Active learning ideas
The French New Wave (La Nouvelle Vague) was a revolutionary movement that tore up the filmmaking rulebook in the late 1950s. Students will explore how young critics-turned-directors like Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut rejected the 'tradition of quality' in favour of personal, experimental cinema. They will study iconic techniques such as the jump cut, breaking the fourth wall, and handheld camera work.
Activity 01
Students film a simple 1-minute conversation. They must then edit it twice: once using perfect continuity and once using French New Wave techniques like jump cuts and overlapping dialogue, then present which version feels more 'energetic'.
What was the 'auteur theory' and why did it emerge in France?
Activity 02
Students look at three different clips from the same director. They must identify recurring visual or thematic 'signatures.' In pairs, they discuss whether the director's influence is more important than the script or the actors.
How did jump cuts and handheld cameras break traditional Hollywood rules?
Activity 03
Post quotes from New Wave directors around the room. Students move between them, matching the quote to a specific film technique (e.g., a quote about 'truth' matching a handheld camera shot).
What is the lasting legacy of the French New Wave on contemporary directors?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Jump cuts are just bad editing mistakes.
In the New Wave, they were intentional choices to draw attention to the film's construction and create a sense of urgency. Having students 'intentionally' mis-edit a sequence helps them see the creative power of the jump cut.
An 'Auteur' does everything on the film by themselves.
While they have the primary creative vision, they still work with a crew. The theory is about who has 'creative control.' Collaborative investigation into director-cinematographer partnerships helps clarify this.
Methods used in this brief
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