We talk about a filmmaker's style, but it is really a question of rhythm! This striking assertion is at the heart of an exciting two-day Master Class with Alain Berliner, the director of my life in pink.
Using many film clips, he will show that rhythm, which is too often associated only with editing, is actually a subtle and vital balancing act which the director must introduce even during shooting. What is the rhythm of the narrative? Of the acting? What is the internal rhythm within a shot? How do camera movements and positions create rhythm? How is it influenced by focal lengths and shot sizes? How does the rhythm reinforce conventions of realism? How does it serve suspense or emotion?
Rhythm is a subtle way of bringing the viewers into the story and its scenes by helping them distinguish between informative and emotional moments, and by playing on tension and release. These two days of intensive theoretical study offer indispensable and immediately useful ingredients for giving a scene life, clarity and energy.
Those who miss out on this Master Class will be able to join a short, free public lecture, organised in collaboration with Zürich für den Film, at the cinema Xenix on Friday 30 September from 19 to 20.30.
Alain Berliner
In 1997 a cinematic UFO entitled MY LIFE IN PINK brought Alain Berliner to public attention. The story of a little boy who considers himself a girl was a hit at the Cannes Festival and won many awards, including a Golden Globe. This prolific director and screenwriter has worked on numerous films in his career, such as THE WALL; PASSION OF MIND, with Demi Moore; THE HOUSE BY THE CANAL, adapted from the novel by Simenon, with Isild Le Besco; I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A DANCER, with Vincent Elbaz and Cécile de France; CLARA SHELLER, a TV series for France 2; and THE SKIN OF SORROW, an adaptation of the Honoré de Balzac novel. He has been teaching scriptwriting at INSAS for several years and brings passion and tireless energy to this role too.
alainberliner.com
