Assignment Film Editing by Jack Price The common conventions, techniques and purpose of film editing: when and why it was all developed.
History of Film Editing In the post-production process, when making a film or TV show, editing is used to help things make sense and assemble the story of the film. If done well the audience will not notice the editing take place. Editing has been described as the ‘invisible art’ because when it is well practiced, the viewer can become so engaged that the viewer is not aware of the editor’s work. Films such as Birdman (2014) use editing so well that the film looks like one continuous cut, or a long take. Film editing over the years has evolved and it is important to understand the past techniques and how they have developed to help us understand the importance of film editing. Ernest Walter states "Throughout the history of the motion picture industry the quality of its products has steadily improved," and with this the art of editing has vastly improved.
Different editing techniques and conventions Different editing techniques are used such as: The Match Cut – The match cut is a shot in film editing, either between two different objects, spaces or compositions, where the shots graphically match. The cut is used to create a continuity of action and to metaphorically link the two shots. For example: - In 2001: A Space Odyssey, there is a famous example where an ape throws a bone in the air, and it changes to a satellite. Flash Cutting – Flash Cutting, or a Short cut, is an editing technique where the length of the cut is very short, typically less than two seconds. For example: the shower scene in Psycho. Subliminal Cut – A cut that consists of a few frames that go by so quickly that the viewer is only subconsciously aware of it. A Cross Cut – A cross cut, also known as parallel editing is a cut which switches between two shots, happening in different places at the same time. For Example: The Silence of the Lambs. Discontinuity Editing – Discontinuity editing is any alternate system of joining shots using techniques that are unacceptable in continuity editing. Long Cut –The long cut is a cut that is typically over two minutes long, with no cutting.
In Camera editing – In camera editing is when, instead of editing the shots into a film in post production, the main cameraman/cinematographer shoots the the sense in a certain order. For Example: Alfred Hitchcock uses in camera editing in his film ‘Rope’ and Jean-Luc Godard used it in the film ‘Breathless’. Following the action – Following the action, also known as a Follow Shot or a Tracking Shot is where the camera is following the main protagonist being filmed. Steadicam, tracking devices, cranes, panning and zoom lenses can all be used to make a Follow shot. For example: The shining, a Steadicam follows a boy as they ride their tricycle through a hotel. Point of View shot - A point of view shot, otherwise known as a POV shot, first person shot or a subjective camera shot, is when the camera is used to represent what a character is seeing. The 2015 film ‘Hardcore Henry’ is made entirely up of POV shots, showing things through the character’s own eyes in the style of a first person shooter video game. In addition, Martin Scorsese uses a First Person shot in his film ‘Goodfellas’ where the subject walks through a restaurant. Cutting on Action Cutting on action allows what is going on in two scenes to blend into each other. Ken Dancyger explained this in one of his books “Suppose that a character is crossing the room in one shot and is seated in the next. These two shots do not match because we haven't seen the character sit down. If we saw her sit down in the first shot and then saw her seated in the second, the two shots would be continuous. The critical factor here is using shots that match the action from one shot to the next.” What is happening in the first shot is what connects both shots together, as well as distracting us from the fact that the camera has been cut to a different angle. Because what is happening on the screen and the direction of the shot have been continued over into the next shot, the person watching can track the shot as if it is continuous so we don’t focus on the new surroundings or angle rather than what is happening in the shot. Although, you can’t cut on any action. Dancyger explains that “It is critical that the movement in a shot be distinct enough or important enough so that the cut can be unobtrusive. If the move is too subtle or faint, the cut can backfire. A cut is a promise of more information or more dramatic insight to come. If the second shot is not important, viewers realize that the editor and director have misled them.” Maintaining continuity between cuts Finding continuity errors in movies is not uncommon, there are websites and YouTube channels dedicated to doing so, a more recent example would be in Spiderman (2002).
On some film sets there are people to make sure that everything is in its correct position, this includes objects around a room, actors delivering lines at exactly the correct time and even the actor’s hair being in the same place. Sometimes there are even continuity errors between whole movies such as that in the X-men franchise.
Evolution of editing. Cinema was created during the late 19th century, the concept of a film was moving pictures or frames moving quickly to make it seem like something is moving, like a flick book, the camera used for this was known as a kinetograph and was created by Thomas Edison and Williamson. In the 1800s, people did not have the technology to edit a film digitally. Rather than edit a film through software such as premiere pro, someone would take roll out of the camera and use scissors to cut and then tape to stick it back on where they wanted the scene to be. In 1924, the first editing machine was created by Iwan Serriurier and it was known as Moviola. Moviola allowed an editor to view the film while they were editing and helped editors to know exactly where to cut. In 1956, The Ampex video tape recorder (VTR) was released. It allowed things to be recorded and edited using magnetic tape which replaced film to TV telecines. In 1961, the Ampex electronic editor made it possible to edit film and video tape without the need for physical splicing or cutting. The first editing softwares emerged between 1988 and 1991. EMC and AVID were the first non-linear film editing softwares, and then succeeded by Adobe Premiere, which is still used today.
Purpose of film editing. Story telling Editing helps someone to give meaning to a film. Scenes in a film are usually shot in a different order than they appear when you watch it and it is the editor’s job to put the scenes in order. There are very few films originally shot in the correct order, one being Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rope”. Development of Drama
Film editing also allows for the development of drama. The way a scene is edited can determine how intense a scene is. Having different shots in a certain order can ad to the drama and intensity and elicit more of a reaction from the viewer. An example would be in the film “rocky”. The training scene is still one of the most famous scenes in any film, with the song “eye of the tiger” playing together and different shots put together, it adds drama and intensity to this scene. Relationship to genre With different genres of film, different conventions are used, editing is no exception and different techniques are used to put across the theme or genre of a film. Action In an action film there is a lot of fast editing. Fast editing is used to add to the fast pace of the movie. Most action films have a car chase or a fight scene, this is where a lot of editing is used. The chase scene in “Captain America: Civil war” is a prime example of this. Horror Horror films use fast paced editing to elicit a different response. Where as action films use this type of editing to elicit excitement, a horror film uses fast paced editing to build fear. The viewer is anxious as he does not know what is coming next and awaiting the next shot. Films such as “The Conjuring” use this. Combining shots into sequences Combining shots into sequences is used to make a sequence flow quickly. Once all of the shots have been edited, they can then be put into a sequence to make it feel continuous. Film editors try and make the cuts go unnoticed. Bird man does this so well that the film looks like one continuous shot. Pace Putting shots into a sequence is sometimes used to speed up or slow down a sequence. For example, an action film uses shorter cuts with a lot going on inside them to make the sequence seem faster. A drama film would use longer cuts with only one thing going on. This is used to help the audience understand what is going on and the character in the scene. The 180-degree rule – The 180-degree rule is when you look at one character, they are on the left hand side of the scene facing right. The other character is on the right side of the scene facing left. Like a semi-circle.
To make sure this works, we need to imagine a line between the two characters. This is called the axis of action. Then you need to keep the camera on one side of that line. If you break the rule you have ‘crossed the line ‘. This is called the 180-degree rule because the camera can’t move more than 180 degrees (a semi-circle) around the characters. Changing the line – If there is more than two characters in the scene, the same line may not work for everybody. You may have to change to a new line. There are several ways to do this without the viewer getting confused: 1. Include a shot where the camera itself tracks/follows (moves sideways) or moves in an arc across the line. 2. Use a cutaway (pan to a shot of something outside the main action) 3. Cut to the master shot (pan out to a long shot or very long shot that shows the whole scene).
Continuity vs. discontinuity – Continuity editing is used in narrative based editing. It is used to combine individual shots to tell a story. Smooth continuous shots are used to create smooth and sometimes unnoticeable transitions between takes. Thus being nicknamed “The Invisible Art”. Some continuity editing techniques are: Establishing shots Long Take 180-degree rule Eye line match Shot reverse shot Match on action Cross cutting (see parallel edit) Discontinuity editing is used mainly in montages, rather than trying to hide the cuts in the editing, they are supposed to be seen. Techniques in discontinuity editing include:
Montage – a sequence of shots that compress narrative time Disjunctive editing – editing that brings attention to itself. Jump Cut Non diegetic insert Repetition of shots/events Freeze frames
Author Ken Dancyger
Ken Dancyger
Quote Date “Suppose that a Jan ‘93 character is crossing the room in one shot and is seated in the next. These two shots do not match because we haven't seen the character sit down. If we saw her sit down in the first shot and then saw her seated in the second, the two shots would be continuous. The critical factor here is using shots that match the action from one shot to the next.” “It is critical that Jan ‘93 the movement in a shot be distinct enough or important enough so that the cut can be unobtrusive. If the move is too subtle or faint, the
From the technique of film and video editing, pg. 296
the technique of film and video editing, pg. 297
Ernest Walter
cut can backfire. A cut is a promise of more information or more dramatic insight to come. If the second shot is not important, viewers realize that the editor and director have misled them.” "Throughout the 1973 history of the motion picture industry the quality of its products has steadily improved,"
Communication Arts Books. Hastings House Publications.
References:Birdman – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xoj1SKkvj8E 2001: A space odyssey – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtbOmpTnyOc Psycho – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atjhOhH-V3E
Silence of the Lambs – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts1x6uADFtM Breathless – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4UxgQeRVFw The Shining - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79p57JJrMwo Hardcore Henry – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgU6hlu02yI Goodfellas – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sr-vxVaY_M Rocky – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27F46WPVJBs Captain America: Civil War - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMoWqe6hKgw
The first editing softwares emerged between 1988 and 1991. The first editing softwares emerged between 1988 and 1991. The first editing softwares emerged between 1988 and 1991. The first editing softwares emerged between 1988 and 1991. The first editing softwares emerged between 1988 and 1991. The first editing softwares emerged between 1988 and 1991. The first editing softwares emerged between 1988 and 1991. The first editing softwares emerged between 1988 and 1991. The first editing softwares emerged between 1988 and 1991.