Film Studies

Understanding TerminologyEditingLO: To understand and recognise a variety of different editing techniquesTo apply my knowledge to analyse a scene from RomeEditingEditing is the means of linking one shot to another It is used by directors to create meaningEditing also manipulates the audience into feeling what the director wants you to feel It is often referred to as the invisible artWhy Editing is important

For a writer, its a word. For a composer or a musician, its a note. For an editor and a filmmaker, its the frames. The one frame off, or two frames added, or two frames less its the difference between a sour note and a sweet note. Its the difference between clunky clumsy crap and orgasmic rhythm. Manipulation

The main aim of editing is to manipulate an audience to feel what the director wants you to feel.A series comes alive with the editing process as directors can tweak their footage to create certain responses from an audienceIn this procedure sound is also another important aspect of the post-production processEditing can also radically alter the reading of a sceneCut

The simple action of cutting between scenes/characters/place/time etc.A single cut can transport an audience from history to the future or simply from one face to another faceThe building blocks of TV DramaMotivation A motivated edit is any transition forced on the editor by the development of the action, narrative or character. Whenever shot (a) refers to the existence of an event outside the frame, and we then cut to (b) which shows that event, thats a motivated edit. We can sometimes judge a characters worth or importance by the number of cuts they motivate.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXVTayQtZuw

PrevalenceHow much screen time does a character get? The more time we see them on screen, the more important their role. This can develop during a scene to change characters status. Cross Cutting/Parallel Editing

The cutting between two points of action in one scene to establish the opposing characters or armiesParallel editing (cross cutting) is also the technique of alternating two or more scenes that often happen simultaneously but in different locations. If the scenes are simultaneous, they occasionally culminate in a single place, where the relevant parties confront each other.

INTERCUTTING: JUXTAPOSITIONAlthough typically a narrative device, intercutting can set up juxtaposition between parallel storylines, exaggerating the impact or meaning of each by highlighting a point of difference.When intercutting is used to draw two storylines together, this can be structured to create tension, and therefore heighten the audiences identification with a particular character.Jump CutA cut whereby the smoothness of a match cut is lost, usually made by the action of a cut which is more than 30 degrees away from the preceding cut. The character may appear to jump and is used to show frantic action, a person packing to leave quickly for instance.

Jump Cuts contd. These are rarely used in TV or film; when they are, they tend to suggest either a) chaos and disorderb) self-conscious ellipsis (drawing attention to the rapid pace of the action) c) a director who likes to break the rules!

Ellipsis

Ellipsis concerns the omission of a section of the story that is either obvious enough for the public to fill in or concealed for a narrative purpose, such as suspense or mystery.Missing out the bits we dont need to see

Montage (Shortening of Time)

Montage is a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time, and information. It is usually used to suggest the passage of time or something complicated that needs to be built into the narrativeContinuity Editing The invisible art. Editing disguised.These are cuts that take us seamlessly and logically from one sequence or scene to another. This is an unobtrusive cut that serves to move the narrative along you dont notice themThis allows the viewer to believe in the world crated by the director -to smooth over the inherent discontinuity of the editing process and to establish a logical coherence between shots.Match Cut/Match on Action A match cut often involves a graphic match, a smooth transition between scenes where one cut matches the next.In other words when one cut matches the next, so for example if one person begins to turn around in one cut they will continue to turn around in the next, there is a match on action

Action MatchWhen following a single character (e.g. Billy Elliot dancing) this is a purely technical device. However, when an action match is used for intercutting (cutting between two characters) it can heighten the parallels/contrasts between two different characters in two different situations and offers an opportunity for juxtaposition. Eyeline Match Eyeline match usually provides insight to a character's private thoughts.

An eyeline match is based on the premise that the audience will want to see what the character on-screen is seeing. The eyeline match begins with a character looking at something off-screen, followed by a cut to the object or person at which they are looking at.

SelectionSELECTION: to show or not to showAs film-makers yourselves, it can sometimes be interesting to ask what information has been included or omitted in an edit.

180 Degree Rule The 180-degree rule is a basic guideline regarding the on-screen relationship between a character and another character.An imaginary line called the axis connects the characters and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene, the first character will always be frame right of the second character, who is then always frame left of the first.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdyyuqmCW14&feature=autoplay&list=PL957ABF289C907291&playnext=2

Shot Reverse Shot An editing technique where one character is looking at another character and vice versa (usually done with repeated close ups of their faces)Editing technique used to convey conflict or conversation between two or more characters

Shot reverse shot contd. S/RS indicates the relationship between two characters: it signifies and sometimes exaggerates their closeness or their opposition (depending on the context). The amount of time given to a characters reaction shots can convey their status in the scene. For example, if two characters are in S/RS conversation, do they get equal screen time, or do we spend more time looking at one character, speaking and reacting? Equally (though this is also a function of camera, are the two characters framed equally?

Insert An insert is a shot of part of a scene as filmed from a different angle and/or focal length from the long shot/establishing shot. Inserts cover action already covered in this long shot, but emphasize a different aspect of that action due to the different framingThe term "insert" is often confined to views of objectsand body parts, other than the head. Thus: Mid-shot of the gunfighter, INSERT of his hand quivering above the holster, TWO SHOT of his friends watching anxiously, INSERT of the clock ticking.

Dissolve

In a dissolve a first image gradually dissolves and is replaced by another which fades in over it. This type of transition, which is known also as a soft transition (as opposed to the cut), suggests a longer passage of time than a cut.It is important to note that when the images dissolve into each other there is no fade to blackFade A Fade is very similar to a dissolve but when one image replaces the other image there is a fade to black before the second image appears.A fade is used by a director to make the audience think about what is happening in a film, it is like a punctuation mark, or it is used to mark a passage of time (similar to a paragraph)

Rapid editing

Fast cuts, similar to the rapid fire of a machine gun which usually forms the basis of an action scene within a film, to create excitement for the viewer and to maintain momentum for the action scene.Slow Motion The slowing down of the speed of a scene to highlight a particular moment.Thinking about Pace This can imply character qualities, especially if only one or two characters are in the sequence. A fast pace might suggest energy or panic (depending on context) while infrequent cuts (long takes) might suggest calm, a casual attitude, or provide documentary-style realism. Similar effects can be achieved with speed ramping and slow-motion. Wipe A wipe is a type of transition where one shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to another in a motion which is similar to a windscreen wiper (left to right horizontal motion or right to left motion)Rarely used today

Thinking about RepresentationOne approach to both sound and editing is to look at the way in which technical elements are used to create perspective or viewpoint within a sequence - a key element of the process of representation that goes beyond the identification of 'character traits'. By understanding, for example, how screen time, p.o.v. or reaction shots are distributed, even weaker students can see how hierarchies are established, leading to certain representations being privileged where others are marginalised. Stronger students are able to develop this further by discussing how the audience is positioned in relation to the representations on offer - the best answers in the exam offered some great discussion of the way in which editing frequently shifted the viewer's relationship to dominant views of gender in different scenes. Another important factor is the way that the editing of the sequence grants or witholds narrative information from the audience in order to encourage identification or rejection of particular characters/representations.

Analysis Task: RomeLets watch the opening of Rome

What can you say about the use of different editing techniques and the effect of these in this scene?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4zQ4k1RmJU&feature=bf_next&list=PLCE549D17B170F6E1