Frances Ha: Cinematography and the Lesser Known Actor.

Frances Ha, Baumbach’s 2012 film following a young woman (Greta Gerwig as Frances) discovering aspects of herself, is a relaxing accumulation of cinematography that contours and generates meaning. The film’s colour contributes to the perception of its classic, stripped back ideas, while the status of Gerwig as an independent actress as opposed to a Hollywood star gives the film the power of familiarity.

Greta Gerwig and Mickey Sumner as Frances and Sophie in Frances Ha

Baumbach pays homage to classic Woody Allen films and French new wave cinema, at the very least, by shooting Frances Ha in black and white ("Frances Ha - Review", Philip French). Colour may be an eliminating factor in cinematography in that it directs attention away from the surrounding world and to the dialogue, in a similar stream as to how a deaf person might perceive more meaning in the dialogue of a film than one with sight. It may be plausible to conclude that much of the film's relaxed and seamless energy stems from its cinematography - as Corrigan and White say, "colour profoundly affects our experience and understanding of a film shot; even black-and-white films use contrast and gradations to create atmosphere or emphasize certain motifs...No longer a necessity, the black-and-white format is used self-consciously in...modern films" (114).  

What remains to me the most fascinating aspect of this film is the driving energy - Greta Gerwig. Her performance is undoubtedly naturalistic and organic, and compliments Baumbach's style of casual dialogue or under-acting. She has been described by co-star Mickey Sumner as "one of those queens". Sumner then describes what it was like to work with her, saying "I just feel like she has this regal-ness to her. It was very easy. People keep asking me, "How did I prepare to be her best friend?" It's like, "Just meet Greta Gerwig. That's how I prepared." You want to be around her, and you want to share things with her, and you want to be in the same space as her." Gerwig fuels the film with her honest performance, defying Corrigan and White's position on Hollywood stars: "Unlike less famous actors, star performers centre and often dominate the action and space of the mise-en-scéne, [and] bring the accumulated history and significance of their past performances to each new film appearance...We understand these characters as an extension of or departure from other characters associated with the star" (76). In the case of Frances Ha  it is quite the contrary - Greta may be associated with previous works of Baumbach's (Greenberg, 2010) but the totality of the connection she forms with an audience stems mostly from her natural appeal and reliability as an ordinary person. 

To conclude, colour as an aspect of cinematography and the choice of actor has an impacting effect on the film's overall meaning. Frances Ha is an episode of beauty, carefully constructed with a strong propelling central figure who has her life together as much as the next person in their twenties, with a classic touch in its lack of colour. Traditional boundaries may be defied upon choosing a lesser known actor to play a central role in a film, as Baumbach demonstrates thoroughly.

Frances Ha (all 3 figs.)

Works Cited

Corrigan, Tim and Patricia White. The Film Experience: An Introduction. Boston: St Martins, 2012. Print.

Philip French, "Frances Ha - review". The Guardian. 18 July 2013. Web. Accessed on 14/04/16.

Sheila Roberts, "Mickey Sumner talks FRANCES HA, Working with Director Noah Baumbach, Shooting in New York City, THE BORGIAS, CBGB, and More." 14 May 2013. Web. Accessed on 19/04/16.

Frances Ha. Dir. Noah Baumbach. Pine District Pictures, 2012. Film.

Greenberg. Dir. Noah Baumbach. Scott Rudin Productions, 2010. Film.