The Use of the Set in French New Wave Cinema - Research Paper Example

?The Use of the Set in French New-Wave Cinema The term new-wave refers to a French movement in the 1950s and 1960s, a term coined by critics of the movement. Cinematographers and directors of this movement were linked by their rejection of typical cinematic form, and their use of religious iconography as part of their filmmaking. The movement was also linked to a number of social and political changes of the era, these often being incorporated in the cinematography and direction of French new-wave. As a result, a number of the films that can be classified as part of the movement often change many of the elements that had previously been considered necessary for film-making (Neupert, 2007). One of these elements was the use of the set. The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of the set in French new-wave cinema, particularly by focusing on the work of Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut; two prominent examples of filmmakers of the era. This will be examined in the context of the effect that this has on the character development in this genre of film. The use of real-life sets and the additional differences in perception has a significant effect on the characters of the film, who often present themselves in the same disjointed and spontaneous manner as the real life sets. The Use of Set & Theatrical Scenery in French New-Wave Cinema For a variety of reasons explored below, the typical French new-wave director would choose to produce a film set within an area that was familiar to them, usually exploring the French middle-class youth and setting the scenes in recognizable areas (Neupert, 2007). Perhaps the best way to capture the spirit of France at the time was to use real-life locations rather than contrived sets, as had been done previously, and a number of participants in the films were real-life individuals. As the movement developed, a number of the directors (particularly Godard) began to move into the use of studio sets, although conscious efforts were made to avoid replicating the very style the French new-wave had been rebelling against, often trying to replicate the lighting and sound interruptions that came with filming within ‘reality’ (Marie & Neupert, 2003). One if the most important aspects of French new-wave cinema is that those involved were often limited in funding, and many of the films therefore relied on makeshift elements. Filming on the streets allowed these new French directors to avoid some of the financial constraints that had been associated with filmmaking in the past (Neupert, 2007). In the 1960 film Breathless (A bout de souffle), for example, many of the elements were completely improvised. The use of improvisation meant that the theatrical scenery was not constructed or purposefully used, and no permission was gained to shoot scenes on the boulevards of Paris (Turner, 1983). This was essentially done to create a spontaneous feel to the film, but may have been a result of the tight budget constraints on the film. Additionally, the film was designed to be in reportage (documentary) style, which means that the use of contrived set would have been unnecessary (Graham & Vincendeau, 2009). The conscious decision to avoid the use of a proper theatrical set in Breathless is typical of the rejection of classical cinematic form in French new-wave (Turner, 1983). Godard’s Contempt (Le Mepris) is another important example of film from this movement. Released in 1963, Contempt starts Brigitte Bardot in an adaptation of the Italian novel Il disprezzo. In contrast to Breathless, Contempt does not rely on already existing architecture and scene elements for the set, which much of the filming being done at the legendary Cinecitta studios in Italy (Neupert, 2007). As a result of this choice, Contempt has less of spontaneous feel, and some consider the film to be less of an example of the contrary nature of French new-wave due to the use of these prepared sets (Hayes, 2004). Contempt was additionally not designed to be shot in reportage style, and therefore the use of prepared sets is not contrary to the mood which Godard perceived appropriate for the film. Interestingly, many of the tracking shots used in Contempt were shot in real-time and using natural light, so although theatrical sets were used there was still a spontaneous and natural feel to the film, as it is in other French new-wave (Neupert, 2002). Masculine Feminine (Masculin, feminine) is another film by new-wave director Godard, released in 1966. Similarly to Breathless, much of the filming was completed in already existing locations, such as a Laundromat, a cafe and various bistros. Like other films of the movement, the film was created using a very limited budget; 60 million francs (Billiart & de Beauregard, 1967). However, this was not the only reason for the conscious decision to avoid contrived sets and manually created sets. The use of various existing locations throughout Paris allows the viewer to experience the sense of spontaneity that is often associated with French new-wave, as well as illustrating the ‘I’ll write it tomorrow’ (Marie & Neupert, 2003) mentality favoured by Godard himself. Whilst some may suggest that the use of sets and scenery is an important part of conceptual film-making, but perhaps the conscious decision not to create sets, to only use existing scenery relevant to the context of the film, is equally important and perhaps a more controversial and interesting choice. Godard’s film A Woman is a Woman was released in 1960. This was one of his first attempts at filming part of the action in a typical studio set-up, complete with conventional sets. This allowed Godard to film some elements that would not have been possible with the aforementioned reality set, but Godard did not want this to take away from the overall effect of the film. Ceilings were built on many of the sets to ensure that lighting did not share similarities with that found in typical mainstream films (Neupert, 2007). A Woman is a Woman is an interesting case because it still contains a lot of the realism for which Godard is known, perhaps partly due to the choice to replicate reality within a film studio and proceed to use more natural and believable lighting set-ups. This is perhaps one of the most effective ways of linking the films of the new-wave based on their style rather than their choice of set, and allows for many similarities to be drawn between set-ups although their actual conformation is different. For the character, this means that they are still perceived in real-time and as they are being filmed in a real location, which has been suggested to add some sympathy with the character and a deeper connection with cinema audiences (Douchet, 1999). Claude Chabrol is another French new-wave director, who arguably produced the first film of the tradition, Le Beau Serge. Neupert (2007) suggests how the cost-cutting, non-traditional set reducing themes may have arisen from this famous Chabrol masterpiece; ‘the jobs cut from the downsized production included set designer, sound engineer, and make-up person’ (p126). This was much to the chagrin on the actor’s union of the time, particularly as a number of the ‘actors’ used in the film were non-professionals (including a number of Chabrol’s friends). The lack of a set designer meant that Chabrol had to rely on a number of existing locales to conduct filming (Graham & Vincendeau, 2009), particularly in the case of the bakery (the baker, Michel, in La Beau Serge was the original village baker and did not have formal acting training). This perhaps contributed to the tradition of low-budget or completely absent theatrical sets, but may have arisen from the simple problem of funding. None-the-less, this choice of Chabrol created a masterpiece with a very low-key feel, common to many French new-wave films and this started the movement and perhaps contributed to the success of Breathless, Contempt, and a number of other influential films. These are all fine examples of how the French new-wave broke existing film traditions. One of the most important things to French new-wave directors and cinematographers was the use of authentic backdrops. These were used in a multitude of ways, as outlined above, but were all dedicated to the prospect of bringing realism into film (Wiegand, 2008). Using real locations instead of contrived studio sets allowed the use of hand-held cameras and spontaneous scripting, which ensured that the films of this movement had a different feel to the typical French film (Marie & Neupert, 2003). Those involved in the French new-wave were also interested in rebelling against the typical novel-to-film adaptations, which would have required contrived sets and scenery to properly replicate the atmosphere of the novel in many cases. The use of completely new and original scripts, often not completed until the day of filming (as in Masculine Feminine, for example) allowed these directors to use existing locations in a completely unheard of manner. Perhaps one of the interesting things about the use of spontaneous location filming is that the French new-wave films often did not have the funding or the will to close the set. This has the added bonus of confusing the viewer and their expectations of film-making; it shatters the illusion. In a number of French new-wave films, the viewer can see pedestrians looking at the camera, and any number of films (like Claude Chabrol’s film Les Cousins, for example) feature mistakes and intrusive sounds (Neupert, 2007). This not only adds to the spontaneity often found in the French new-wave, but adds another dynamic to the films that had not been seen previously. The use of set in Hollywood is usually to create an illusion, but Chabrol, Godard, Truffaut and contemporaries went through the looking glass and made films with a sense of realism. Additionally, this means that there are occasionally a number of characters in the film who are not scripted, and therefore they do not have the same development as the protagonist, adding a further dimension to French new-wave that had not been seen before. The following section will explore the effect of these important aspects of set choices on character development and how the characters appear and present themselves in this context. The Effect of French New-Wave Set on Character Development It is interesting to consider the effect that the director’s use of set has on the character development throughout the film. Part of the technique of the French new-wave was to provide descriptive portrayals of characters that did not represent what could be seen as a typical protagonist (Neupert, 2007). This makes it hard to define character development in the traditional sense of the word, and therefore the aims and objectives of the French new-wave director must be considered when analysing the effect that these set choices have on character development. Having said this, there are a number of more traditional characters, such as those in Godard’s Contempt, which interact with different set usages in interesting manners that affect their on-screen developments. An interesting case when it comes to character development is the work of Chabrol. Neupert (2007) suggests that a viewer must ‘reactivate analysis of each Chabrol film in order to test the ambivalence of a primary narrator who presents an entire film that seems to mock every character while destroying any ability to sympathise with their suffering’ (p159). This confusing style of narrator is teamed with flamboyant camera movements and ‘stylistic flourishes’ (p160). Rather than seeing these as separate from the use of the set, the absence of traditional sets and scenery allows the use of hand-held cameras which in themselves perpetuate such dramatic camera movements and generic cues. In the work of Chabrol, the character development is limited, with characters breaking stereotypes being punished or being lost by the film’s finale (Douchet, 1999), making a mockery of that character and perhaps the very society Chabrol means to attack. Whilst limited character development may be seen as a negative in the eyes of many experts (Neupert, 1998), it is inextricably linked with the work of Chabrol and his mocking, playful nature, and the absence of true sets allows for this mischief. La Beau Serge, a work by Chabrol, has an interesting approach to the development of the main character Francois and his best friend Serge. Serge is an alcoholic, and tends to speak in incomplete sentences. His character development is therefore disrupted, and the viewer has a limited amount of information about Serge from Francois. This is at once a product of the spontaneity of French new-wave and the desire of Chabrol for his characters to keep their problems hidden so the viewer has no chance of expecting a resolution (Neupert, 2007). It is hard to summarize the characters in La Beau Serge simply because of this haphazard information reveal, and this is enhanced by the use of aforementioned camera movements and ‘stylistic flourishes’ (Neupert, 2007, p160). Without this jittery approach to filming, the choice of Chabrol to portray his characters in this manner may seem out-of-place, but the camera movements embodies the stylistic aspects of the characters and their problems (Allen, 1970). The use of natural lighting and intrusive sound only add to this effect, and this all comes from the choice not to use contrived theatrical settings. The use of real-life environments instead of contrived sets by Godard has a different effect. In Breathless, the camera often swings from one side of the street to another to move between actions, and has an average shot length of around 12 seconds. This means that there is a limited amount of interaction with a character or set of characters at one time which means that development can be stilted. Again, this is not detrimental to the effects of the film, as it is simply a new approach to character development. In a typical studio set, it would be difficult to swap so easily between actions without a direct cut (DeFillippi & Arthur, 2002), so the use of existing streets is helpful in creating this effect. By allowing this movement, Godard has allowed the audience to feel more involved in the action and characters develop much as information would be gained from an acquaintance in reality; in bits and pieces. Conclusions The use of set in the French new-wave movement is perhaps best categorized by the number of films that avoid the use of typical scenery, and the incorporation of reality and the accompanying effects on sound, lighting and camera usage. As with many aspects of the movement, many of the more traditional parts of film-making are avoided, and the use of non-traditional sets or the complete avoidance of contrived sets (as in Breathless, for example) adds to the type of spontaneous effect that many of the pieces aim for. As with any era or movement of film, we must be careful not to group all works within the movement as one; Godard’s Contempt was based on a novel (something not typically favoured by the French new-wave) and used more traditional studio sets, and therefore had completely different effects on the development of the characters throughout the work. The character development in French new-wave is not independent from these choices, and has a completely different feel to anything seen previously. Often, characters are transient or mocked by a narrator, which means that they do not develop or develop in a different way; with less sympathy from the audience. Overall, French new-wave may have made some concessions due to budget constraints, but the films created were of a new and interesting ilk. References Allen, D. ‘Claude Chabrol’. Screen 11.1 (1970): 55–65. Print. Billard, G., G. de Beauregard, and E. Callenbach. ‘Interview with Georges De Beauregard’. Film Quarterly 20.3 (1967): 20–23. Print. DeFillippi, R.J., and M.B. Arthur. ‘15 Paradox in Project-based Enterprise: The Case of Film Making’. Managing innovation and change (2002): 189. Print. Douchet, Jean. French New Wave. D.A.P. in association with Editions Hazan/Cinematheque Francaise, 1999. Print. Graham, Peter John, and Ginette Vincendeau. The French New Wave: Critical Landmarks. Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Print. Hayes, K. ‘The Body and the Book in Contempt’. Studies in European Cinema 1.1 (2004): 31–41. Print. Marie, Michel, and Richard John Neupert. The French New Wave: An Artistic School. Wiley-Blackwell, 2003. Print. Neupert, R. ‘“Dead Champagne”: Variety’s’ New Wave’’. Film History 10.2 (1998): 219–230. Print. Neupert, Richard John. A History of the French New Wave Cinema. Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2007. Print. Turner, D. ‘Breathless: Mirror Stage of the Nouvelle Vague’. SubStance 12.4 (1983): 50–63. Print. Wiegand, Chris. French New Wave. Pocket Essentials, 2008. Print. Read More