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The movie Citizen Kane has many different techniques of editing throughout the whole movie. The editing opened up a new and different film form. Editing is important to a film because, “editing is one of the most significant developments in the syntax of cinema because it allows for a departure from both the fixed perspective and the continuous duration of perspective” (Corrigan 143). Orson Welles uses different techniques including dissolves. In some cases, fade-ins and fade-outs are used. When Orson Welles used continuity style he used different methods also. In Citizen Kane, Orson Welles used inserts to point different objects out. Orson Welles also uses eyeline match when two actors are having a conversation. Orson Welles opened up a whole new way of directing in the film Citizen Kane.
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Citizen Kane was a film with a lot of dissolves between each scene. A dissolve is described as a shot that, “briefly superimposes one shot over the next, which takes its place: one image fades out as another image fades-in. In the cases that the dissolves were used it was usually between two scenes. The dissolves were mostly used in the beginning when the audience saw flashbacks of Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles). Dissolves were used when Kane is fighting with his wife Susan Alexander Kane (Dorothy Comingore) it fades back to the palace Xanadu. Fade-ins and fade-outs are also used in Citizen Kane. Fade -in are “an optical effect in which a black screen gradually brightens to a full picture” (Corrigan 547). This tends to happen when the audience is shown flashbacks. The screen appears black the goes into the characters memories. Fad-outs are, “ An optical effect in which an image gradually darkens to black, often ending a scene or a film” (Corrigan 548). When the sled is being burnt, it eventually fades-out and that’s how they end the movie.
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Orson Welles also uses inserts to show importance to different props. Inserts are, “a brief shot, often a close-up” (Corrigan 149). Inserts are used in this movie to catch the movie goers attention, and to better explain the symbolisms of the film. Apparently Kane’s last works are “Rosebud”, you do not realize what rosebud is until you see the insert of the sled. Then when he dies there is an insert of a snow globe crashing to the floor. When Susan left him, he trashed her room, except for that snow globe. The snow globe symbolizes the love he still has for Susan. Inserts better help the audience understand the motivation behind Charles Foster Kane. (Citizen Kane)
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The next editing style that Orson Welles used was eyeline match. Eyeline match is, “shots and reverse shots used in conversation scenes are taken over the shoulder of the participant, which helps remind the viewers of their shared physical space” (Corrigan 154). Eyeline match is consistently used in the film, Citizen Kane. However it is mostly used when the interview is interviewing Kane’s family and acquaintances. This lets the audience see an hear both the interviewer and the other character of that scene.
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Orson Welles opened up many new ways of editing in Citizen Kane. He used many dissolves between scenes. He also used fade-ins and fade-outs. Inserts were also used to draw the audiences attention to certain objects. Then eyeliner match was used to show the characters conversing.
Works Cited
Citizen Kane. By Orson Welles, Herman J. Mankiewicz, Bernard Herrmann, Vernon L. Walker, Robert Wise, Bailey Fesler, James G. Stewart, Gregg Toland, Harry Wild, Russell A. Cully, Russell Metty, Arthur Appel, John Houseman, and Roger Q. Denny. Dir. Orson Welles. Prod. Orson Welles, Van Nest Polglase, Perry Ferguson, Edward Stevenson, Darrell Silvera, A. Roland. Fields, Maurice Seiderman, and Mel Berns. Perf. Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Everett Sloane, William Alland, Paul Stewart, George Coulouris, Nova Fortunio Bona, Gus Schilling, Zandt Philip. Van, Harry Shannon, and Alan Ladd. Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., 1941. DVD.
Corrigan, Timothy, and Patricia Barry. The Film Experience: an Introduction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. Print.
