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Editing

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Editing

• Stanley Kubrick:

– "I love editing. I think I like it more than any other phase of film making. If I wanted to be frivolous, I might say that everything that precedes editing is merely a way of producing film to edit."

• Editing brings together the disparate elements of an electronic text– Film/videotape generated during “production”– Production and postproduction sound– Special effects– Computer-generated Imagery (CGI) or just CG

(Computer Graphics)• Lengthy process

Film/video editing

• Must produce a coherent narrative from the vast amount of raw footage, etc.– 10:1 shooting ratio common• May be much higher

Goals of editing: Servicing the narrative

• The ultimate concern is to make the story as compelling as possible–Realism• Continuity editing • ‘Invisible’ editing

Continuity editing

• “A system of cutting to maintain continuous and clear narrative action. Continuity editing relies upon matching screen direction, position, and temporal relations from shot to shot. The film supports the viewer's assumption that space and time are contiguous between successive shots.”

• Chandler, The ‘Grammar’ of Television and Film

Invisible editing• “Gives the impression that the edits are motivated by the events in

the 'reality' that the camera is recording rather than the result of a desire to tell a story in a particular way.”– matched cuts (rather than jump cuts) – motivated cuts – changes of shot through camera movement– long takes – the use of the sound bridge – parallel development.

• The editing isn't really 'invisible', but the conventions have become so familiar to visual literates that they no longer consciously notice them. – Chandler, The ‘Grammar ‘of Television and Film

180 Degree Rule

Goals of editing: Style

• Style refers to a certain ‘feel’—an emotional/aesthetic approach to presentation– Style provides coherence to the audience

experience

Goals of editing: Positioning the viewer

• Subjective v. objective• Omniscient v. focalized within a character – Choice of character

Video editing

• Frame. A single picture produced by the camera• Shot. A single run of the camera or the piece of film

resulting from such a run. • Scene. A dramatic unit that takes place in a

continuous time period, in the same setting, and involves the same characters.

• Sequence. A dramatic unit composed of several scenes, all linked together by their emotional and narrative momentum. – Chandler, The ‘Grammar’ of Television and Film

Matched cuts

• “In a 'matched cut' a familiar relationship between the shots may make the change seem smooth: – continuity of direction; – completed action; – a similar centre of attention in the frame; – a one-step change of shot size (e.g. long to medium); – a change of angle (conventionally at least 30 degrees).”

• Chandler, The ‘Grammar’ of Television and Film

Graphic match

• “Two successive shots joined so as to create a strong similarity of compositional elements (e.g., color, shape).”

• Yale Film Analysis Guide

– Lawrence of Arabia

Motivated cut

• “Cut made just at the point where what has occurred makes the viewer immediately want to see something which is not currently visible (causing us, for instance, to accept compression of time). . . . Editing and camera work appear to be determined by the action.”

• Chandler, The ‘Grammar’ of Television and Film

Establishing/re-establishing shot

• A long or medium-length shot followed by a medium or close one– The long shot provides the setting/context for the

action and the closer shot reveals the characters, immediate setting, etc.

• May move out again to re-establish the context after some time has passed and/or action has occurred

Shot-reverse shot

• Used in most scenes where a conversation between two characters is taking place– May be over-the-shoulder shots or character

viewpoint shots• Ties sound and visuals together– The camera is usually on the source of the sound

—especially in conversation– Breaking the rule often is done to provide a sense

of uncertainty, mystery or foreboding

Eye-line shot

• The camera focuses first on a character who is looking at something– Usually intense rather than casual look

• The subsequent shot focuses on some action, object, person, etc. that is then assumed to be the object of the character’s gaze– May be used when character is looking for

something or is surprised by something

Reaction shot

• Shot of surprise/reaction on character’s face followed by shot revealing what they were reacting to

Detail revealed

• Long or medium-distance shot followed by close-up on detail of importance

Cut-in, cut-away

• An instantaneous shift from a distant framing to a closer view of some portion of the same space, and vice versa. – May provide information unknown to the

characters or may provide detail for the audience– May reveal secondary activity simultaneous to

main line of action

Breaking the rules

• Directors/editors may break the rules (thereby not meeting expectations) for particular effect

• Some indicator of breaking expectations may be provided– Change in color indicating flashback

Parallel editing

• “Editing that alternates shots of two or more lines of action occurring in different places, usually simultaneously. The two actions are therefore linked, associating the characters from both lines of action.”– Yale Film Analysis Guide – Dave– Harold and Maude

Elliptical editing

• “Shot transitions that omit parts of an event, causing an ellipses in plot and story duration.”– Yale Film Studies Guide

Jump cut

• “An elliptical cut that appears to be an interruption of a single shot. Either the figures seem to change instantly against a constant background, or the background changes instantly while the figures remain constant.”– Yale Film Studies Guide

Montage

• Combination of shots of varied subjects, times, etc. that interact to generate a new meaning

• Yale Film Analysis Guide

– Potemkin– Godfather

Transitions

• Cut• Fade in/Fade out• Dissolve• Wipe

Shot duration

• The length of shots affects the intensity of the video, the emotional impact, and the level of attention among audience members.– Fast cuts tend to draw attention and increase the

emotional intensity of a scene, but can lead to confusion and discomfort

– Increasing or decreasing shot length convey falling or rising intensity of action

– Equivalence of shot length implies equivalence of importance

Manipulating time

• Editing can provide a means for narrative time to diverge from story time– Time compression (cut out the boring bits)– Subjective time (represent the experience of time by

one of the characters)– Presentation that allows audience to gain information

in ways unavailable through natural time flow• Slow motion• Fast forward

– Emotional impact

Manipulating Time

• Subjective time. The time experienced or felt by a character in a film, as revealed through camera movement and editing (e.g. when a frightened person's flight from danger is prolonged).

• Time compression• Simultaneous time– Extended or expanded time/overlapping action.

• Slow/fast motion

• Ambiguous time• Universal time

• Accelerated motion (undercranking)• Reverse motion• Replay (often in slow motion)• Freeze-frame• Flashback– Often must provide some visual/aural indication of

time differential• Flashforward– Less common than flashback

Compositing

• Combination of elements from different sources into final product to produce an effect unavailable from a single source– Green screen– CGI

Superimpositions

• Writing• Bugs• Insets

Split Screen

• The division of the screen into parts which can show the viewer several images at the same time (sometimes the same action from slightly different perspectives, sometimes similar actions at different times). This can convey the excitement and frenzy of certain activities, but it can also overload the viewer. – Chandler, The ‘Grammar’ of Television and Film

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