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The Great Train Robbery (1903) Secret Life
The Great Train Robbery represents a giant step for filmmaking, not only in terms of format and use of narrative, but also in the array of film techniques it employs. While it was not the first time that some of them were employed, they were never before used in the manner in which they were here. Despite this, the use of the following primitive techniques emphasised that Porter – and filmmakers in general – were still in the process of learning their trade:
every scene in the film is told in a single shot.
each scene is a long shot, the action confined to the proscenium-limited stage
most of the action is played out in profile before the camera
The foreground and middle ground are ignored
The camera doesn’t move from eye-level
Tension and excitement are achieved by a quickening of the actor’s movements rather than variation of the lengths of the shots.
The techniques introduced or refined by Porter in this film, are largely ones that are still in use today. Today, they are fundamental tools that form the basic building blocks of a film, but in 1903 they represented a huge leap forward, effectively redefining the concept of film.
The film told a dramatic story visually without the use of intertitles. While this had been done before (Porter had told a story in The Life of an American Fireman) it hadn’t been done so in such a lengthy and sophisticated manner.
The film uses parallel editing, cutting back and forth between two incidents that are occurring simultaneously.
The film cuts between interior and exterior.
The film makes use of ellipsis (shortening the plot by editing out unimportant events).
The film pays attention to visual composition.
For the first time, editing is used for dramatic effect.
An element of tension is introduced as the story unfolds.
The camera is not completely static – Porter makes occasional use of the pan shot.
The film introduces an incident that will quickly become a genre cliché – the use of gunshots to make someone dance.
The film introduces a cinematic first: a person being thrown from a moving train.
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