The New Wave (French: La Nouvelle Vague) was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by Italian Neorealism[1] andclassical Hollywood cinema.[1] Although never a formally organized movement, the New Wave filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of the literary period pieces being made in France and written by novelists, their spirit of youthful iconoclasm, the desire to shoot more current social issues on location, and their intention of experimenting with the film form. "New Wave" is an example of European art cinema.[2]  

 Many also engaged in their work with the social and political upheavals of the era, making their radical experiments with editing, visual style and narrative part of a general break with the conservative paradigm. Using portable equipment and requiring little or no set up time, the New Wave way of filmmaking presented a documentary type style. The films exhibited direct sounds on film stock that required less light. Filming techniques included fragmented, discontinuous editing, and long takes. The combination of objective realism, subjective realism, and authorial commentary created a narrative ambiguity in the sense that questions that arise in a film are not answered in the end.[3]

  tight budgets unproffesional working class actors hand held camera improvised dialogue rapid changes of scene spontaneity little equipment: little or no set up time variation of shot lengths jump cuts

AIM: to play with expectation of cinema

Editing Unlike all classical Hollywood films, French New Wave films tend to break the rules of continuity editing and using free editing style. The directors of French New Wave often drew attention from audiences by discontinuity, reminding them that they are watching a movie. The editing style they used is a jump cut.

Shoot on Location & Natural Sound The directors of French New Wave, in opposition to studio filmmaking, decided to shoot on location. They replaced the glossy studio light with natural and available light. French New Wave films always look natural and casual. Experiment on sound. Unlike studio filmmaking which remixes sound, French New Wave directors recorded the sound during shooting and did not do any correction.

Low Budget/ Budgetary Restrictions After World War II, France undergoes an economic crisis. Thus, the amount of investment in filmmaking is very low. Many films were produces on low budget. To produce a film, French New Wave directors borrowed friend's apartment or yard, using the director's friends as the cast and crew.

Hand-held Camera Some scenes that look shaky and unstable. The directors took advantages of the new technology which developed by Eclair company that was available to them in the late 1950s- lightweight hand-held camera. Hand-held camera allowed them to shoot on location easily. Result: long tracking shots. Often only one camera was used. The directors used the camera to follow characters walking along the streets, into cafes and bars, or looking over their shoulders to catch their point of view. 

Improvised Plot & Dialogue In opposition to the classical filmmaking, the directors of French New Wave often shot their films with loose structure and open-ended storyline.

Anti-authoritarian Protagonist The protagonist in these films were always marginalized, young anti-heroes, and alienated loners, they live with no family ties, behave spontaneously, and often act immorally. They frequently seen as anti- authoritarian.