Editing
Unlike all classical Hollywood films, French New Wave films tend to diverse the rules of continuity editing and using free style editing.One notable technique to emerge from French New Wave was the jump cut in which two discontinuous images juxtaposed.The definition of jump cut is a mismatch in which the shift from one shot to the next fails to maintain smooth continuity in space or time and this especially seen in Jean Luc Godard's A Bout De Soufflé (Breathless, 1960)
While jump cuts are regularly used in film and television editing today, at the time, they were very jarring to audiences, who were used to a smooth flow of images onscreen, rather than to editing that calls attention to itself.The directors of French New Wave often drew attention from audiences by discontinuity, reminding them that they are watching a movie. In the film A Bout De Soufflé jump cuts are used during a lengthy conversation in a room and in a scene in a car driving around Paris.
New technology
Nouvelle Vague directors took advantage of the new technology that was available to them in the late 1950’s, which enable them to work on location rather than in a studio. They used lightweight hand-held cameras, faster film tocks, which required less light, and light-weight sound and lighting equipment, which encouraged experiment and improvisation, and generally gave the directors more artistic freedom over their work. In A Bout de Soufflé (1959) the cinematographer Raoul Coutard was pushed around in a wheel chair-following the character down the street and into the buildings. Innovative use of the new hand-held cameras is evident.
Nouvelle Vague directors took advantage of the new technology that was available to them in the late 1950’s, which enable them to work on location rather than in a studio. They used lightweight hand-held cameras, faster film tocks, which required less light, and light-weight sound and lighting equipment, which encouraged experiment and improvisation, and generally gave the directors more artistic freedom over their work. In A Bout de Soufflé (1959) the cinematographer Raoul Coutard was pushed around in a wheel chair-following the character down the street and into the buildings. Innovative use of the new hand-held cameras is evident.
Improvised Dialogues
In their revolt against what they perceived as Hollywood-style filmmaking, New Wave directors often leaned toward story lines that were open-ended and not tidily wrapped up at the climax. Stories tended to be unpolished and loosely structured. Characters were often eccentric or odd, and usually included a focus on young men dealing with personal chaos.The actors were encouraged to improvise their lines, or talk over each other’s lines as would happen in real-life. In A Bout de Soufflé this leads to lengthy scenes of inconsequential dialogue, in opposition to the staged speeches of much traditional film acting. Monologues were used, as were the voice-overs expressing a character’s inner feelings.
In their revolt against what they perceived as Hollywood-style filmmaking, New Wave directors often leaned toward story lines that were open-ended and not tidily wrapped up at the climax. Stories tended to be unpolished and loosely structured. Characters were often eccentric or odd, and usually included a focus on young men dealing with personal chaos.The actors were encouraged to improvise their lines, or talk over each other’s lines as would happen in real-life. In A Bout de Soufflé this leads to lengthy scenes of inconsequential dialogue, in opposition to the staged speeches of much traditional film acting. Monologues were used, as were the voice-overs expressing a character’s inner feelings.
An important influence on the French New Wave was Italian Neorealism. New Wave directors learned from Italian directors who shot on location, not in the studio, for practical and financial reasons. Some actors were non-professionals who improvised their lines. Not only did shooting outside of a studio save money, but it allowed directors greater creativity, freedom, and a degree of realism. Unlike the controlled studio sound stage and back lot shooting that characterized Hollywood filmmaking during this era, the French New Wave directors also were dedicated to shooting in natural locations and using natural lighting as much as possible. Sound was also recorded live on the scene, which was unusual during this era
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