The Manipulation
of Standard
Hollywood Film
Techniques in
Citizen Kane
By Robert Quist & Mark Hamilton
Edited by: Dr. Kay Picart @ 2002
Purpose
To outline the basic film
techniques in comparison with
Citizen Kane using John Belton’s
“Classical Hollywood Cinema:
Style” and “The Studio System.”
Film as a CharacterCentered Art
“ “Classic
Hollywood
cinema is a _________________ cinema.”
Both the narrative and the
techniques focus on the
main characters.
Choose the correct term for the missing word:
camera-centered, spectator-centered, character-centered
Film as a Character
Centered Art
“ An
example
of
the
narrative centering around
the main character is given
at the beginning of Shadow
of a Doubt.
Film and Narrative
“ Until now, we have talked
about the narrative of film
and how it seeks to involve the
viewer, treating him or her
not as an audience member,
but as a ________ or _______.
Choose the correct term for the missing words: audience member, spectator, character, witness.
Film and Narrative
 In other words, the
viewer is transported
into the action in a
more life-like way.
Film Techniques
“ Now we are going to discuss the
techniques that filmmakers use
to focus on the characters and
more importantly to get the
spectator to adopt the main
character’s psyche.
Film Techniques
“ During the early Soviet
Cinema, a man named Lev
Kuleshov developed an editing
method that was so influential
that filmmakers and film
scholars call it the Kuleshov
effect.
The Kuleshov Effect
“ The Kuleshov effect can be
loosely summed up in the following formula:
Abstract + Abstract = Concrete
“ It is the juxtaposition or the editing of two non-relating images to
create a psychological effect.
The Kuleshov Effect
“ Basic examples would be:
 a shot of a man, followed by:
 a shot of a snowy landscape.
“ Instead of thinking of these as two
unrelated images we fill in the
gaps in our minds and put this
man in the landscape settings.
The Studio and the
Kuleshov Effect
“ Since most film were
shot in a studio, this
was an inexpensive
way of making the
film ___________.
Choose the correct terms for the missing two words: more / less and realistic / unrealistic.
The Studio and the
Kuleshov Effect
“ By clever use of
Kuleshov
effect
Wolfgang Peterson,
the maker of Das
Boot (The Boat)
makes us believe
that these men are
actually in a sub in
the ocean.
The Studio and the
Kuleshov Effect
“ He edits in shots of the ocean
and shots of charges exploding
in the ocean. Then we put two
and two together or fill in the
gaps and believe that these men
are actually there.
The Mise-en-Scene
“ The mise-en-scene is the most
obvious part of film. There are
four parts of the mise-en-scene.
The costumes and makeup
The sets
 on location
in the studio
figure expression and movement
The lighting
The Camera (in 5 Acts)
When discussing camera,
scholars use five areas:
Angle
Distance
Height
Level
Movement
The Camera (Act 1)
ANGLE
Angle shots are those in which
the camera is either:
“ placed high and looking down
“ placed low looking up.
The Camera (Act 2)
DISTANCE
Distance shots can be a(n):
extreme long shot (panorama shot)
long shot (landscape outside of a house)
medium (person from waist up)
medium close up (person from chest up)
close up (a person’s face) or
extreme close up (eyes / nose fill frame)
The Camera (Act 3)
HEIGHT
“ Height refers to the level at
which the camera is positioned.
“ Most Hollywood films are on
________.
Choose the correct term for the missing words:
head level / eye level / chest level / full body in view level.
The Camera (Act 4)
LEVEL
Most Hollywood films are
level rather than canted.
Canted refers to the tilt of the camera to
either the right or the left side, i.e. One is
higher than the other, even though they
should be the same level.
The Camera (Act 5)
MOVEMENT
Movement terms include:
 Tracking
 a mobile framing that travels through space in any direction.
 Pan
 a camera movement which produces a horizontal scanning.
 Tilt
 the camera moves up or downward while remaining in a stationary
position.
 Crane
 camera is high above the ground, moves through the air in all directions.
Three Point Lighting
» Three point lighting
_____ Lighting
_____ Lighting
_____ Lighting
 All can use either Low or
High Key Lighting.
Find the three missing terms from your reading.
Three Point Lighting
» The Three-Point Lighting
favors ________ lighting.
» Most Hollywood films use
________ lighting.
Choose the correct term for the missing words: 1) high-key / low-key 2) high-key / low-key
Sound
» Most Hollywood films mix
the sound
» This allows the spectator to
_______________________
which normally would not
stand out, but be a part of the
“noise.”
Find the missing phrase from your reading.
Sound
» Hollywood films also edit the
sound to include effects which
would not be heard in a real
setting.
» Sound, therefore, is both a part
of the Mise-en-Scene and the
editing process.
Music
» The musical score helps to
_________________.
» The initial live music in the
Silent Era of film was an
attempt to ________________
___________________.
Find the missing terms from your reading.
Music
» Music in both silent and sound
films used and use Leitmotif
techniques to aid the narrative.
» The Bride of Frankenstein
provides an effective example.
Editing
“ In order to make smooth transitions
from edit to edit, filmmakers use:
 Fades
a shot gradually brightens (i.e. Fade-in) or darkens (i.e.
Fade-out).
 Dissolves the first shot gradually disappears as the second shot
appears at the same rate.
 Wipes a line appears across the screen, wiping out the first shot as
the second follows behind the line (i.e. dragging an image into the
picture like a curtain)
Editing
» If the edit exists within the scene,
editors will often just join the parts
together in a cut.
» Editing is also useful in structuring the narrative.
» Citizen Kane, for example relies
on flashbacks.
Summary of Techniques
» To make a good film, all the
above are part of assuring
that the spectator lives
vicariously through the main
characters.
Citizen Kane and Standard
Hollywood Film Techniques
“ Citizen Kane (abbreviated CK) shows
a departure from the Standard Hollywood style by using:
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Find the five missing terms from your reading.
CK’s Narrative Structure
» Bordwell and Thompson discuss
how the film revolves around
the reporter’s (Thompson)
search.
» “The very beginning of the film
sets up a mystery.”
CK as a Mystery?
Even though the narrative
resembles a detective-like
mystery, the film is not a
Sherlock Holmes “Whodunit.”
CK as a Mystery?
The most noticeable difference
appears at the end where
Thompson gives up his search.
Yet, the mystery is solved for
the spectator.
CK as a Mystery?
Thompson’s
discoveries
regarding
Kane’s
life
provided more meaning to
the spectator than the
reference to Rosebud.
A Psychological
Point of View
Bordwell and Thompson note that
although we follow Thompson’s
search, the camera functions as
an
_____________________.
“the style also suggest the
narrations’ ability to plumb the
characters’ minds.” (54)
Choose the correct term for the blank:
dependent character, omniscient narrator, independent character.
Conclusion
» Reading 6 provides an introduction
to conventional cinematic techniques,
» while Reading 7 shows how these
technique may be manipulated or
even broken.
» Together they facilitate a better
understanding of cinema.
The Use of Camera in CK
» Hollywood is well-known for
its
“invisible
camera”
technique where the camera’s
presence is meant to be as
innocuous as possible.
The Use of Camera in CK
» The normal spectator hardly
notices the camera at all
because of relatively less
camera movement and shots
and scenes inconspicuously
edited together.
The Use of Camera in CK
QUESTIONS:
» How does Citizen Kane break the
conventions of the “invisible
camera?”
» How is the camera a character in
this movie?
The Use of Camera in CK
» For each one of the following
scenes I will show, think how
the camera works as a
character by itself, going where
very few humans go.
The Opening Sequence
How is the camera a
character here?
Establishing Shot
Match Dissolve
Match Dissolve
Also called
a “Graphic Match”
The Death Sequence
How is the camera a
character here?
Death Sequence
The “El-Rancho” Scene
How is the camera a
character here?
 El Rancho Scene
The “El-Rancho” Scene
How is the camera a character here?
 Death Sequence
Question: How does the camera
show us the night-club?
Angle Shots
High-angle shot and lowangle shot
The camera looks _____
upon or ______ to the
character respectively.
Choose the correct term for the missing words: 1) up / down 2) up / down
The Breakfast Montage
How is the camera a
character here?
Breakfast Montage
The Mise-en-Scene
How is the camera a
character here?
Mise-en-Scene
The Warehouse Scene
How is the camera a
character here?
Warehouse Scene
The Last Scene
Only a camera can zoom in like that,
not a human being. The close up of
the words “Rosebud” at the sled’s
head make us very well aware of one
of Welles’s projects.
This is a movie, not a filmed stage
production with a stationary camera.
Parting Shots...
Make sure to learn the
technical terms that experts
use when talking about film.
Enjoy your next movie!
THE END!