The Kuleshov Effect

Lev Vladimirovich Kuleshov was born in 1899 and died at the age of 71 in 1970. He was a Soviet filmmaker and believed to be one of the fist film theorists for his experiments in editing.

Kuleshov believed that the truest element of film and cinema was the editing side, and the transition from one shot to another. He then because well known for his most famous piece of work, known as the Kuleshov Effect which was experimented in the 1910s and 1920s.
His original experiment used shots of the face of actor Ivan Mozzhukhin, in which the actors expression did not change. This was then edited with shots of different items that he appeared to be 'looking at', (a bowl of soup, a woman and a young girl in a coffin).

Kuleshov Effect / Effetto Kuleshov

From this video, there are three emotions shown. Sadness, hunger and lust. Sadness is the point in which the actor appears to be looking at the girl, hunger is from the bowl of soup, and lust is the woman posing in a desirable manor. I think this video is really cleverly put together as I have personally never fathomed at how one expression can mean three completely different things.

Kuleshov once stated: ''During this time I created a montage experiment which came known abroad as the 'Kuleshov Effect'. I alternated the same shot of Mozzhukhin [a Tsarist matinee idol] with various other shots (a plate of soup, a girl and a child's coffin), and these shots acquired a different meaning. The discovery stunned me - so convinced was I of the enormous power of montage.''

There have been many references to the Kuleshov Effects in modern day television and film, such as Oblivion, District 9 and Star Trek, however there is an earlier example used which has become the most well known. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, an English film director and producer refers to the effects of the effect of the Kuleshov Experiment in conversation with Francois Truffant, who is an influential film director and critic.

Hitchcock Loves Bikinis

The different emotions in this video are portrayed in a slightly different manor than the original Kuleshov Experiment. He portrays himself in two different ways; a kindly old man (with the woman and child) and a dirty old pervert (with the woman in a bikini). This is all basically proves that by cutting and alternating when editing images in a certain order, it can portray many emotions even though the emotion on a characters face remains the same.

I really like the purpose of the Kuleshov Effect as I think it's amazing how one facial expression can be a tease to the audience, all depending on what the object is that the character is facing. Unfortunately,  I was absent when the class made their own variances of this experiment, however now I researched more into it, I fully understand what it is.


Cheerio. :o)

- Olivia.


http://emotionalcinema.blogspot.co.uk/2007/09/kuleshov-effect.html - accessed on 9th-Dec-2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gGl3LJ7vHc - accessed on 9th-Dec-2013
http://www.thekuleshoveffect.com/index/2010/1/2/the-top-16-films-of-2009.html - accessed on 9th-Dec-2013