This video discusses all of the elements of Citizen Kane that make it considered to be a masterpiece and and the cinematic influences it has on other films.

Citizen Kane was a film that genuinely changed the grounds of filmmaking overnight. The wild ideas that Orson Welles implemented into his films at the time are now considered common elements in cinema. The first thing that the video discusses that is very worth while to watch is the use of deep focus in Citizen Kane. The use of deep focus wasn’t a new thing, but how it was used in Citizen Kane was revolutionary. Orson Welles and Gregg Toland created shots that could have been three shots into one. The prime example that the video gives is the scene where Charles Foster Kane’s future is being decided for him.

The blocking in this scene combined with the deep focus is perfection and the video explains why. The video continues that most films prior to Citizen Kane would have used different shots or changes in focus to embed the message sent in this shot but Welles and Toland managed to get this all in one frame in one focus. This new use of deep focus opened the door for other film makers to convey complex ideas into single frames.

The next part of the video discusses not new elements that Welles and Toland created, but the new implementation of these elements and it’s now mainstream use in cinema. It discusses the “floating camera”, lighting, low angled shots that reveal a ceiling, extreme close-ups, montage, wipes and transitions, and superimposition.

The rest of the video discusses the narrative of the film and how unique the way Welles developed Citizen Kane’s story. Rather than a straight line plot about the reporter finding the meaning of Kane’s last words, Welles used a multitude of flashbacks from different perspectives that somewhat contradicted each other so that the viewer drew their own conclusions about Kane.

After watching this video, I can now see the huge impact this film had on all movie-making and the influence it has on films made today. I highly recommend that everyone watches video.