Blog Response- Article- Intensified Continuity

David Bordell expresses in this article how there is a period of intensified continuity that surrounds the new cinema of today. In the beginning Hollywood used more wide angle shots that were a bit static to go for the more realist view, that had a standard lens of 35mm. Over time though the standard has changed and directors are incorporating different lens to give the audience a sense of depth and also having a lot more faster edits to build tension and suspense in the films.

"Fast-paced dialogue has reinforced premises of the 180-degree staging system...the axis of action must be strictly respected." Through this you could see how the intensified continuity plays a significant role when directors are composing a set of shots. For example before with the shots not as quick as they are now, the 180-degree line was not as important, but now since the shots are so fast the audience pays attention to the 180-degree line and can easily spot when this is crossed. Also with new technology it is making it easier to follow this rule, but with the constant increase of speed through each cut, this rule must be respected and acknowledged.  This also supports one of the 4 factors of intensified continuity, which more rapid editing; a way for this to further happen would be shot length varying now, to escape that sense of realism.

The second aspect of intensified continuity is different lens lengths in between shots. "Since the long lens magnifies fairly distant action, the camera can be quite far from the subject, and this proved advantageous in shooting exteriors." This was used because film makers and directors now could take advantage of their new lenses by taking shots from a lot farther and depending on their lens to get all the action. This lens also allowed the film maker to incorporate deeper focus within their shot, which now is a very popular technique.

The third aspect of intensified continuity is closer framings in dialogue sequences. In many films now you do not see the stationary sequence of two characters talking, but see, "Mouth, brow, and eyes become the principle sources of information and emotion." Now because pf the faster cutting and longer lens variety, a dialogue sequence does not need to bore the audience but can be very intimate and emotional. This forced the audience to focus more on the actor's performance instead of the make-up of each shot.

The last aspect of intensified continuity is the usage of free ranging cameras. "Camera movement becomes a mainstay of popular cinema," through these movements a clear path is set between old cinema and new. The use of motion in shots allows the director to convey feelings and moods that the actor cannot portray, or to extenuate a certain mood or feel at the time.