Lev Kulishov (1899-1970) was a Soviet film director, theorist, and educator. He is considered one of the pioneers of montage film theory, and his contribution to film editing is significant.
Kulishov was born in the Tsarist era of the Russian Empire. He has been interested in cinema since he was a child and started making his own films.
Kulishov's most famous contribution is his experiments with montages. In these experiments, he filmed neutral shots of an actor's facial expressions. He then edited that shot with different shots, such as a bowl of soup, a coffin, and a woman.
The results of the experiment show that the audience's understanding of the actors' expressions is affected by the footage that is edited together. When his face is juxtaposed with a bowl of soup, viewers assume that he is showing an expression of hunger or joy as he looks at the soup. When his face is juxtaposed with the coffin, they believe that he shows a sad or sad expression as he looks at the coffin. When his face is juxtaposed with a woman, they think he is showing an expression of affection or joy when looking at the woman.
Kulishov's experiments showed that the meaning of a film is determined not by individual shots, but by the relationships between shots. He believes that editing is one of the most important tools in filmmaking, and it can be used to create various effects, such as creating suspense, humor, or emotion.
Kulishov's theory of montage had an important influence on the formation of thinking in film editing. Editing thinking refers to the fact that the filmmaker creates the meaning of the film and expresses the director's intention by thinking about and arranging the relationship between the shots in the editing process.
According to Kulishov, editing thinking should be guided by several principles:
The connection between the shots should be logical and conform to the cognitive laws of the audience.
The connection between the shots should be able to create new meanings, rather than simply superimposing the meanings of the two shots.
The editing should serve the theme and style of the film.
Kulishov's theories had a significant impact on filmmaking. His theory of montage was adopted by many filmmakers, such as Alfred Hitchcock and Steven Spielberg.
Kulishov is considered an important figure in the history of cinema. His theory of montage is one of the foundations of film editing and is still used today.
Kulishov's main contributions to filmmaking include:
The montage theory was proposed, arguing that the meaning of a film is not determined by a single shot, but by the relationship between the shots.
Proof: Editing is one of the most important tools in film creation and can be used to create a variety of effects.
Many film talents were trained, including some students who later became famous filmmakers.
Kulishov was a pioneer in the world of cinema, and his contribution to film editing was significant. His theory of montage is still used today and has helped make cinema a much more complex and expressive art form.