The Kuleshov Effect is known as its origin as a film experiment conducted by Lev Kuleshov. It is a film concept used to provoke a certain emotion based on the sequencing of shots. For the experiment itself, Kuleshov took a shot of a man with an expressionless face and edited that same shot following three different shots: a bowl of soup, a woman in a coffin, and an attractive woman on a couch. In response, the audience stated that the first shot with soup made them think that the man was hungry, sad for the woman in the coffin, and lustful for the woman on the couch. His short film is one of the first to explore the idea of juxtaposition, presenting a purpose for stringing and editing shots together. Also known as a montage, the Kuleshov Effect is a film theory of how the thoughtful construction of shots attaches a certain emotion to it.
The montage is significant in filmmaking, as Kuleshov declared "montage to be the central principle that defines film as an art on its own," as it is present in almost every film (Fritts). Montage can help the editor condense a time period, such as the training scene in Rocky, or convey a message through a comparison of shots. But most of all, it is significant because it allows the editor to create new ideas by sequencing an idea next to an opposing idea, juxtaposing concepts to create a new idea that evokes emotion.
Works Cited
IQ, Filmmaker, director. The History of Cutting - The Soviet Theory of Montage. YouTube, YouTube, 12 Feb. 2014, youtu.be/JYedfenQ_Mw.
“The Kuleshov Effect: Understanding Video Editing's Most Powerful Tool.” Videomaker, Videomaker, 25 Sept. 2018, www.videomaker.com/article/c10/18236-the-kuleshov-effect-understanding-video-editing%E2%80%99s-most-powerful-tool.
“The Kuleshov Experiment.” Elements of Cinema, www.elementsofcinema.com/editing/kuleshov-effect.html.
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