Meaning and Response

Meaning and Response

Overview

• The New Hollywood era saw significant changes in film making, leading to major shifts in meaning and viewer response.
• This period was characterised by the decline of the old Hollywood studio system, leading to a new wave of directors with more creative control.
• As a result, the films became more thematically complex and visually innovative, opening up new possibilities in meaning creation.

Thematic Complexity

• Films often tackled controversial, political, and social issues prevalent in 1960s and 1970s America, such as War (Vietnam war), sexual liberation, civil rights, and corporate power.
• Many New Hollywood films challenged traditional narratives, offering ambiguous endings and morally complex characters.

Visual Techniques

• More innovative camera techniques were employed, often manipulating typical narrative conventions.

• Cinéma vérité style was often used, which gives a sense of reality or truthfulness to the narrative. This style includes handheld camera work, naturalistic sound, and a lack of non-diegetic music.

• Non-linearity was also used, with films frequently employing flashbacks or flash-forwards.

Aesthetic Codes

• The use of location shooting became more common, often used to set a more realistic or gritty tone.

• Classic Hollywood editing techniques were often subverted, with more frequent use of jump cuts, and less reliance on continuity editing.

• Films in this period also made notable use of colour and lighting to create specific atmospheres or moods.

Viewer Response

• The aesthetic and thematic changes in New Hollywood films often demanded more from the viewers, encouraging a more active interpretation of the film.

• This period witnessed a split in audience base. The films either attracted a ‘cult’ following or achieved high ticket sales due to their either complex or pure entertainment nature.

• The New Hollywood era has left a lasting impression and has greatly impacted how films are made and interpreted today.