Dziga Veertov Cinematography

The Man with a Movie Camera, a 1929 silent film by Dziga Vertov, illustrates the typical life of an average citizen in the city. Through its visual images, without a plot, Vertov allows the audience to make their own interpretations of the events in order to construct an overall meaning of the film. Vertov uses editing, specifically rhythm and continuity, along with cinematography, to convey the theme that life has two sides, birth and death, marriage and divorce, and lastly the young and old. Collectively, they are interconnected and give the meaning of life as it is which as a result, contributes to the meaning of the film.
Vertov used editing to show that there are two sides of life. One of the best examples of rhythm is illustrated at …show more content…
There was a constant use of long shots to show the city’s population. Near the beginning of the scene, people are scattered throughout the space but as it progresses to the end, Vertov experimented with space by the use of accelerated rhythm and fast motion to show people condensed into one visual image. For example, in the beginning, people are moving at a slower pace and are scattered around the city. However, in the end, as the trains sped up, people are also moving at a greater pace and therefore, it seems as if there is a tighter frame. After experimenting with long shots, he then switched to medium shots of the couple at the registration desk, and the birth of the child, which then led to close up shots of the people’s face expressions, and of the camera panning to resemble an eye. Thus, the close up shots are asking the viewer to enter his world and experience life as it is. As a result of this, there is a sense of realism. Another shot technique that Vertov utilized was the shot reverse shot in the divorce registration. The man is shown speaking to the woman about the divorce at the office desk. Then, the camera shifts to the woman’s face. Lastly, it goes back again to the man in the first shot. This type of shot reverse shot is a great representation of the isolation among the couple, who are now separating. The isolation goes hand in hand with unity, which is represented by the couple who are about to get married. Vertov’s illustration of the both sides add to this notion of life consisting of two sides, and showing life as it is to define his film. The camera was also kept at a sideway angle to show people from a different view, such as the baby in the tub, the city building shot sideways, the trains going from left to right, and the death scene when person was carried away in the casket. The use of such angles is important because it allows the viewer to interpret