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