The Dynamic Frame: Camera Movement in Classical Hollywood

Chapter Five: Between Subjective and Objective

To explain various trends in 1940s filmmaking, observers appealed to a familiar binary opposition: either the camerawork was subjective, as in a point-of-view shot, or the camerawork was objective, as in almost everything else. However, a closer look at the era's films suggests that the opposition between subjective and objective was never as obvious as it appeared. Far from splitting their approaches into two clearly defined modes, filmmakers problematized the distinction in various ways: using documentary techniques to represent emotionally intense fictional situations, designing subjective sequences to display the camera's mechanical powers, and exploring the many forms that an allegedly objective style might take. This page includes links for all of the chapter's illustrated clips. For clips that are mentioned in the chapter, but not illustrated, see the "Additional Clips" page. 

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