“Message Films” and Early Hollywood’s Understanding of Film Techniques

One future film major’s guide to pre-Hollywood as we know it

When I watch a movie, I often have a habit of commenting the filming techniques and presentation of scenes or style. Films are usually not straight forward as they appear. Depending on direction, the film can lay deeper and more symbolic meaning to better explain the imagery of a scene.

The silent films, primarily of the 1910s, were known for their single camera focus productions which gave the the audience an almost stage-like experience. European films commonly shot action on multiple planes, alluding to a more in depth perspective. These early films were usually shot with natural lighting, however, filmmakers began to substitute for artificial lights (often stands of carbon arcs) which achieved a more sophisticated effect and gave more control over the look of the film image. According to the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, “Variations of “three-point lighting,” the technique of using a strong key light and a weaker fill at the front or sides of a subject, and one or two backlights behind, were soon standardized.”

Cinematography was still in it’s infancy. Camera movements were not widespread, especially in indoor scenes. The “iris shot” was a commonly used technique, “which isolates a visual element with a circular mask that was opened or closed by a device installed at the front of the camera lens, was among the most popular items in a cameraman’s tool box in the 1910s.”

Filmmakers in the 1920s, began to understand storytelling not just with character development but with props, camera angles, and lighting. An example of this was the German expressionist film, “Nosferatu” (1922). The film was inspired by occultist artist Albin Grau’s war experience. The screenplay centered on the rising expanse of dark romanticism — but unlike other films of the same style, the film was poetically rhythmic.

The film was directed by the widely universal F.W Murnau and uses dramatic visuals to convey suspense and underlying thematic themes. Due to the budget costs, the film relied heavily on dramatics. One element of the film was the use of shadows. Whenever the main character appeared, the shadow of his long fingers revealed themselves on the…