principles of editing (sarah)
TRANSCRIPT
Principles of
editingZachary Millward
Creating meaning through collage, tempo and timing
Join
ing Im
ages
Editing creates a collage, an menagerie
of images coupled together to create meaningAn proclaimed expert
and pioneer of the collage is Hitchcock
Example:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bieIiX5KLQ
Tem
po
Tempo: Rapid tempo
switching between long
shots and slow edits with
the longest cut lasting
23 seconds and the shortest a single second,
however the action and
soundtrack (http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=jQvUBf5l7V)implemen
ted into the sequence
still.
Cont…
..
Research has indicated that shots
are increasing in pace in direct
contrast to The Golden age of
Hollywood The mean shot timing was 5.15
seconds it is now 4.75 seconds
The change of length can be seen
when you compare Singing In The
Rain http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=qu4v5hB1dKk To The Bourne Identity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=PeGDBR0Ej_0 This is due to the implementation
of electronic cutting.
Proble
ms
It takes the regular individual
approximately 3 seconds to Re-
adjust to a shot change. Brandt
has argued “…..if the audience takes 3
seconds to adjust to a new scene,
what happens when the average
shot length is so short that the
audience is never given a chance
to catch up” The tendency to rely on quick
editing in 21st century
productions may grant greater
insight into why younger
audience are not receptive to
Dated or classic films; they seem
slow paced.
Shot
transi
tions
The second way editors adjust
the tempo is shot transitions
Common shot transitions
1. Cut from A to B- Pulp
Fiction:http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=qauBQkgJsc4
2. Fade in/fade out Hugo:http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=hR-kP-olcpM
3. Dissolve (overlapping) Red
River: http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=00bbRbEN0sg&feature=rela
ted
Cont…
.
These shot transitions
represent a passing of time,
but they also affect the
duration and speed of a
subsequent scene Cuts increase and develop
the pace of the content and
are responsible for instigating rapid change.
Even a scene with comparatively lengthy takes,
a cut often implies a sudden
change in mood or character
dynamic.
Fades
Fades effect the pace of the
film as they directly slow and
even pause the occurring
action on screen They rarely occur in modern
day cinema but when they do
it is to create a clear
transition into memory,fantasy,dream,flashb
ack or flash-forward. Red River: http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=00bbRbEN0sg&feature=rel
ated
Tim
ing o
f a s
hot
The third editing technique
is timing of shots Example:
Trainspotting http://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=Naf_WiEb9Qs Timing: With regards to
timing during this sequence
the camera work does not
directly correspond to the
overlaying narration
(Renton's Rant) and instead
for the clip makes use of a
technique called medias res
,non linear format.
Danny
Boyl
e`s
Tr
ain
spott
ing
1. Attribute to editing Trainspotting
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Naf_WiEb9Qs Collage: Between the times of 0:00 and 0:10
second there are multiple examples of image
joining during the opening chase sequence
cutting form face to feet over and over again
smoothly making the shot images easy on the
viewers eye without them noticing leaving a
continuous flow of shots.
Tempo: Rapid tempo switching between long
shots and slow edits with the longest cut
lasting 23 seconds and the shortest a single
second, however the action and soundtrack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQvUBf5l7Vw
implemented into the sequence still grant the
sequence a greater feel of pace despite this.
Timing: With regards to timing during this
sequence the camera work does not directly
correspond to the overlaying narration
(Renton's Rant) and instead for the clip makes
use of a technique called medias res ,non linear
format.
Story- centred Editing
and the construction
of meaning
Edit
ing a
nd
tim
ing
Narrative sequencingTelling the story as it
chronologically occurs
in Linear editingThis is the most
common ‘Medias res’ is the expressed phrase used when narrative is
jumbled upExample: Fight Club
Condensi
ng /
ex
pandin
g t
ime
Collages compress time
Spiderman uses ‘condensed
editing 'when formulating a
costume design – speeds up
hours, days or years in the
characters lives http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=TeN8bCivssU Expanding – overlapping shots of
a single action Example: a doctor being handed
a scalpel shot from 3 angles and
shown in sequence to portray
time but also anxiety in the
person both passing and
receiving it.
Arr
angin
g t
he
ord
er
of
eve
nts
Media Res Events taking place in the present are
interrupted by images or sequences of
film that have taken place in the past.
Flashbacks: Captain America– Captain
America is discovered frozen in the north
entrapped in a giant super bomber and
he's excavated by SHEILD agents.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JerVrbLldXw Rare occasions there are flash-forward's
By their nature ‘flash forwards’ can be
confusing as they can only be
understood once the event has occurred
on scene. A prime example is the film De
Ja Vu.Flash Forwards: De Ja Vu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=khFEdsBEVU0
Tim
e a
nd S
pace
Editing engages the audience and
directly draws the eye to the detail.
Close up (example of the very first ‘close
up’ used in film http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Q2X_BZpnWFc EstablishingExample: Shooter-The establishing shot
shows a clear shot of a western mountain
range making the themes of the location
clear several of these shots are used
throughout. http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ogb72h4vYKU This drawers the viewers attention to a
number of things; be it the sensitive
tenor of a conversation, the subject of a
characters gaze, critical detail in the mise
en scene and the core dynamics of the
action.
Shot
reve
rse
shot
Conversation between two
people One engages in dialogue the
other appears to actively listen.
Rule of thumb is: the actors will
never speak directly to the
viewer ( direct dialogue at the
camera)as this destroys the
illusion of a naturally unfolding
story Cameras are generally slightly
offset to the side rather than
using POV shots Example: The
Godfather-http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=5DO-nDW43Ik
Eye
line m
atc
h
The match cut uses the characters
line of sight A highly effective storytelling devise
it draws the viewers into a
characters thought process and
emotional state helping the
audience to find relatable aspects
within the characters journey
Cutaways Unlike eye line match a cut away is
not character centred, the on screen
appearance of an object does not
depend on the character having to
‘see it’ in the previous shot
Example: Batman Begins-http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=m7dapUWHykw
Cre
ati
ng
meanin
g o
uts
ide
the s
tory
Creating meaning outside the story
Continuity: Medias res is used in order
to produce a montage for the opening
of the film without directly or indirectly
harming the aforementioned
continuity. 180 degree rule: In a dialogue scene
between two characters, Justin (orange
shirt, frame left in the diagram) and
Drew (blue shirt, frame right), the
camera may be placed anywhere on
the green 180° arc and the spatial
relationship between the two
characters will be consistent from shot
to shot, even when one of the
character is not on screen. Shifting to
the other side of the characters on a
cut, so that Drew is now on the left
side and Justin is on the right, may
disorient the audience