French New Wave

ヌーヴェル・ヴァーグ / 1958–1968 / Style / Cinematic Visual Styles

Critics picked up cameras and went out into the street, using handheld shots, jump cuts and self-reference to turn the grammar of film into a playground.

French New Wave — AI-generated interpretation 1 — AI-generated interpretation, not a reference work

French New Wave — AI-generated interpretation 2 — AI-generated interpretation, not a reference work

French New Wave — AI-generated interpretation 3 — AI-generated interpretation, not a reference work

At a glance

Visual cues

Handheld camera
Jump cuts
Street locations
Cinema about cinema

Best used for

Low-budget shorts built from nothing but streets and conversation
Work that keeps the maker visible and talks about film itself

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Dictionary entry

Type: Mix handwriting with off-the-shelf type, drop titles casually at the edge
Composition: Hold long takes without reverses, walk the actors through the street
Material: Fast stock in available light, jump cuts that show the seam
Caution: Scattering jump cuts and handheld moves as style leaves only the pleasure of breaking rules, and the film stops being about anything.
Further study: Cahiers du Cinéma / the jump cuts of Breathless / Agnès Varda and the Left Bank

Related entries

Italian Neorealism (イタリアン・ネオレアリズモ)Same Cinematic Visual Styles lineage.Compare French New Wave and Italian Neorealism
New Wave (ニュー・ウェーブ)Shared effects: Play / Rebellion.Compare French New Wave and New Wave

Cite this entry

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Link: https://indexstyle.org/styles/french-new-wave
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