He used the still-shot (Dirks, 2013). Griffith incorporated "the technique of the camera "iris" effect (expanding or contracting circular masks to either reveal and open up a scene, or close down and conceal a part of an image)" (Dirks, 2013). In addition, while this was still in the era of black and white film making, Griffith was able to employ, "extensive use of color tinting for dramatic or psychological effect in sequences" (Dirks, 2013). He used camera panning to show movement and track movement in shots (Dirks, 2013). He also used close-ups to help highlight facial expressions (Dirks, 2013). Griffith also employed the use of vignettes in balloons or iris shots on part of a darkened street, the use of fade outs, the use of cameo profiles, the use of lap dissolves when transitioning between images, and high-angle and panoramic shots (Dirks, 2013).
Therefore, the actual way in which Griffith approached the filming of the movie introduced a number of different innovations.
However, the newness of the film was not limited to the technical changes in the movie. Griffith was also lauded for his innovations in storytelling. The Birth of a Nation was one of the first epic films to really attempt to tell a detailed and complex story. Several components helped contribute to the emotional and visceral appeal of the story. First, it was a family story and Griffith focused a significant amount of effort on the family exchanges in the movie, personalizing it for the audience (Dirks, 2013). Next, Griffith drew on historical events, even if it was in a revisionist movie, to help connect the audience to the events in the movie (Dirks, 2013). He also used more elaborate costuming to convey a realistic historical period than had been used in prior productions (Dirks, 2013). In order to enhance the realistic elements of the film, Griffith employed extras to help stage realistic-looking battle scenes (Dirks, 2013). He also structured the story to build to a climax, helping establish the suspense-building elements of a film (Dirks, 2013). All of these elements helped change the tone of filmmaking and usher in an era of films being a medium for epic storytelling.
It is difficult to reconcile what the Birth of a Nation meant for the art of filmmaking with its negative impact on American culture. It was a horribly racist movie that reinforced the...
Gone With the Wind offers a somewhat conservative view of Georgia and the South. The South is depicted as something almost royal; slavery is never thought twice about -- it's simply the way things are. Many may contend that Gone With the Wind rivals Griffith's The Birth of a Nation in its depiction of the Reconstruction -- a period when southern whites were victimized by the now freed slaves, who
The Birth of a Nation is a bit more explicit in its message but it rings to the same tune -- southern whites are victims of the civil war, not perpetrators. Neither is an accurate portrayal of historical events but rather a symbolic representation of feelings and emotions held by whites in the pre-world war two United States. Historical evidence proves that neither Griffith nor O'Selznick were accurate in their depiction
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