Institutional mode of representation (IMR)

Institutional mode of representation is the dominant mode of film construction, which developed in the years after the turn of the century, becoming the norm by 1914. Primitive mode of representation was dominant before being replaced by the IMR and the most dominant style within the IMR is classical hollywood cinema.
The concept was developed by Noel Burch in his 1969 book Praxis du cinema. Burch's goal is to show that the IMR was a clade-determines practice, developed out of the bourgeois desire for totalling illusionistic representation. Andre Bazin has identified the "myth of total cinema", or a constant desire to represent reality as completely as possible, which he claimed as the root of cinema innovations (both technology and sound, colour). Burch, on the other hand, argues that IMR is no more elaborate or realistic a system than its alternatives.
The purpose of the IMR was to try and attempt to create a fictional word on screen that the audience would feel a part of, almost like they are taking part of the story. This was produced by placing close up of the character's faces so the audience were able to engage with their emotions and feel a connection with them.

The primitive style 1894-1908

Is a predated classical hollywood continuity system, whereby films appealed to audiences through comedy or melodramatic mime. Techniques include frontal staging or a tableau style, exaggerated gestures, hardly any camera movement and no point of view shots. Most of the early cinema films were islet like this film that we looked at in media. However through time films changed and developed.




Classical Hollywood Style

It designated both visual and sound style for making motion pictures and a mode of production used in the american film industry. Classical style is fundamentally built on the principle of continuity editing. The camera and the sound recording should never call attention to themselves. There was changed in editing techniques, camera distances, greater complex in the story/ plot, sound over the top, less overpowering gestures. "The Voyage to the moon" is one of the gretaes films of all time as it was the first complex film it was made in 1902 and we can instantly see the development between the primitive style and the classical hollywood style.