The French New Wave movement began in the late 1950s. Before this time, film making was very expensive and required backing from a studio to produce. But in the 1950s, film making equipment became cheaper and portable. This gave new directors a chance to create low budget films. Low budgets encouraged lots of experimentation and improvisation, giving directors more control.
This was when the New Wave movement came into action. This movement was heavily influenced by Italian Neorealism. The theoretical New Wave directors had been film critics, believing that the director should express a personal view of the world. Most of the films showed the lively realism of the streets of Paris. The films shared different themes - authority is to be distrusted, also that political and romantic commitment is suspicious.
Style of Filming
- Shots recorded silent then voiced over
- Portable equipment
- Actors were unknown/not popular
- Smaller amount of crew
- Scenes were not rehearsed
- Handheld shots and Extended shots
- Natural lighting and sets/ on location
- Jumpshots and Freeze frames used
- Plots were often built around chance events and have open ended narratives
Roder Vadim
Vadim created the film 'And God Created Woman' (1956). This film is considered to be the first New Wave feature film to be successful. This film gave proof that first time directors had a chance to make their own successful films on a low budget.
Francois Truffanut
Francois Truffanut was a film critic before going into film-making. Truffanut created multiple films, the first film being 'The 400 Blows' (1959). This film really brought the New Wave movement to the attention of the world. The film looked at the struggles of troubled children. Truffanut's early films had zoom shots, choppy editing and bursts of quirky humour or sudden violence. Francois then made the film 'Shoot the Piano Player' (1960). This film was about a pianist who helps his brothers escape from some gangsters. The next film Truffanut made was 'Jules and Jim' (1962). This film shows the complicated relationship between two men that loved one woman.
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard was, like Francois Truffaut, a film critic before becoming a filmmaker. Godard had a more harsh style, with handheld camerawork and jerky editing. Godard also juxtaposes staged scenes with documentary-like material (e.g. advertisements, comic strips, crowds passing on the streets, etc.) that often had little connection to the narrative. Godard created the famous film 'Breathless' (1959). This film does not follow the traditional Hollywood storytelling conventions, having jumpcuts, handheld cameras, a disjointed narrative, an improvised score, and dialogue being spoken directly to the camera.
Francois Truffanut
Francois Truffanut was a film critic before going into film-making. Truffanut created multiple films, the first film being 'The 400 Blows' (1959). This film really brought the New Wave movement to the attention of the world. The film looked at the struggles of troubled children. Truffanut's early films had zoom shots, choppy editing and bursts of quirky humour or sudden violence. Francois then made the film 'Shoot the Piano Player' (1960). This film was about a pianist who helps his brothers escape from some gangsters. The next film Truffanut made was 'Jules and Jim' (1962). This film shows the complicated relationship between two men that loved one woman.
Jean-Luc GodardJean-Luc Godard was, like Francois Truffaut, a film critic before becoming a filmmaker. Godard had a more harsh style, with handheld camerawork and jerky editing. Godard also juxtaposes staged scenes with documentary-like material (e.g. advertisements, comic strips, crowds passing on the streets, etc.) that often had little connection to the narrative. Godard created the famous film 'Breathless' (1959). This film does not follow the traditional Hollywood storytelling conventions, having jumpcuts, handheld cameras, a disjointed narrative, an improvised score, and dialogue being spoken directly to the camera.
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