Visual Style in Contemporary American Film Article

According to David Bordell, explain how and why continuity has intensified in Hollywood cinema.

Please a minimum of 5 quotes from article in your response.

Article

According to David Bordell, the author of Visual Style in Contemporary American Film, continuity has intensified in Hollywood Cinema due to four tactics of camera work and editing such as more rapid editing, bipolar extremes of lens lengths,more close framings in dialogue scenes, and a free- ranging camera. 

The first reason why continuity has intensified in Hollywood Cinema is the use of rapid editing.In the 1930s to 1960s many films consisted of 300 to 700 hundred films. So the average shot length was eight to seven seconds. But as time went on, the average shot length became to decrease.Shot lengths became to decrease in the mid and late 1960s, when "Americans and British filmmakers were experimenting with fast cut rates (pg. 1)." This wasn't directly toward specific genres. Action movies had an average shot length of six to eight seconds. Also other genres such as musicals, drama, comedy, and romances had low average shot length.As time goes on the average shot length in the 1990s was between to three to six seconds.Today, continuity has been intensified because, "no film is one long action sequence (pg. 2)." fast cutting is scene during a shot reverse shot of a conversation scene because the editors cut lines that are meant to be spoken and replace them with reaction shots. Reaction shots are popular now than the 1930s to 1960s because it gives a faster pace to the movie.In addition of cutting dialogue shots, this makes the editor have fewer establishing shots. Establishing shots are very redundant, so eye-line matches and shot reverse shot communicate more with the audience instead of reshowing it.Overall continuity has been intensified because editors don't want to be redundant with their shots.

The second reason why continuity has intensified in Hollywood Cinema is the tactic of bipolar extremes of lens lengths. At first, normal and long lens were used for film making, but in the 1930s cinematographers used wide- angle lens.These lens were able to distort reality by bulging the frame edges and exaggeration between foreground and background in the shot. So, filmmakers used wide- angle lens to "provide expansive establishing shots, medium shots with strong foreground/background interplay, and grotesque close-ups (pg. 2)." Long- focus lens were for close- ups, medium shots, over the shoulder shots, and establishing shots. This lens encouraged filmmakers to have rack focuses and movement to create a shift in depth of field in a shot. After the 1960s many different sizes of lengths intensified continuity. For example, in the film Bonnie and Clyde, Arthur Penn used lenses from 9.8 mm to 400 mm in 1967. The different types of lens made films intensified today in Hollywood Cinema. The use of different lens made it easier to cut a long lens with a wide- angle lens.

The third reason why continuity has intensified in Hollywood Cinema is using the tactic of more close framings in dialogue. In the 1930s to the 1960s directors framed actors in the mid- thigh level. This helped the editor frame a lengthy shot. Then those shots are replaced with close ups of one actor. As time progressed, directors used single shots to make a scene, which helps vary the pace of editing. However using singles can be difficult because the director has to make sure to find, "fresh ways to emphasize certain lines or facial expressions (pg. 3)." This can be difficult because the director tries to avoid redundant expressions or dialogue. When wide screen formats were introduced, directors were able to lessen the establishing and reestablishing shots. They would have an actor's face showing, but leave a visible amount of space to view the rest of the setting. This made extra pressure on the actor since all of the focus is on the face, not their bodies. Since the framings are based on the eyes, mouth, and brows this makes the framing tighter, and tighter framing leads to faster cutting. 

The last technique why continuity has intensified in Hollywood Cinema is a free- ranging camera. Camera movements are used to show the framing of characters that are kept centered in the shot. For example, when tracking a character along a long path were the beginning of camera movements in the 1920s. Using the crane shot was a film's high point, but today it used to set an establishing shot. When a camera wants to move into an actor's face it moves slowly or swiftly. This is called the "push- in", and this tactic builds continuous tension. When filmmakers want to reveal a physical object the "camera glides leftward or rightward to unmask the action (pg. 3)." Circle shots in the 1990s were used around dinner tables, card table, and operating table. Free- ranging camera was popular in 1970s horror films. For example, a shaky camera movements define the perspective a monster. People believe that a "long shot is unlikely to be a static one (pg.4)." Overall the four tactics show a new current style for films today.