Creative Skillset Unit 05

USING EDITING TO TELL THE STORY

IN FILM

“Building a Whole Other World”Michael Kahn, editor – Saving Private Ryan

What makes a film a film?

Not until that raw material is edited do you have a film.

The first filmmakers – Edison in the US and the Lumiere brothers in France filmed what interested them and held the shot. August Lumiere went as far as to say that “cinema is an invention without a future”.

But in 1903 Edwin Porter, an employee of Edison, discovered that CUTTING SEPARATE SHOTS TOGETHER COULD CREATE A STORY The invention of editing gave birth to a new art and a new language

Suggested viewing - ‘The Cutting Edge’ Documentary (2mins 30 to 6mins 10)

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Classical or Continuity Editing

CLASSICAL FILM EDITING relies on the INVISIBLE CUT

Seamless editing, developed by DW Griffiths in the 1920s, through cutting on movement for example, is the main editing method used.

Continuity Editing –

A typical sequence includes establishing shots, closer shots, followed by long shots which re-establish the place or setting.

The change in camera position from a master shot to a closer shot, to a cutaway or a reaction is read as a continuous action by the audience.

The Cutting Edge 10 mins 30 – 12 mins 55

Montage

Lev Kuleshov demonstrated that editing meant more than forming a coherent story could evoke emotions based on order and juxtaposition.

This reaction to editing is called the Kuleshov Effect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gGl3LJ7vHc

The Cutting Edge – 20mins 26 – 26 mins 26

Eisenstein used the montage method. The meaning was not in the shots but in their collision, where “collision sparks a new meaning of higher order”. Where Griffiths tried to hide the cuts Eisenstein reveled in them. E.g. Battleship Potemkin 1925.

Taking one shot and another shot to create a third meaning became “The basis of all editing”

Analysing Genre in the Edit

What do we mean by Genre?

Horror / Thriller / Comedy / Action-adventure / Sci-fi

What emotions and conventions are associated with these Genres?

What editing techniques are used to bring out the emotions associated with these genres?

Close reading of the edit – how suspense is created in the edit of the opening scene of Inglorious Basterds – Action adventure film by Quentin Tarantino

DISCUSS:Choice of shots – why have they used CU or wides where they have?Length of shotsPace and rhythmUse of sound

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUZv6bn7Hwg

CREATIVE SKILLSET - UNIT 05 : 1, 2 Explain how editing is used to tell the story in film.Identify the ways different film genres are affected by use of editing.

Written Report or Filmed: (300-500 words if written)

Choose 3 sequences from a range of genres and analyse in terms of how editing techniques are applied in order to:

•Tell the story•Show key messages•Reflect the genre•Show tone, mood and emotional impact•Effect the flow of the story and audience perception

Illustrate your answer with visual evidence where possible.

Useful Resources

Websites:

Elements of Cinema

http://www.elementsofcinema.com/category/editing/

No Film School

http://nofilmschool.com/2013/12/a-masterclass-in-storytelling-through-editing

http://raisedonhd.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/editing-for-beginners-walter-murchs-rule-of-six/

http://classes.yale.edu/film-analysis/htmfiles/editing.htm

Film:

The Cutting Edge – The Magic of Movie Editing

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0428441/

Masterclass with Walter Murch at Sheffield Doc Fest 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP0NdUt8j1Q

Book:

In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing by Walter Murch