Research: Editing - Miss Begum

Editing

Intro: What is editing and why is it important in films?

Editing in film is one of the most important processes that a film goes through post production, an editor works with raw footage, selecting shots and combining the sequences to make a finished motion picture. In the process of editing, an editor usually works closely with the director and possibly the producer to correctly create the visualisation the director had when shooting the film. Editing can have different effects on the audience, editing can be used for jump scares to scare the audience, or it can be used to make a smooth transition from one scene to another.

Key terms in Editing

Straight Cut: A straight cut is one of the most basic film transitions when the first shot abruptly ends and the next shot begins. This shows progression in the scene without confusing the viewer.

 

In this scene from The Dark Knight Rises (2012), there are multiple used of straight cuts to show that there is a lot going on. For example from 2:40 onward, there are uses of a straight cut from the device to a long shot where we can see a lot of police approaching.

Montage: A montage is a series of shots that are shown in rapid succession to condense space, time and information. It shows the viewer the progression of time and the impact it has on the individual on screen.

In this scene from Psycho (1960), there is evidence of a montage to condense time as the woman in  the shower is being attacked. The shots follow quickly after each other so the audience know something is happening to the woman, the montage cuts to the knife and back to the woman in rapid succession, as well as us not being able to see the attackers face, which creates tension for the viewer.

Shot reverse shot: Where one character is shown looking at another character, often off screen or over the shoulder.

In this scene from True Story (2015) there are uses of shot reverse shots to portray the two characters conversation. As one of them says something the other characters reaction is seen due to the shot reverse shot.

Invisible/continuity editing:  Showing the change of a scene to make it seem as if it was shot all in one take.

Continuity editing is used in this scene from Goodfellas (1990), during the dinner scene as a character is speaking, their voice is still heard as the camera cuts to those who are not speaking, to reveal their reactions to the main conversation. 

Slow editing: Slowing down frames to give emphasis on what is happening on screen.

Slow editing is used in this scene from Inception (2010), from 1:48 there are multiple explosions and cuts to those explosions, they are shown in slow motion for the audience to see the full scale of them, in addition to cutting to a long shot where the audience can see the surrounding area and observe the explosions. 

Reaction shot: Cutting to the reaction of an individual, usually a close up shot.

This scene from Interstellar (2014) shows multiple reaction shots while the main character is watching videos of his family speaking to him indirectly. There are cuts to his face as they are speaking so the audience understand his reactions.

Editing and transitions generally have different effects. Editing can be used to portray a change in the same scene, whereas transitions can be used a change in setting, or a change in scene completely.

Fade to black: Transition shot that makes the scene fade to black, using a filter.

In this scene from The Grudge (2004), there is a use of fade to black at 1:13 which shows the transition from the flashback to the current situation, it cuts to a reaction shot of the woman trying to help the man who appears to be in shock or hurt. The fade to black and sudden cut to the reaction shot gives the audience a fearful reaction as we cut to the woman looking at something crawling down the stairs, this scene combines the transition and the reaction shot to get a chilling reaction from the audience.

Dissolve: A transition where the image becomes distorted and continues to the next scene.

In this scene from Psycho (1960), there is a dissolve transition from 1:28. The scene changes from the antagonist with a sinister smile, dissolving to a car being pulled out of sewage with a rope, the rope symbolises the rope which the antagonist will be hanged with, due to him being a psychotic murderer in the film. 

Wipe: A transition where a wiping effect changes the scene to the next.

This is an example of a wipe transition, in particular a clock wipe transition to show a change in scene.

180 rule: The angle between two consecutive shots cannot exceed 180 degrees, this is used to maintain relationships between people and their surroundings.

There is an example of the 180 degree rule in this scene from The Shining (1980), although it does get broken, it is still very effective as we are able to see both character's faces and reactions during their conversation.

Jump cut: Rapid movements and cuts to the next scene. This can be used to scare viewers due to the sudden change from one scene to another. This is very effective during a fast paced scene.

This is a scene from Snatch (2000) which shows a lot of jump cuts to make the scene very past paced as there in an unexpected robbery taking place. This would cause the audience to become more excited as the jump cuts are used well to speed up the scene.

Thriller opening analysis:

This example is the action thriller Eagle Eye (2008). The scene begins as two boys are running and there are a series of jump cuts to show different angles of them. There are then more jump cuts to show the cars going down the dirt road and back to the boys running around, this builds up tension for the audience as there is no explanation to the significance of the vehicles. There is then zoom editing which is used at 1:06 to show the cars more, although there are cross hairs which suggest someone is aiming at the cars. At 2:19 there is a reaction shot of a woman as she sees or hears the cars coming towards her and she quickly communicates with the boys telling them to get inside, presumably to safety. There is also zooming out editing to get a better view of a camera watching some cars as they move through the desert. At 3:42 there is use of continuity editing which shows one man having a conversation as well as the reactions of the man behind him, without cutting to another scene it shows this all in one take. At the end of the opening, there is a flash to white, which is similar to a fade to black which then reveals the title of the film.

In conclusion,  my research has helped me try and find what sort of editing I will need to use in my thriller opening to obtain a good audience reaction. I will use straight cuts as they are the most basic transitions to the next shot and will not confuse the audience, if used correctly I can use them to give the audience a startled reaction. I will also use fade to black to surprise the audience as I cut to the next scene, this is to create tension and an appropriate transition into the next scene. I will also use a jump cut as this is a rapid movement and it can be used to show the next shot quickly and they have been proved to be very useful in thrillers, providing the best audience reactions.