What filmmaking techniques does Before Midnight use?

CineCode breaks down 4 techniques in Before Midnight (2013): Unbroken Dialogue Scene, Socratic Dialogue Structure, Callback Editing and Real Locations as Character.

Who directed Before Midnight?

Richard Linklater directed Before Midnight, released in 2013. CineCode also covers Dazed and Confused (1993), Before Sunrise (1995), The School of Rock (2003), Before Sunset (2004), A Scanner Darkly (2006), Bernie (2012).

What films are similar to Before Midnight?

Films that share techniques with Before Midnight include Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), On the Town (1949), Contempt (1963).

Drama · Romance

Before Midnight

Richard Linklater, 2013

Nine years after Paris, Jesse and Céline are a couple with twin daughters, on a summer holiday in Greece. Jesse worries about his teenage son Hank, Céline worries about her career, and one night alone in a hotel turns into a fight about their future. Watch how a single long argument becomes the suspense.

2 Editing 1 Narrative 1 Cinematography

At a glance

Before Midnight is a 2013 drama and romance film directed by Richard Linklater. This breakdown covers 4 techniques (2 editing, 1 narrative and 1 cinematography), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, Before Sunrise uses several of the same techniques.

Editing

Unbroken Dialogue Scene

Letting a conversation run for a long time with very few cuts. The tension builds from the actors sharing the space and from what is said, almost said and left unsaid.

How this film uses it

The hotel room argument is the heart of the film. It starts with a call from Hank and grows into accusations about affairs and about whether Céline still loves Jesse. Céline storms out and returns twice, and the long takes keep you stuck in the room with them.

Where to see it

The hotel room fight: Jesse and Céline argue about moving to Chicago to be near Hank, and Céline tells him she thinks she no longer loves him.

Narrative

Socratic Dialogue Structure

Building scenes out of questions and answers, where 1 character tests and picks apart what another believes. The argument itself drives the drama.

How this film uses it

Scenes are built from questions that test what each person believes. Over dinner and on the walk to the hotel, the couple argues about how men and women see love differently. They ask whether they could stay together for more than 70 years, the way Jesse's grandparents did.

Where to see it

The walk to the hotel: Jesse and Céline wonder whether they would have become a couple if they met as the people they are now.

Editing

Callback Editing

Bringing back an earlier image, line, location or piece of staging later in the film, often with the situation reversed. You enjoy recognizing it, and the comparison adds meaning.

How this film uses it

The film brings back an old game from their first meeting. Jesse pretends to be a time traveler again, this time with a letter from Céline's 82-year-old self. The call to the past is what lets them stop fighting.

Where to see it

The outdoor restaurant: Jesse sits down with Céline and plays a time traveler, and she slowly joins the role play and they reconcile.

Cinematography

Real Locations as Character

Filming in recognizable real places so the setting acts like part of the cast. Streets, buildings and landscapes shape the mood of the story.

How this film uses it

The couple's holiday takes place on the Greek Peloponnese. The sunny, slow setting makes their sharp argument feel even more intimate, since there is nowhere to go except each other.

Where to see it

The dinner with friends in Greece: Jesse and Céline sit with the friends who invited them and talk about love and the different ways men and women see it.

Questions

Before Midnight: quick answers

What filmmaking techniques does Before Midnight use?: CineCode breaks down 4 techniques in Before Midnight (2013): Unbroken Dialogue Scene, Socratic Dialogue Structure, Callback Editing and Real Locations as Character.
Who directed Before Midnight?: Richard Linklater directed Before Midnight, released in 2013. CineCode also covers Dazed and Confused (1993), Before Sunrise (1995), The School of Rock (2003), Before Sunset (2004), A Scanner Darkly (2006), Bernie (2012).
What films are similar to Before Midnight?: Films that share techniques with Before Midnight include Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), On the Town (1949), Contempt (1963).

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