Techniques Developed in Early Cinema to Edit and Choreograph Unscripted Footage

Abstract

This article explores some of the editing and filming techniques developed in Early Cinema, and that are still valid when choreographing found footage today. The Lumière Brothers started revealing the choreographic nature of daily actions. Georges Méliès choreographed with editing by cutting, overlaying, dissolving and the substitution splice.

Fernand Léger applied looping and kaleidoscope effects to create new rhythms and patterns. Lev Kuleshov experimented with assembling together footage of different nature, creating new semantics. Dziga Vertov choreographed footage of different sources, theorizing the rhythmical editing. Leni Riefenstahl composed new movement trajectories with editing and inverting speed.