![]() Speaking of renowned filmmakers who have made use of the Kuleshov Effect over the years, we have to spend some time talking about the legendary Alfred Hitchcock. Truly, the modern movie montage style was developed in part due to this early exploration and uses the Kuleshov Effect to inform how every major blockbuster film and small video project would be constructed ever since. (And then, how a sequence is placed within a scene, and so on, until an entire film or project is constructed.) From the uninfected shot to gutter editing, filmmakers and film editors alike would learn that every shot is uniquely important in how it’s placed within a sequence. The Kuleshov Effect also goes on to prove that no shots in a film are ever truly throwaways or meaningless. When combined with Soviet Montage Theory, for example, most notably in the Odessa steps sequence from Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin, we see how this effect can be used to juxtapose many different shots together to create a cacophony of emotion, which can very much overwhelm a viewer with fast cuts and deep panic. Once the Kuleshov Effect was introduced and implemented into early Soviet films of the 1910s and 1920s, the effect would go on to become a popular technique used by filmmakers near and far. ![]() ![]() To understand the Kuleshov Effect, we need to understand the man behind this experimental technique.īorn into a Russian intellectual family in 1899, Lev Kuleshov was a classically trained artist who became a pioneer of modern filmmaking-and film theory-at its rise at the turn of the century.Ī contemporary of other influential Soviet filmmakers and theorists like Sergei Eisenstein, Kuleshov is considered a leader of the group who first introduced the Soviet Montage Theory, one of the most iconic editing techniques of film editing ever explored.Īlong with these basic concepts of montages, Kuleshov is most famous for his work experimenting with how shot sequencing can make a viewer feel different emotions-based simply on how different images are juxtaposed together. The same is true with the juxtaposition of the neutral face and the pretty woman as we perceive love and affection in that same look.Īs you can imagine, the discovery of this effect and its power over a viewer’s emotion and cinematic understanding was indeed a significant breakthrough and building block in how all film and video would be edited after. However, when shown that same character with a neutral face before cutting to footage of a child in a casket, the viewer perceives sadness in the character’s expression. ![]() As you can see in the video above, the Kuleshov Effect is really experimentation in juxtaposition.īy showing a character with a neutral facial expression proceeded by a bowl of soup, the viewer feels a bit bland-if not a little hungry-and perceives the character to feel that way. Ok, so let’s explore how it works in the world of film and video. Let’s find out, here’s the Kuleshov Effect explained. Well, that’s because the best filmmakers worldwide understand the Kuleshov Effect and know how to use it with cinematically sharp precision.īut, what is this mysterious filmmaking tool? Where does it come from, and how can you use it? No, today we’re talking about the Kuleshov Effect and how it shapes the very essence of how films are made and perceived by audiences-big and small.ĭo you ever wonder why a particular shot makes you feel a specific way? Or, how come you can feel the uncanny effects of a certain cut when watching a tense sequence? No, I’m not talking about the dolly zoom, or the jump cut, or even using Soviet Montage Theory to its full effect (although you could argue this trick is a part of that technique). Out of all the mysterious and powerful tools in a filmmaker’s cinematic belt, there’s truly one technique that is the most awesome. Let’s explore everything you need to know about the Kuleshov Effect and how it impacts the viewer’s emotions.
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