Bazinian Theory. Toward a synthesis of cinema - a theory of the long take moving camera. Part 2

Even Henderson admits to a certain kind of underdevelopment in the evolution of film theory, a condition that may be inherent to the process of cinema itself, as he explains more concretely about both montage and long take theory:

Both Eisenstein montage theory and Bazinian long-take theory not only ignore this stylistic area [expressive editing + mise-en-scène], they deny its existence, both preferring the either/or mentality that each sees as necessary to its own survival … Stylistic combinations of long-take and cutting techniques fall exactly between the two schools, in that they combine elements of the favored style of each; but they are treated as falling outside of each because each prefers not to recognize them. This is a prime instance of serious omission in the classical film theories, indeed of an entire category of film expression missing from them. This limitation is compounded in importance by the expressive impact that editing has upon the long-take sequence. [4]

It is a determined fact that Eisenstein represents reality (i.e. reality is manipulated as art remains a pure constant), that is, reality is taken to art; while Bazin presents reality (i.e. it is the art that changes and never the reality), in other words, art is taken to reality. Henderson’s argument naturally leads us to Orson Welles who is one of the foremost long take and expressive editing directors of the modern film era, a filmmaker who has successfully functioned in the forbidden “gap” of classical cinema. But before proceeding with the discussions of long take directors (especially Welles) and their films, it is necessary to analyze the relevant long take theories that are already set into place within the present cinematic framework of history.

According to Lutz Bacher’s MA thesis [entitled The Mobile Mise-en-scène (1976)], there are two basic approaches to the long take camera movement. First, the problem can be addressed from the perspective of a decoupage of the spatio-temporal unity of the sequence or scene. Secondly, it can be approached from the point-of-view of authorial style where the moving camera aesthetics become expressive elements in the mise-en-scène. Bacher breaks down the long take theories as follows: “There are only two long-take theories -Andre Bazin’s, which is shared in essence by Jean Renoir and Roberto Rossellini, and Jean Mitry’s, which is really an anti-long-take theory since it denies that it is essentially different.” [5]

According to Bacher, Bazin’s long take theory is based on the cinema’s capacity for verisimilitude which is derived from the ontology of the object, the process of photography and the concept of temporal objectivity. Bacher analyses Bazin’s view of cinematic realism in this way:

According to his (Bazin’s) “law of aesthetics,” Bazin would insist on the long take only where it is necessary for verisimilitude. Its use at any other time is only a question of style and he indicates no stylistic preference here … Bazin justified the use of the long take by the criterion of "bringing an added measure of realism to the screen … It is, in fact, his main criterion for judging the realism of shooting styles." [6]

Bacher mentions that depth of field is another major component of Bazin’s theory because it allows for the continuous penetration of spatial reality and introduces ambiguity in the image. [7] Furthermore, Bazin believes that total dramatic realism can only be achieved independently from the camera, implying that he prefers the method of reframing over shot change since he is convinced that cutting introduces spatial discontinuity and contributes to the construction of non-reality. Bacher adds that: “Bazin considered camera movement as important a technique as depth of field for maintaining spatio-temporal continuity. The repeated use of the term reframing, which refers specifically to camera movement for the purpose of following the action, points up Bazin’s concern with camera movement as a technique for increasing realism in filming.” [8] Bazin’s conception of cinema eschews from the interpretative potential of image content editing, including in-camera scene editing, and favors a form of meaning that originates within the spectator’s perceptual field. However, there are some lingering debates about Bazin’s positive attitude toward the moving camera and its role as an expressive technique (i.e. camera style). The polemics about moving camera stylistics that surround Bazin’s long take theory call into question the meaning of cinematic reality because, after all, there is always a form of manipulative cinematography at play in the production of cinema; and for this reason, authorial interpretation of the dramatic events must necessarily inflect the meaning of what is perceived by the spectator.

Bacher addresses camera movement from Jean Mitry’s perspective, a view that embraces many of Bazin’s theoretical arguments but one that opposes the possibility of a long take moving camera aesthetic (i.e. Bazin’s law of aesthetics). Bacher comments: “Jean Mitry considered camera movement in terms of its history, psychology, dramaturgy, point of view, etc., stressing particularly its ability to create dramatic space … He proposed instead (i.e. in place of a long take aesthetic) a “synthesis theory” which accounts for all means of expression.” [9] Mitry’s long take formulation is an “anti-theory” which has not been popularized as much as Bazin’s cinematic realism; but even so, Mitry’s concept of synthesis (long take + montage) brings battle to Bazin’s “ontological theory,” calling into question the meaning of cinematic reality. Mitry’s cinema becomes a matter of free will, conscious decision and stylistic preference on the part of the filmmaker; and as Bacher argues: “ … this view of the long-take is shared by Hitchcock, Straub and possibly Welles as well as any other director or cinematographer who sees the long take as merely the stringing together into one shot of a sequence of set-ups … Welles’ insistence that editing is central to his style, while showing a preference for long takes at the same time, can be interpreted as at least a general agreement with Mitry.” [10] Mitry’s conception of the mobile long take, as a series of set-ups linked together by the camera (as compared to a series of moving images cut together in the editing room), suggests that a strong expressive interaction must exist between the camera and the mise-en-scène. Therefore, it already appears that this essay is pushing toward a theory of the long take moving camera which is a synthesis of montage and long take, where long take is not an aesthetic condition but a mode of free-minded expression, as with Orson Welles’ cinema.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-10