American Cinema Post 2: Hollywood Style

The following is a list of various terms related to the Hollywood style and their respective definitions as well as examples of them:

Seamless Editing: This refers to the flow of images from the screen creating an almost magical form of narrative where the devices being employed are invisible to the general viewing audience. It is comparable to Henry Ford's assembly line, creating an efficient and economic form of production. This style of editing was evolved during the 1910's and 20's in America. Examples of this can be seen in any film after this time but it is arguable it was first employed by The Great Train Robbery. As this was the first film to use editing at all, it stands the test of time as creating a seamless story told through various shots and scenes.

Hollywood narrative of telling a motion picture story: This refers to the fact that Hollywood tells a story on the screen in a series of scenes and shots that are, essentially, discontinuous. However, the audience perceives it as a continuous whole because it is put together in a way that conveys a smoothly flowing story. This is accomplished with the many film-specific artifices at Hollywood's disposal. Various ways Hollywood tells stories include the circular pattern, journey to a new place, and narrative incoherence. Circular pattern refers to a story that takes the protagonist(s) on a journey where they end up back where he/she/they end up back where he/she/they began but changed by the experience. An example of this can be seen in the Chaplin film, The Gold Rush. The story begins in the contiguous United States, takes place in Alaska, and ends in the US again. Chaplin's character comes back rich and with the affection of a woman he falls in love with. Journey to a new place refers to beginning the story in one place and having the protagonist(s) end in another, also being changed by the experience. Some Like It Hot illustrates this type of narrative in that it begins in Chicago and ends in Florida with the two protagonists having been changed by their journey. Narrative incoherence refers to a more modernist take on structure wherein the events and their order are difficult to decipher but the film can still be broken down into various specific units. An example of this is Pulp Fiction. Although the continuity of the film is disjointed and the viewer doesn't receive the full meaning of events until the end of the film, a coherent division of the various sections can be made.

Equilibrium and Disruption: This is the almost universal technique employed by Hollywood of telling a story. There is an initial order established at the start of the film and something disturbs this equilibrium and attempts are made to restore the initial state but are unsuccessful until the end of the film. This is best illustrated by the flow of action in the film Rear Window. An initial shot shows an unassuming courtyard. A murder takes place that the protagonist works to solve and by the end of the film order is restored leaving the viewer with the same shot of the courtyard.

Problem solving techniques: This is the way in which a protagonist reaches his or her goals and moves the plot along in a very tangible way. They include overcoming those who stand in their way(such as in any film containing an obvious villian such as Batman), triumphing over adverse circumstances such as nature or physical disability or something else(such as Cast Away in which Tom Hank's character struggles to survive on an unihabitted island), and/or transcending his or her own limitations such as fears or weaknesses(as in any Woody Allen film such as Annie Hall in which, in order to win the girl, he struggles with his own internal neuroses).

Character centered cinema: Classically, Hollywood puts a character who has definitive characteristics and goals in the center of the action in order to progress the plot. A number of films exhibit this style of story telling and among them is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Although there are digressions involving other, minor characters, the plot centers around the actions of the Joel and Clementine. The plot is developed, although non-linearly, through the accomplishments and missteps of these two characters.