of innovation associated with industry and the rise of the proletariat
Muscular film making - film in industry - manual labour = Constructivist film/ art
. Circle - like a camera lens we are seeing the industry through - camera lens as an industrial piece of equipment
. Rotation, cycles - camera panning across cogs then bigger cogs then cut to cyclical machine then cut to massive wave - wave as collective effort of the individual cogs (metaphor for communism)
. Cycles - routine of the labourer mirrored by the rotation of the cogs
. split screen tram scene - trams as modern invention, the split screen exaggerates the amount of trams, and the split screen directly compares the new technology of trams to the new techniques Vertov is presenting
. Rapid cutting, fraction of a second edits
The panning close ups, firstly present a small cog that further pans along to reveal a larger cog, then cuts to a cyclical machine, which graphically matches the white choppy wave in a wide shot, directly comparing the two which shows industry to be a force of nature. This works as a metaphor to show the impact of the individual labourer's influence of working in union of the collective effort. The close up focusing in on a single labourer then panning to revealing they are working to power something bigger like a factory, (the smaller cog panning to the bigger cog) shows the source that powers the city is seen in the wide shot reveals the impact of the wave, representative of a source of life. Therefore the individual labourer works in a collective effort to sustain the city. The wave being juxtaposed with industrial imagery shows industry to be as powerful as nature itself and this links with constructivist.
THEMES
. constructivist
. industry
. soviet montage
. collective labour
. celeberation of industry
. power of the people
Themes:
- screen in a theatre
- bourgeoisie ballet - super imposed
- camera man, w/planes over head, muscular film making
- soviet montage w/ super imposition (like rodchanko)
- Juxtaposing muscular film making with the passive watching of ballet on film - bourgeoisie film juxtaposed with the muscular film making, what film should be
- camera looks like an AA gun
- what makes the city run - women in labour, split screen - exaggerates this w/split screen, equality in labour + everyone doing there part in industrial Russia to make it run - split screen constructs the frame to exaggerate the construction on screen
- superimposition interlinked
- fast cuts - the implications of watching the running of the city
- transport motif, inspiration from futurists which is modernist
- Bolshoi ballet company HQ beings split and melted, destruction of bourgeoisie
- on a car filming - muscular filmmaking
- famous train shot replicated
- intercut with slivova editing
- eye in the lens
-
-
Themes:
. Muscular filmmaking
. Industrialisation
Technical
. intercut
. split screen
. super imposition
. high angle
. birds eye
. rapid editing (fast cuts)
. juxtaposition
. graphic matching
Artistic:
. soviet montage
. ballet dance - classical art
. muscular film making
. old culture to new technology
. Modernism
. Constructivism
. Manual labour (the editing)
. Diegetic audience witness the progression from bourgeoisie ballet to industry
. Presents ballet w/superimposition
. then moves on to present women in industry, women's role moving from the classical to the modernist - split screen to exaggerate this - comparable to super imposition
. Moves on to celebration of transport which is linked with progress, literally moving forward which becomes rapidly intercut with editing showing film to be interlinked with the rapid progress of industry
. the train
.
In the final scene Vertov uses a diegetic audience for the spectators to identify with, as they witness the progression of women's roles in soviet Russia. The spectators are firstly shown footage of ballet, a traditionally classical and bourgeoisie art form.
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