When we talk about rhythm in cinema, we generally take this to mean the rhythm of editing. However, the rhythm of the narrative, the acting and the internal rhythm within a shot are equally fundamental to a film maker's aesthetic. In some cinematic masterpieces, very long shots force us to notice every detail, while in comedy there is a need for rapid and precise timing to get a laugh.
As an example, in the late 1920s, at the beginning of the talkies, the great director Frank Capra realised that he needed to speed up the acting by about 30 % to maintain respect for the convention of on-screen reality, thus inventing ‹speeding up dialogues›. In this talk, the Belgian director Alain Berliner will use film clips to sketch out a portrait of rhythm in all its forms. He will also teach a two-day Master Class on this issue for FOCAL.
Guest: 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
