Tyrone English

FLME 2700
Midterm Written Portion
1. The motorcycle chase scene in the most recent installation of the Mission Impossible is a
textbook example of the invisible style of filmmaking, meaning the team of filmmakers
behind the film did very well at masking their contribution to the film, and provide a
seamless viewing experience for the audience. This is done with great attention to detail
in the editing of the scene. A factor that allowed the effectiveness of the invisible style of
the scene is the fact that Tom Cruise didn’t use a stunt double to pull off this sequence.
This is why we are able to get more clear shots of Cruise at important moments in the
chase, if a stunt double was used these shots would be much quicker and not as clear,
because the editors would have to conceal the fact that someone besides the actor actually
playing the protagonist is doing these stunts. The shot selection throughout the scene is
cohesive. The invisible editing style puts the viewer in a better position to view the action
in the scene with every new shift in the camera angle, this is due to match on action
editing. The first shot of real highspeed action shows Hunt in the center of the frame
driving straight at the camera, and the second he turns a corner the shot widens up to
show his pursuers turning onto the same street as him, then the camera zooms in on his
worried expression until he turns around to look at his pursuers, at this point the camera
moves to a point behind the two police motorcycles as they watch him weave through
oncoming traffic. The way in which these shots were sequenced allows the viewer to
clearly follow the path of Hunt, emphasize the speed in which he was going, and the
number and urgency of his pursuers, because the editors utilized match on action to make
the cut This is done through generally longer cuts (about 5 seconds) that change at every
turning point is action. For example, everytime he turns or avoids and obstacle.
2. German expressionism as a genre of filmmaking rose to prominence during the Weimar
republic. Russian montage also grew to popularity in a time of political and social
change, in this case the fall of the tsardom and the rise of a communist state. A German
state seething with turmoil. German expressionist directors used mise-en-scene to create
distorted versions of reality to reflect the inner emotional reality of the nation, and the
early directors were some of the first in film to emphasize the psyche of main characters.
The underlying themes of many plots in this genre reflected the national sentiment of
germany at the time, such as the lows of modern urban life. Unlike German
expressionism, Russian montage films introduced raw ideas through editing rather than
stylistic elements. This was done with the use of discontinuity editing, where filmmakers
would juxtapose different images to generate new emotions for the viewer. This is
mostly because in post-revolutionary Russia, there was not an abundance of materials to
make new films with, so Russian film students would dissect film which they already had
access to. The purpose of filmmakers was also very different in the two countries. In
Germany, filmmaking was more of a commercial art form, and a way to make money in
the struggling economy of the Weimar republic, which is why most German expressionist
films at the time, ​The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,​ for example showcase made up characters
in emotional distress that only declines in severity as the film goes on. In Russia, the
plots of these films mainly focused on actual events and antagonized those not in favor of
the Soviet Union. This is because all of the film school and studios in Russia at the time
were state owned and monitored. Which made it so that the end goal of filmmaking was
to glorify the struggles of the proletariat, and mirror how Russian society has approved
since the tsardom, where German society worsened after WWI.