Gilles Deleuze's Cinema Books Part 3: The Frame

Film & Media Studies

8 Aug 202224:48

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThis video analyzes Gilles Deleuze's cinema books, explaining key concepts like frame, shot, and montage. It focuses on the philosophical notion of the 'out-of-field' in cinema, mapping it onto Deleuze's ideas of 'set' and 'whole.' Different framings like Dreyer's 'shock compositions' in Joan of Arc spatially close the image yet open it to time and spirit. Ultimately, Deleuze suggests some films transcend simply imagining off-screen space, instead directing us metaphysically inward in a mysterious way.

Takeaways

😀 Deluze introduces concepts of 'sets' and 'wholes' from Bergson's philosophy to analyze cinematic concepts like frame, shot and montage
😯 The terms 'set', 'movement', and 'whole' map onto the film concepts of 'frame', 'shot', and 'montage'/camera movement
🎥 A film frame delimits a set of elements spatially, while a shot captures movement and duration
🎞 Montage puts shots in relation to each other, expressing the open 'whole' of the film's duration
👀 The 'out-of-field' refers to what lies outside the framed image, either spatially or in a more absolute sense
🌄 Dreyer's films use closed frames to evoke spiritual and temporal dimensions beyond visible space
🎬 Shot and montage introduce time, change and human thought into the spatially delimited frame
💭 Sets always exist within larger sets - but the absolute 'whole' is an open, unlimited duration
🧠 Our habitual perception treats movement as translation between static sets rather than transformation of an open whole
🎞 Deluze links concepts of movement, time and thought in Bergson's philosophy to the language and techniques of cinema

Q & A

What are the three key terms Deleuze introduces to understand movement, and how do they relate to cinema?
-The three key terms are set, movement, and whole. Set refers to looking at movement as objects moving in space. Movement is the intermediary term. Whole refers to movement as duration or transformation. These map onto cinema terms: set = frame, movement = shot, whole = montage/camera movement.
How does the frame relate to Deleuze's idea of a set?
-The frame spatially delimits a set of elements - the people and objects in front of the camera. Framing is choosing which elements will be part of the set. The frame forms a closed system, like Deleuze's idea of set.
What is the out-of-field, and what are its two aspects?
-The out-of-field refers to what lies outside the camera's frame. Its two aspects are: 1) Relative - the frame refers to unseen space that could be seen if the frame moved; 2) Absolute - the frame opens onto duration and the spiritual, not just more physical space.
How does a shot link to Deleuze's idea of movement?
-A shot captures a continuous block of space and time, so it expresses movement as the transformation of a whole. The shot endures in time, uniting space and time, like Deleuze's definition of movement.
What does Deleuze mean when he says frames can be mathematical/geometric or dynamic?
-A geometric frame has a fixed, rectangular shape. A dynamic frame can change its shape to match the content, like with an iris shot. This reflects how movement is more than just objects moving in set space.
How does montage relate to Deleuze's idea of the whole?
-Montage puts shots in relation to each other across time. It expresses the open duration that transforms the entire film. So montage maps onto Deleuze's philosophical idea of the open, enduring whole.
What is the difference between the relative and absolute aspects of the out-of-field?
-The relative aspect refers to unseen space that could be seen, while the absolute aspect opens the frame onto duration, time and the spiritual - a beyond that is not just more physical space.
How does Dreyer's use of unusual framing reflect the absolute aspect of the out-of-field?
-Dreyer's very closed frames do not make us imagine more space, but instead open onto the spiritual and time. This shows the absolute aspect of the out-of-field as beyond normal space.
Why does Deleuze say every frame has an angle, justified or not?
-Every frame involves placing the camera, so an angle is chosen. A justified angle matches the narrative, while an unjustified angle may provoke thought about its meaning.
How do sets within sets relate to Deleuze's idea of the whole?
-Imagine zooming out to larger and larger sets - you might think there is one biggest set. But for Deleuze, the whole universe is open and unlimited, not a closed container.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Mapping philosophy onto film theory

Paragraph 1 introduces key philosophical concepts from Bergson related to movement, space and time such as 'set', 'whole', and 'movement'. It explains how these map onto key film concepts like 'frame', 'shot', and 'montage', providing the foundation for Deleuze's analysis of cinema.

05:04

🎞 The frame as a closed set

Paragraph 2 further elaborates on the mapping of Bergson's 'set' onto the filmic 'frame', framing as the delimitation of a spatial set of elements. It also relates 'shot' to movement and 'montage' to the open whole of duration.

10:09

🖼️ The out-of-field and off-screen space

Paragraph 3 focuses on the idea of the 'out-of-field' or 'off-screen space' in relation to the frame and Deleuze's concepts of 'set' and 'whole'. It explores how frames imply larger containing spaces in the viewer's imagination.

15:13

🪟 The out-of-field: relative and absolute

Paragraph 4 distinguishes between two aspects of the out-of-field: the relative aspect that refers to unseen space that could be seen, and the absolute aspect that opens onto time and duration beyond space. It relates these to Deleuze's movement-image and time-image.

20:16

⚖️ Framing time and spirit in Dreyer

Paragraph 5 analyzes Carl Theodore Dreyer's unusual framing techniques that close images spatially while opening them onto time and spirit, as examples of the 'absolute aspect' of the out-of-field in time-image cinema.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡frame

In film, a frame refers to the boundaries of the cinematic image, usually rectangular. For Deleuze, it represents a closed set of elements within the image - characters, objects, etc. The frame spatially delimits what is visible. Deleuze relates it to Bergson's idea of a set, a way of seeing the world as comprised of discrete objects. The frame shows us a slice of space before the recording of time.

💡shot

A shot is a continuous recording of space and time by the film camera. It captures a duration, expressing the transformation of the whole scene. Deleuze relates it to movement, the intermediary between set and whole. The shot endures in time, containing the action.

💡montage

Montage refers to the process of editing shots together in cinema. Deleuze equates it with camera movement as well. It puts shots in relation to each other, allowing the open duration of the whole film to emerge. Montage is connected to human thought and consciousness in film.

💡set

For Deleuze following Bergson, the set represents a closed system - discrete objects viewed spatially, which can move but do not change. The frame creates a set. It is a habitual way of seeing the world as comprised of separate things.

💡whole

The whole is open duration - transformation, change. Deleuze relates it to movement as endured through time. The shot captures duration, while montage expresses the whole. It is the open, unconditioned totality.

💡outer field

The outer field or out-of-field refers to off-screen space in film. It has two aspects - first, the relative outer field implies unseen space outside the frame. Second, the absolute aspect opens the image onto time and spirit.

💡movement

Movement links the set to the whole - it is both spatial translation and temporal transformation. Hence it has two complementary aspects for Deleuze: as set and as whole. The shot represents movement.

💡duration

Duration is change, passage through time. For Bergson and Deleuze, it represents the whole, as opposed to the set's slice of space. Movement partakes of duration, transforming the objects filmed.

💡camera movement

Camera movement refers to physically moving the film camera during shooting, as opposed to editing static shots. Along with montage it expresses relations between space-times. It inserts consciousness in film.

💡composition

The composition unifies elements within the film frame into an aesthetic whole. It balances parts like characters and objects as components forming a single image. Beyond cataloging items, it shapes meaning.

Highlights

Sets, characters, and props are framed and form a whole composition

The frame includes and excludes, creating an off-screen space that forms part of the viewer's imagination

The frame can provide varying amounts of visual information

Framing always implies an angle, some narratively justified and others demanding interpretation

Sets within the frame connect to larger sets extending off-screen

The off-screen space has a relative aspect, referring to unseen spatial sets, and an absolute aspect, opening onto duration and the whole

The movement-image uses the relative off-screen space, the time-image uses the absolute

Dreyer's films spatially reduce frames to open onto time and spirit

Bazin calls Dreyer's style centrifugal, directing perception inward

The symmetrical, gently moving frames of Ordet transcend space

Reduced spatial depth can communicate time and spirit rather than off-screen space

The outer field has a relative aspect referring to unseen spatial sets and an absolute aspect opening onto duration

Frames, shots, and montage in film correlate to sets, movement, and wholes in Bergson's philosophy

A cinematic frame delimits a set of elements, a shot endures them in time, montage relates the shots

The movement-image used relatve off-screen space, the time-image uses the absolute off-screen space

Transcripts

Browse More Related Video

Gilles Deleuze's Movement-Image and Time-Image, Explained

Gilles Deleuze's Cinema Books Part 2: The Movement-Image Ch. 1

Lev Manovich's "What is Digital Cinema" and "Compositing"

Hugo Munsterberg's The Photoplay

Christian Metz's Semiotic Film Theory

Bazin's "Evolution of the Language of Cinema" Part 2