The book "Cinematic Storytelling" outlines the different uses of smash cuts with examples from renowned film Psycho and American Beauty. In American Beauty, a smash cut jumps from a wide aerial shot to an imposing close-up, jolting the audience. Psycho uses a moving shot than then slam to a stop with a static shot, making the audience feel as if they have ground to a halt.
There are numerous ways in which we could use this technique, one idea we discussed would be the following the protagonists travel in a car to the warehouse (the camera follows the car as it thunders done the road). A still shot of the warehouse suddenly appears.
Another technique the book highlights, climate. Climate can be used to convey a specific meaning to the audience without having to make it too obvious. The example used is Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense", coldness is used to symbolize the unnatural (ghosts). Clouds of air (mist) are used to tell the audience that character has indeed died but remains in the land of the living.
We could use this technique of using the scene's climate to connote meaning. A drop of blood or strong gust of wind could be used to connote a death to the audience without directly showing it to them. This could envoke a stronger emotional investment from the audience as they do not see who has died or if anyone has died, this will motivate them to watch the film.
You have thought creatively about how you could yourselves apply what you have learned from the class on Cinematic Storytelling. You are considering how to best use the 'smash cut' and 'climate' techniques.
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