The Kuleshov Effect

Aloha!

Today I will be explaining something that most of you probably haven't heard before. It's called the Kuleshov effect.

The correct definition is -  "The Kuleshov Effect is a film (montage) effect demonstrated by Soviet filmmaker Lev Kuleshov in the 1910's and 1920's. It is a mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation."

In class today, we watched a clip called “2001 a space odyssey - the dawn of man” and we had to write about the introduction.

We got given two question to answer and below I have got them as well as the answers 

1. "What meaning is being created/communicated?"

Within the opening, the clip shows dominance of the Gorilla over the Tapie. This is because the Tapie wanted to eat the same food of the gorilla but the gorilla does not allow that. This could be trying to portray that humans are very possessive over their objects and they do not let anybody touch their things. 
Furthermore, another meaning that could be created is the idea of survival. As shown in the beginning of the clip, a gorilla gets attacked by a cat, speaking practically, a gorilla is a lot more stronger than a cat but the clip shows that everyone is trying to survive their own way. 

In addition, I would say that in this movie, the audience understands that the theme of evolution is presented throughout, as the gorillas represent us, humans. 

2. “How is it being communicated”

These ideas are being communicated with the Kuleshov effect. The audience is shown one scene, then cut to another and then shown the original scene. Suspense is built up, which is why this effect is used particularly well within directors. 
To add to that, the different sounds in the clips also help the audience understand what is going on.