Story Evolution and Cinematography

An important aspect of motion picture photography is cinematography, which entails incorporating eye-catching visuals into the story to draw viewers in. All of the film’s visual components fall under the umbrella of filmmaking art. Innovations in the film industry include improvements in acting, color/film material, and video effects (Keating 1). The classic narrative film is thought to be The Birth of a Nation. It portrays the post-Civil War reconstruction period in American history. Due to its distinctive film editing technique and fundamentals of cinematography, The Birth of a Nation established standards in the film industry today. Citizen Kane is one of the world-renowned films (Keating 233). The film contains some remarkable scenes innovations as well as cinematic techniques. The film is about a group of reporters who try to decipher the last words of Charles Forster Kane. This paper seeks to compare and analyze the cinematography and story evolution between the films Birth of a Nation (1941) and Citizen Kane (1915).

Citizen Kane is a stunning film that portrays numerous fundamentals of cinematography as well as breathtaking stylistic features. Throughout the film, the director Orson Welles tries to convey the inferiority that people feel when dealing with Kane, especially his wife Susan. The scene at Xanadu show with Kane and his wife reveals his dominance over his wife and people in general (Citizen Kane). The camera movement in this film was exemplary and revolutionary work. Welles challenged the classical Hollywood conventions by using a unique narrative and film structure. The most discussed aspects of this film are Gregg Toland’s thrilling cinematography as well as Welles use of low-key lighting (Dancyger 282). True, the innovation in this film has continued to stun the audience especially in their remarkable use of mobile framing, which entails outstanding camera movement as described in the art of film-making.

Likewise, the Birth of a Nation employs similar editing styles and filming techniques, ensuring the seamless flow of the storyline for the audience (Dancyger 134). The aim of cinematography is to draw the audience into the experience of the cinema. As a precursor to contemporary action movies, the director G.W. Griffith uses the different techniques in the film. First, he uses continuity editing to keep the storyline flowing naturally with the scene’s action. Additionally, he uses the basic principle of parallel editing behind all chase scenes. This technique creates the notion that two separate events are occurring simultaneously, it is employed in renowned scenes like when the clansmen saved the day by galloping out of the cabin into town (Bordwell and Thompson 154).

In addition, Orson Welles in Citizen Kane employs scale as an important component in cinematography and aesthetics. He exploits divergent shot scales demonstrating the change in the power relationship between Charles Kane and his lawyer. For instance, when Charles is young, as his lawyer is arranging for his adoption, his figure is lost in the snow at the back of the shot. Moreover, when Kane rebels against the oversight of Bernstein, he is shown rising in the frame as he asserts himself (Citizen Kane). In the Birth of a Nation establishing shots are used, setting the stage for action. Initially, they use a wide shot in the battlefield to depict the characters as part of a larger battle before closing in to show the few essential movie characters.

Close-up shots are also used to direct the attention of the viewers and focus on emotions. The cinematographer displays a close-up photo of Elsie Stoneman and the correspondence between the Camerons’ and the Stonemans’.Color tinting varies in the Birth of a Nation as the movie progresses (Bordwell and Thompson 54). Although the film is the traditional black and white film the earlier scenes in the south have a more sepia tone illustrating peace and harmony while the later scenes are quite harsh as the soldiers fill the streets and the clansmen disperse them. Griffith also used matte to cover some shots in black and white conveying the subject matter to the spotlight. This was exclusively covered while picking cotton and the Booth’s gun belonging to John Wilkes. The Birth of a Nation story evolution is regarded as a landmark for its dramatic and visual innovations. The musicality was arguably revolutionary. There was usually a piano or organ accompaniment with each scene.an arrangement of melodies recognizable to the audience at the time. Despite the controversy of the film, the film was quite popular.

The story revolves around two families the Stonemans who were abolitionists from the North and the Cameroons who were southern landowners. The story evolves as the director Griffith depicts an epic but controversial battle when confederate Ben Cameroon is captured in battle and the nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. The film is separated into two drawing from the history of the civil war. The initial prologue claims that the immigration of Africans to America is the reason for the reconstruction and the war. The story begins when the sons of Stoneman travel south and romance starts to develop between Phil and Margaret and Ben and Elsie. The filmmakers follow the storyline of how Ben takes the picture of Elsie everywhere he goes until he meets her. The War breaks out immediately after the Stonemans leave. Epic battle sequence follow that are exceptionally produced focusing on the scale of destruction. The reconstruction involves a complex chase sequence after flora intentionally or accidentally jumps off a cliff and the Klan believes it to be Gus’s fault. In the end, he is murdered and his body dumped at Silas Lynch’s door (The Birth of a Nation).

The story of Citizen Kane evolves from when a reporter is assigned to decipher Kane’s dying words. As the film progresses the investigation reveals the fascinating tale of a man rising to staggering heights from obscurity might never be exposed. The statements of his friend, colleague and mistress shed fragments of light on the man’s life the reporter then fears he may not be able to breach the mystery of Kane’s final yet elusive words. Citizen Kane begins with the camera panning seamlessly across a deserted estate known as Xanadu in Florida. The camera lingers on a no trespassing sign before progressing gradually towards a house. Later, when the camera pulls back, we realize that the scenery is a snow globe being held by an old man. The old man whispers “Rosebud” and then he dies (Citizen Kane).

The series of events that follow announced the death of a famous newspaper publisher. The reading newsreel acted as a form of obituary giving an overview of Charles Kane’s career and life, while introducing some of his life acquaintances. The mention of ”Rosebud” Kane’s final words sends a wave of wonder as people try to read into Kane’s character. The story involves a series of flashbacks providing clear imagery as Thompson reads the Memoirs. Moreover, the film uses a chronological series of flashbacks that depict the various points of view. For instance, Kane’s mother Mary was given a working goldmine in lieu of payment due for her boarding houses in rural Colorado (Citizen Kane)

Works Cited

Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson. Film Art: An Introduction. McGraw-Hill, 2013.

Citizen Kane. Directed by Orson Welles, performances by Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, Dorothy Comingore, Everett Sloane. Mercury Production, 1941.

Dancyger, Ken. The Technique of Film and Video Editing. Taylor & Francis. 2013.

Keating, Patrick. Cinematography. I.B. Tauris, 2014.

The Birth of a Nation. Directed by D. W. Griffith, performances by Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall, Miriam Cooper, David W. Griffith Corp., 1915.