Citizen Kane film techniques

Deep focus

a new camera lens enabled the camera to keep objects in the foreground and in the distant background in focus at the same time. Notice the scene with little Charles playing in the snow.

Shock image

a picture or sound that startles us. Notice the jolting cut from Kane's death to the brash, noisy newsreel. Also, the loudly screeching parrot is a shock image.

Vertical boom shot

a very tall boom was used in the scene where Susan Alexander makes her singing debut.

Dissolve

a way of making an artistic transition from one scene to another. Notice how the white paper the reporter is reading dissolves into the white snow little Charles is playing in

Montage

editing several shots together to convey a lot of information quickly. Notice the couple at the table throughout the years and table gets longer

Camera set-up from floor level

having the camera look up at Orson Welles, playing Kane, makes him look huge

Wipe

moving the camera sideways quickly creates a blur that conveys speed or time passing. Notice the use of the wipe in the montage of Kane's first marriage deteriorating

Animation

the bats in the night time picnic scene are not real

"Lightning mix"

the soundtrack carries over from one scene to another, but the images are visibly different

Long take

usually a scene is made up of several different takes (shots) edited together. Notice Charles playing outside and adults inside is all one scene

Covered sets

you can see the ceilings of the rooms, especially when the camera is set up from floor level. Previously, most sets were open at the top to allow for lights and other equipment.