Godard's Techniques In The Film Breathless

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Godard directed with the very goal to break the classical film rules of its era. Though watching it now, it would seem like many of the techniques used are very present in other film. But, backtrack to 1960, Breathless was the very first film to incorporate jump cuts into it. Before Breathless was released, most French films were shot and filmed in pretty much the same manner. Godard utilized jump cuts to create a sense of chaos and confusion that seemed quite peculiar in the postclassical period. He essentially cuts the gaps between time and space to elicit a more eerie and fast paced aura to the film. No matter the period we are in, thriller films all eventually try to bring out the emotion of suspense. Godard wanted to show that he was able to make a film through unorthodox measures and produce a film that was better that the traditional ones. …show more content…

They all had a number of technicians, rules, regulations that controlled them in the production of the film. However, Godard got rid of the excessive and only kept Raoul Coutard, his cinematographer. The usage of sensitive film stock helped them film both outside and inside without any relative problems. Also, as I mentioned previously, the sound in Breathless didn’t seem to fit and was due to Godards decision to film the movie silently and dub the sound in after. This was a perfect example of how post classical culture encouraged people to tackle the status quo and look for innovative ways to further the discourse. Breathless was Godard’s stubborn assertion that he could make the film he wanted how he wanted. In todays films, we see Godard’s innovation in many of our current day styles. Jump cuts alone, are often apparent in music videos or commercials, in trying to rewrite the rules, Godard created a new standard not only for the thriller genre, but also for film

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