The best movies have a unique power over audiences. They’re capable of both captivating their attention and provoking genuine emotions. Skilled filmmakers wield this power not just through what they show on screen, but also the order in which they present it.
In the early 1900s, movies were a new phenomenon. Creators were still figuring out how to use the medium to tell stories and convey genuine emotions. Early Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov was fascinated with the idea of making audiences feel something simply by presenting what they see in a certain order. In the late 1910s, he famously demonstrated how stitching shots together in different contexts can elicit a wide range of emotional responses from viewers more than a single shot by itself.
This became known as the Kuleshov Effect, which forever changed film as a storytelling medium. Some of the greatest directors in the history of cinema, including Steven Spielberg and Alfred Hitchcock, have drawn liberally from the Kuleshov Effect.
What is the Kuleshov Effect?
The Kuleshov Effect is a cognitive phenomenon in which shots placed in sequence convey more meaning and emotional resonance than a single shot. To prove his theory, Kuleshov created a short film as an experiment. In it, Kuleshov showed Russian silent film star Ivan Mozzhukhin wearing a blank facial expression. That shot was immediately followed by a contrasting image. The same clip of Mozzhukhin was shown each time, followed by shots of a bowl of soup, a child in a coffin, and a woman on a couch.
Despite the actor’s expression never changing, audiences reported reading hunger, sorrow, or lust on his face depending on the next image shown. Through his experiment, he was able to prove that audiences can be led to project their own feelings onto actors based on the context in which they’re shown.
Who was Lev Kuleshov?
In addition to being a filmmaker, Kuleshov was one of the first-ever film theorists. He was completely enamored with what the medium was capable of. After his experiments demonstrating the power of editing, Kuleshov went on to co-found the Moscow Film School. It was the first of its kind in the world. He directed several feature-length films of his own, most notably 1924’s “The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks.” Kuleshov finished out his career as artistic director of the film school, where he worked for 25 years. He died in Moscow in 1970.
Why is the Kuleshov Effect important?
At the heart of Kuleshov’s theory was the idea that two contrasting shots placed in sequence are more impactful to viewers than one by itself. And that audiences are able to glean deeper meaning when images are arranged in this manner. In his experimental film, the images shown provoked specific emotional responses, even changing how the preceding shot was perceived. Seeing a bowl of soup on screen plants a seed of hunger in the audience’s mind, which they then subconsciously link to the previous image of the actor’s expressionless face. Through this power of suggestion, audiences can be made to feel a range of emotions.
This allows film editors to exert more control over the storyline and general tone of a film. The Kuleshov Effect’s groundbreaking impact on cinema transformed movies. In the wake of his experiment, film was no longer just an amusing form of entertainment. Rather, it became a way of telling rich, emotionally weighty stories capable of making people feel real emotions.
Influence of the Kuleshov Effect on notable directors
The impact and legacy of the Kuleshov Effect is still seen in modern cinema (shoutout to Nashville Film Institute for isolating some terrific examples). Two of the most highly regarded filmmakers of all time, Steven Spielberg and Alfred Hitchcock, borrow heavily from techniques first theorized by Kuleshov in many of their works. You can even see Hitchcock discussing the Kuleshov effect in this interview from 1964:
Both are masters of manipulating audience’s emotions, although in very different ways. Hitchcock perfected the thriller genre, while Spielberg films instill a sense of wonder and awe.
Steven Spielberg’s techniques in “Jurassic Park” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
In 1993’s “Jurassic Park,” Spielberg whisks audiences along on a thrilling and perilous adventure through a theme park full of living, breathing dinosaurs. To help convey the massive scale of the resurrected reptiles, Spielberg uses one of his most enduring trademarks: prolonged close-ups of characters staring in wonder.
In the famous scene where the characters first encounter the dinosaurs, Spielberg slow-rolls the reveal. The shot lingers on the actors’ stunned faces for more than 30 seconds before delivering the payoff. The audience knows it’s coming, but until we see what the characters are seeing, our only window is through their reactions. We see the actors’ jaws drop in wonder and disbelief, which builds our own excitement. This powerful emotional multiplying effect resulted in one of the most memorable and impactful moments in modern cinema (aided by John Williams’ iconic film score).
At times, Spielberg even turned the Kuleshov Effect on its head to serve his storytelling purposes. In 1981’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the first Indiana Jones movie, Spielberg uses the effect to manipulate the audience’s point of view for heightened drama.
In a scene where Indy is frantically searching for his love interest Marion Ravenwood in a crowded Cairo bazaar, the camera plays with perspective to trick the audience. Spielberg uses close-up shots of Harrison Ford’s face juxtaposed with fleeting sightings of Marion being carried away by bad guys to make us think we’re seeing Indy’s point of view. But then the camera actually reveals what he sees: an empty alley. This brings the audience into the action, making us feel the same frantic confusion as the main character.
Alfred Hitchcock’s techniques in “Rear Window” and “Psycho”
Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1954 mystery thriller, “Rear Window” follows the story of a photographer convinced he’s witnessed a murder through the window of a neighboring apartment. The legendary director made masterful use of the Kuleshov Effect to keep the audience in suspense throughout the film’s twists and turns.
The film’s protagonist, a photographer named L.B. Jefferies, played by James Stewart, uses a wheelchair due to a broken leg. This means throughout the movie, the audience’s only perspective of the world outside Jefferies’ apartment is through his camera lens. This stroke of genius lets the audience almost inhabit the main character, seeing through his eyes. We can’t help but feel what Jeffries feels as the events of the film unfold, sharing in his fear and helplessness. The audience’s perspective then shifts to Jefferies’ reactions, which we feel more acutely since we witnessed it “together.”
One of Hitchcock’s most famous examples of employing the Kuleshov Effect can be seen in the iconic shower scene from 1960’s “Psycho.” In the foreground of the shot, Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh), is showering, but the audience can see through the frosted shower curtain behind her. As she showers, we see the door open in the background and a shadowy human figure starts approaching her.
As the figure draws nearer, it yanks the curtain open. Then the perspective rapidly changes from Leigh’s screaming face to that of the knife-wielding killer. We never actually see the fatal stabbing (spoiler alert), but the director still shows us exactly what happened by implication alone. The whole story is conveyed through shots like the pained expression on Leigh’s motionless face and the blood streaking down the drain.
The Kuleshov Effect in modern films
A number of modern classic films also make artful use of the Kuleshov Effect. In a scene in the 2015 Pixar movie “Inside Out,” we see the protagonist Riley watching a scary movie on TV. The perspective switches from a close-up of her face to the reactions of her anthropomorphized emotions. Fittingly, the character Fear has the strongest reaction to it, which we see Riley mirror.
In 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” the last of the Christopher Nolan-directed “Batman” trilogy, The Kuleshov Effect gives a brutal fight scene extra emotional impact. In a dramatic scene, Batman is squaring off against the film’s primary villain Bane in hand-to-hand combat. The action is interspersed with cutaway shots of Catwoman reacting to the fight, looking upset. Her reactions magnify the audience’s emotional connection to the violence playing out.
The Kuleshov Effect in post-production
Kuleshov’s early experiments with montage laid the groundwork for how much of the post-production process is done today. Once shooting concludes, a director works with editors to organize the footage and determine how they’ll be using those raw materials to shape the story. How you choose to sequence scenes and cuts has an enormous power over the entire tone of a movie. Adding an abundance of close-ups or strong reaction shots, for example, can help editors steer viewers towards different emotions.
Should you use the Kuleshov Effect?
Not everyone making movies is a big-name Hollywood director. But even up-and-coming filmmakers, content creators, and video editors on TikTok and YouTube are making use of the Kuleshov Effect to create more impactful short videos. The video from Uyen Ninh below is a great example. How we interpret her facial expression is influenced by the juxtaposition of the positive COVID test. Short-form videos can make a great experimentation grounds for trying your hand at the montage technique.
Final thoughts
More than a century ago, Lev Kuleshov theorized audiences could be made to feel emotions by showing them disparate images in sequence. He not only proved his theory right, but his work is still a major inspiration for how films are edited today. Filmmakers can create more emotion and meaning in their work simply by placing shots in different sequences and contexts. It’s an idea that seems simple on the surface, but has had a long-lasting impact on modern cinema and video creation.
