Choose a cinematic technique that Kurasawa uses that you like and feel you could replicate. Describe it and discuss why he uses this technique (meaning) and give an example of how you would use it in your own work.
A notable technique I witnessed kurosawa use was his cinematography. Specifically, his usage of space and how he always filled it. Also how each shot has a beginning, middle and end. Lastly, his use of movement in every shot. With the concern of hs cinematic space, he would fill it with actors so there was always one in the foreground, middle ground and background. I found this the easiest technique to mimic as it does not require much but makes all the difference. By incorporating this depth into his film, everything on the screen became more engaging and it felt as if you had to focus on every part keeping you entwined with the film. I could definitely replicate this as it’s essentially just placing your actors in the correct positions and I don’t have technological limitations compared to other interesting techniques kurosawa used. The next technique he used was giving each shot a beginning, middle and end. This was essentially done with his movement of actors and ability to pan with their movement. He would begin with the actor on the frame in one spot and then progress with their movement until they reached their mark where he cut to the next shot. I find this technique doable and I want to incorporate it in my late films but it requires a lot of practice as you have to preserve 180 and also not disorent the viewer by panning to quickly withe actor moving quickly as well. The last technique is his movement in every shot whether it’s the actor, camera or weather that’s creating the movement. All his shots consisted of the actor moving which normally went hand in hand with the camera moving as well. This would be challenging as it;is related to his beginning, middle and end technique but as I said it requires practice to execute correctly. The weather, however would be more difficult. He would either have rain or wind or fire in the background and this is not easy to mimic without the actual event happening which you can’t always count on. The noise of these elements would also require extensive sound design which can be replicated but makes the process more difficult. So, in order to do this would have to replicate the elements and folly them as well to add to my film. This would impact my film by creating a more engaging atmosphere and would also provide subtle messages as to what events are coming. KUroawa used the elements to ignite nether conflict, desperation or joy. He used rain during all fighting scenes and wind was used during the anticipation scene while fire was used to replicate the joy the villagers used and provided a celebratory aspect to their actions. Overall, his cinematic techniques are all doable but requires a lot of practice. They provide an element of engagement in his films so it would be worth it to mimic.
One of the cinematic techniques that Kurosawa uses in his films is movement. There is always something happening on the screen; the frame is rarely stagnant. Kurosawa’s use of movement helps fill the frame, as well as create a greater emotional impact. One way that Kurosawa creates effortless movement is through the use of weather. Although this is something that we learned in one of the video essays, I couldn’t help but notice it while we were watching Seven Samurai. The background is rarely empty and more often than not, it is either raining or in the presence of fire, which helps reveal the emotional aspect of the film. Additionally, it represents the duality between the thieves and the samurai, as well as the anger and peace within the samurai group themselves. This use of weather allows for a deeper emotional connection between the viewer and the film, something that is quite difficult to achieve. As someone who wants to have this sort of depth in their future films, perhaps adding another layer such as weather, will allow the film to become more immersive. Another way that Kurosawa uses movement is by the direction and by blocking the actors. Personally, this is not something that I have put a great deal of thought into before and now I realize that I should. Kurosawa’s direction of the way the actors (as a whole) move on screen is amazing. Also something pointed out in the video essays, the way that groups move in relation to the singular person is brilliant. Especially when the farmers are following the orders of the samurai, their obedience can be seen in the way that they all follow the actions of the samurai. For example, after the first samurai dies and everyone is gathered by the hill, one of the samurai soldiers falls to the ground, stricken with grief. Shortly after, the rest of the villagers also kneel in respect. This use of movement conveys the pain that the thieves bring upon the farmers, and the massive way that it impacts them. The sorrow is almost tangible as they kneel, silent and still. Another technique that Kurosawa uses in this specific scene is the editing. He lingers on the group of people and the empty space within them, cutting to medium shots of the other samurai staring at their buried friend. This lack of fast paced editing is something that I definitely would like to use and will more than likely implement in my next film. Somehow, the silence and lack of movement creates emotion beyond the capability of most modern movies. The artistry of Kurosawa’s films seems greatly unattainable, and yet simple when actually broken down. In my next film, I’d like to sit down and put a lot of thought and planning into the way the story flows as a whole. I think that I would also like to have a slower-paced editing style, as well as movement that actually has a purpose, rather than just moving the camera to move the camera.
A notable technique I witnessed kurosawa use was his cinematography. Specifically, his usage of space and how he always filled it. Also how each shot has a beginning, middle and end. Lastly, his use of movement in every shot. With the concern of hs cinematic space, he would fill it with actors so there was always one in the foreground, middle ground and background. I found this the easiest technique to mimic as it does not require much but makes all the difference. By incorporating this depth into his film, everything on the screen became more engaging and it felt as if you had to focus on every part keeping you entwined with the film. I could definitely replicate this as it’s essentially just placing your actors in the correct positions and I don’t have technological limitations compared to other interesting techniques kurosawa used. The next technique he used was giving each shot a beginning, middle and end. This was essentially done with his movement of actors and ability to pan with their movement. He would begin with the actor on the frame in one spot and then progress with their movement until they reached their mark where he cut to the next shot. I find this technique doable and I want to incorporate it in my late films but it requires a lot of practice as you have to preserve 180 and also not disorent the viewer by panning to quickly withe actor moving quickly as well. The last technique is his movement in every shot whether it’s the actor, camera or weather that’s creating the movement. All his shots consisted of the actor moving which normally went hand in hand with the camera moving as well. This would be challenging as it;is related to his beginning, middle and end technique but as I said it requires practice to execute correctly. The weather, however would be more difficult. He would either have rain or wind or fire in the background and this is not easy to mimic without the actual event happening which you can’t always count on. The noise of these elements would also require extensive sound design which can be replicated but makes the process more difficult. So, in order to do this would have to replicate the elements and folly them as well to add to my film. This would impact my film by creating a more engaging atmosphere and would also provide subtle messages as to what events are coming. KUroawa used the elements to ignite nether conflict, desperation or joy. He used rain during all fighting scenes and wind was used during the anticipation scene while fire was used to replicate the joy the villagers used and provided a celebratory aspect to their actions. Overall, his cinematic techniques are all doable but requires a lot of practice. They provide an element of engagement in his films so it would be worth it to mimic.
ReplyDeleteOne of the cinematic techniques that Kurosawa uses in his films is movement. There is always something happening on the screen; the frame is rarely stagnant. Kurosawa’s use of movement helps fill the frame, as well as create a greater emotional impact. One way that Kurosawa creates effortless movement is through the use of weather. Although this is something that we learned in one of the video essays, I couldn’t help but notice it while we were watching Seven Samurai. The background is rarely empty and more often than not, it is either raining or in the presence of fire, which helps reveal the emotional aspect of the film. Additionally, it represents the duality between the thieves and the samurai, as well as the anger and peace within the samurai group themselves. This use of weather allows for a deeper emotional connection between the viewer and the film, something that is quite difficult to achieve. As someone who wants to have this sort of depth in their future films, perhaps adding another layer such as weather, will allow the film to become more immersive. Another way that Kurosawa uses movement is by the direction and by blocking the actors. Personally, this is not something that I have put a great deal of thought into before and now I realize that I should. Kurosawa’s direction of the way the actors (as a whole) move on screen is amazing. Also something pointed out in the video essays, the way that groups move in relation to the singular person is brilliant. Especially when the farmers are following the orders of the samurai, their obedience can be seen in the way that they all follow the actions of the samurai. For example, after the first samurai dies and everyone is gathered by the hill, one of the samurai soldiers falls to the ground, stricken with grief. Shortly after, the rest of the villagers also kneel in respect. This use of movement conveys the pain that the thieves bring upon the farmers, and the massive way that it impacts them. The sorrow is almost tangible as they kneel, silent and still. Another technique that Kurosawa uses in this specific scene is the editing. He lingers on the group of people and the empty space within them, cutting to medium shots of the other samurai staring at their buried friend. This lack of fast paced editing is something that I definitely would like to use and will more than likely implement in my next film. Somehow, the silence and lack of movement creates emotion beyond the capability of most modern movies. The artistry of Kurosawa’s films seems greatly unattainable, and yet simple when actually broken down. In my next film, I’d like to sit down and put a lot of thought and planning into the way the story flows as a whole. I think that I would also like to have a slower-paced editing style, as well as movement that actually has a purpose, rather than just moving the camera to move the camera.
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