Assignment 9: Early Sound and The Artist

In The Artist the camera work is very reminiscent of silent films because that's exactly what the cinematographer Guillaume Schiffman wanted to capture in the look of it. The way the camera is rarely moving and the coverage of the film isn't like the haphazard tons of angles we get in modern films. You can tell that the Artist was made in 2011, because the picture looks really clean and pristine. He shot it in color then converted to black-and-white in post-production because the shades of the blacks and grays seem much richer. There are also a couple of dutch angles used in the dream sequences which was not used in silent films.

The sound and music in The Artist can be compared to silent films because there is a almost constant musical accompaniment. You can tell The Artist was made in 2011 because there is a dream sequence in which the main character starts to hear noises which is very meta. Also, the score in the film is much more comtemporary because it really reflects whats happening on-screen instead of most silent films in which the music would have the same theme over every scene.

Intertitles are used in The Artist to portray the dialogue which is what silent films used. The only thing that shows that the movie was made in 2011 is at the end when you can actually hear the characters speak.

The editing in the film is reminiscent of silent films because they also shows the reactions to what is being said which is not what always happens in modern films. The editing in other aspects is very modern in which is it is much faster than silent films of that era. It is not MTV-style but it is not as deliberate as silent films.

I don't really remember seeing any special effects in the film. But I do remember seeing a lot of special effects in Melies' films but The Artist is not a film that wouldn't need special effects.

The acting is reminiscent of silent films in some respects because of the very expressive faces. But there isn't the overly dramatic theatrical acting of silent films. Which is why I think Jean Dujardin won the Oscar for Best Actor (also his charming smile).