Analyzing film: Jan Svankmajer's "Meat Love".

Czech surrealist and animator Jan Svankmajer is famous for his unique film editing technique involving sharp, rapid cuts between scenes. I am going to analyze the transitions used in his short "Meat Love" :

The film begins with a short establishing shot that zooms into the film's subjects: slabs of animated meat. There is a cut moving to a close-up of the meat being cut away at by a knife. The film moves on to a subject to subject scene, where the two slabs of meat come 'alive' through stop-motion animation. Another cut, and the first slab of meat is looking at its reflection in a spoon, as if it were a mirror. Through action to action cuts, Svankmajer moves the camera to the second slab of meat, who raises and seems to notice its companion. Another cut to the first slab of meat and its 'spoon mirror'. An action to action scene shows the second slab "standing up", and Svankmajer cuts into a subject to subject scene where the two slabs of meat begin to interact. Another sharp cut has a close-up of the meat engaging in some flirtatious behavior. Through several more sharp cuts, the camera closes in on the first meat's "mouth" who lets out a yelp, and another close-up of the spoon 'mirror' being dropped. More cuts are rapidly shown of each slab of meat, reacting to their companions in different ways. A cut to a closeup of the second slab of meat turning on an old fashioned radio. More rapid cuts of the two slabs of meat interacting, each one being the focus of each cut, interacting to the music. This leads to a subject to subject shot of the two slabs of meat dancing. There are a few short cuts of the textures of the meat interspersed between this dance scene. This leads to an action to action scene with one of the slabs of meat running across a cluttered kitchen counter. The running slab of meat stops at a bowl full of flour, and short rapid cuts are used in moment to moment shots of the other slab of meat being hit with the flour, as if it had snowballs being thrown at it. This leads to a last subject to subject scene between the two slabs of meat having a romantic tryst in the bowl of flour, and leads to a wipe shot that leads to a pair of forks grabbing the meat and throwing them into a frying pan.

I love Jan Svankmajer and I feel this work is one of the most light-hearted of his shorts. I love the wit and humor used in it, and I find it fascinating how he edits all of his work with very sharp and violent cuts, with next to no fades or dissolves.