Formulation of the Classical Hollywood StyleThe Classical Narrative

CAUSE & EFFECTPrimitive period (1894-1908), most common framing the long shotImpossible to see facial expressions & small gesturesPresented too much for viewerWith classical model, this changedMultiple lines of actionNarrative material broken downEditing, camera distance, inter-titles, acting articulated cause & effect

CAUSE & EFFECT & REALISMBasis of cause & effect narrative was compositional unityReality has accidents & coincidence; not the classical narrativeRealism important for mise-en-scneThe classical film begins in medias resBegin in middle of action; we learn about characters & previous events through expositionIn primitive film, we learn little about characters or events before film began

THE PSYCHOLOGICALLY BASED CHARACTERFilm turned toward literature for characters with multiple traitsThese character traits were necessary to motivate actionCharacters have only traits needed for the narrativeRealistic traits will motivate some later action or event

SUBJECTIVITYWith increase in length & complexity, additional traits addedBy 1915, mental subjectivity seen in some filmsEarlier films had included subjectivityUsually only as basis for entire film or when absolutely necessaryWith classical film, portions of objective narrations could be subjective

OTHER WAYS TO PERSONALIZE CHARACTERSBy 1909, most important characters were given namesBy the mid-1920s, they were also given tagsStar system also helped to personalize characters

CHARACTER GOALSCharacters in primitive films reacted to events; in classical films have clear goalsGoals met with obstaclesCHARACTER & TEMPORAL RELATIONSAs films became longer, plots initially covered more story timeBut generally showed only high pointsTemporal gaps marked with inter-titles

Films began to cover less timeMore, briefer, temporal gapsSought ways to make narration less self-consciousThis was solved in several ways:Concentrating on character actions & goalsTechnical devices marked deviations from chronological orderFades or dissolves instead of superimpositionsAlso motivated by the narrativeDEADLINE important to structuring temporal progression

THE FUNCTIONS OF INTER-TITLESEXPOSITORY TITLESCommon in primitive cinemaSummary expository titlesEstablishing expository titlesIn later silent eraLITERARY inter-titleThe ART inter-titleSometimes used to establish settingOr used non-diegetic images to convey idea

DIALOGUE TITLES (came later in primitive cinema, favored over expository titles)Expository titles used at beginning of scenes, dialogue titles within scenesINSERTS: Close-ups of letters, newspaper headlines or articles, photographs, etc.

THE AMERICAN STYLE OF ACTING1909-1913, shift in acting styleMore restrained style; emphasized facial expressions & small gesturesImprovements in film stocks, lighting equipment, make-up, etc.; better actorsHelped bring about CHC editing style:Close-ups needed to fully utilize this style of actingBreakdown of space required continuity rules

UNITY & REDUNDANCYAll of these features appeared in the primitive cinemaBut not used systematically with conventionalized meaningsMight use 1 of these features, & build the narrative around itClassical cinema codified devices, used to create unified feature-length films, redundant narratives

Formulation of the Classical Hollywood StyleThe Continuity System

THE CONTINUITY SYSTEM & SPACEEditing increased as films became longer & more complicatedA potentially disruptive forceRequired a system to maintain unityAfter 1907, industry, trade press & how-to books promoted continuity as essential for a well-made filmReferred to both narrative continuity & clearly-articulated space & timeContinuity then came to refer specifically to editing guidelines

ESTABLISHING SHOTSOriginally, films consisted of 1 long take with a fairly distant framing Then, a number of these shots (tableaux)No change in space or time within shots; changes between tableauxJoined by expository inter-titlesWith multiple shot scenes, these became establishing shotsUsed to establish mise-en-scne & show most of the actionCame at beginning & end of scene; closer shots pointed out details, showed expressions, etc.

By late teens, establishing shot functioned as in continuity editing system1 shot among many, established mise-en-scneScene itself consisted of a number of closer shotsEstablishing shot appeared again only if mise-en-scne changedPlacement varied; not always at the beginning of the scene

ANALYTICAL EDITINGIN THE PRIMITIVE ERACut-ins used rarelyMost often medium shots, from same angle as establishing shotThey were used to:Show facial expressionShow details not visible in the establishing shotTo indicate POVTo limit space for special effectsCut-ins avoided if possible; actors moved closer to camera

BY THE MID-TEENSCut-in became much more commonNo longer had to be motivated by POV, a specific detail of informationCould be from any angleCould give a better vantage pointIncrease in film length & editing made cut-in more acceptableBy 1917, cut-in a staple of continuity editing system

SCREEN DIRECTION & THE 180 RULEOriginally, no editing, therefore no problemLater, 1-D sets & backdrops made it impossible to violate ruleAudience conceived of as if it were a theater audienceWith analytical editing & 3-D sets, the tradition continuedBreaks in continuity occurred, but relatively rareThey occurred due to:Shots taken out of continuity without script girlsThe lack of formal guidelines

MULTIPLE SPACESCONTIGUOUS SPACES joined by character movement, eyeline match, shot/reverse shot systemNON-CONTIGUOUS SPACESMost often articulated using crosscuttingCould compress time; important with short filmsLater, used to expand time; important with longer films

SPACE & THE SPECTATORS ATTENTIONAttention of viewer guided using other elements of film styleSTAGING IN DEPTHActors began to move toward the cameraAfter this, actors began to be placed more in depthHelped bring the viewer into a 3-D space

SETTINGS & DEPTHPainted backdrops had advantages, but lacked verisimilitudeAs soon as studios could afford 3-D sets, they did soLate 20s, efforts to eliminate difference between location & studio shots3-D sets allowed for more extensive analytical editing

DEEP FOCUS CINEMATOGRAPHYDuring most of silent period, efforts to achieve greatest depth of fieldBut only 2 planes were in deep focus (middle ground & background)Deep focus made staging in depth possibleHowever, lighting was needed to draw this attention

LIGHTING FOR CLARITY & DEPTHDuring teens, movement away from even, overall illumination & towards selective lightingAn effort to motivate light as coming from diegetic sourcesHollywood refined backlighting, creating rim lighting

FRAMING AS A GUIDE FOR THE SPECTATORClassical cinema centered important narrative informationCamera movement began as a way to center action in frame (reframing)Served other functions also:Tracking & panning to follow actionsPanning & tilting to reveal or conceal informationWith increased planning of shots, camera movement not as necessary

STABILITY AFTER 1917By mid-20s, CHC style reached a high degree of stabilityMany models to followYoung filmmakers in 1920s had films as their modelsInformal apprenticeship programTrade papers, instructional manuals, etc. perpetuated styleTrade organizations also helped to perpetuate CHC styleAdherence to quality filmmaking rewarded by audiences & studio heads

CONTEMPORARY RECOGNITION OF STANDARDIZATIONStandardization regarded as a positive forceEarly years regarded as a separate eraProgress halted now that near perfection had been attainedAfter this point, changes in CHC style relatively smallMinor changes such as increased graphic continuityAssimilation (& taming) of other styles

Clara Bow, the It Girl