The Artist Analysis

The main technique that replaces dialogue as a narrative device in Michel Hazanavicius’ film ‘The Artist’ (2011) is the exaggerated performances.

This ‘overacting’ brings a very comedic element to the film and also easily conveys the actors emotions and intentions to the audience without the use of dialogue. It also reminds the audience that they’re watching a reflexive film that is about filmmaking, by drawing their attention to the comedic overacting of the performers themselves. Similarly, the performance sets up a lot of visual gags to do with staging/choreography which ties into the comedic genre of the film.

The shot style used in the film also eliminates the need for dialogue due to the order of shots in a scene, especially when changing locations. It normally use either a wide shot as an establisher, or a tracking shot following the character, giving the audience enough clues in the mise en scène to establish it themselves.

Each shot of a characters action is normally followed by at least one reaction shot of a different character so the audience knows the emotions each person is feeling individually. It also connotes a certain tone in each scene which the audience can easily pick up on and understand.

The music is a vital convention as well, as it consistently reflects the tone of each scene and the emotions of the main characters, e.g. at the beginning when the audience applauds the main character, George, after the film ends, the music is very upbeat which connotes happiness and purity to the audience.

Finally, the way the film transitions between the creating of a film in the context of the narrative and the film that we, as an audience, are watching, is very smoothly accomplished and relevant to my own film for this semester. In The Artist, the transition is normally done through the change in the style of the soundtrack as it is changes according to the mood of the scene.

In my film, The Conductor, we want to show a similar transition, from fiction to reality, which I will attempt through the change in music, as well as some changes to sync sound and the addition of sound effects. In terms of the picture edit, I will use the technique of placing reaction shots after a significant action has taken place so that the audience understands how the character feels, as well as drawing them into the world the character is in.

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