Chapter 6
The Relation of Shot to
Shot:
Editing
What is Editing?
• The coordination of one shot with the next.
• The duration of the of the shot and the way it joins to the
next shot can affect the viewer’s reaction.
• Fade out/in
• Dissolve
• Wipe
• Straight Cut
Dimensions of Film Editing
•
Graphic Relations
•
Rhythmic Relations
•
Spatial Relations
•
Temporal Relations
•
Continuity Editing
Graphic Relations Between Shots
• Editing based on the the pictorial and cinematographic
qualities of the shots.
• Involves matching and contrasting these qualities.
The Birds|Dir. Alfred Hitchcock|Graphical Editing
Aliens|Dir. James Cameron|Graphical Editing
Pulp Fiction|Dir. Quentin Tarantino|Graphical Editing
Rhythmic Relations Between
Shots
• Varying lengths of shots can create a rhythm and set a
pace.
• Often cut to music
Run Lola Run|Dir. Tom Tykwer|Rhythmic Editing
Spatial Relations Between Shots
• Involves establishing or constructing
space.
• The Kuleshov effect
• A series of shots without an
establishing shot, prompting the
viewer to infer a spatial whole.
Touch of Zen|Dir. King Hu|Spatial Editing
Temporal Relations Between
Shots
• Editing can cue the viewer to construct story time.
• There is an order to events in the film which can change
story-plot relations.
• Editing can condense time through elliptical editing or
expand time through overlapping editing.
Continuity Editing
• A system of editing that allows space, time and action to
flow smoothly over a series of shots.
• The rhythm is dependent on camera distance of the shot.
• The goal is to present a coherent, clear story.
Spatial Continuity:
The 180 Degree System
• A scene is constructed over an axis of action, or 180 degree
line.
• The filmmaker plans all the shots so that the camera
doesn’t cross the line.
• This ensures consistency in positions of objects in the
frame, eyelines and screen direction.
The 180 Degree System
Tools of Continuity Editing
•
Matching to the master shot
•
Eyeline matching
•
Shot-reverse shot series
•
The 180-degree rule
The Maltese Falcon|Dir. John Huston|Continuity Editing
Crosscutting
• Editing can create omniscience for the viewer.
• Alternates shots from one line of action with shots of
other events in other places.
• Draws the viewer in, builds suspense and can create
parallels.
Jerry Maguire|Dir. Cameron Crowe|Cross Cutting
Temporal Continuity:
Order, Frequency and Duration
• Classical editing typically shows events only once and
unfolds the narrative chronologically.
• Time is seldom expanded, but it is frequently elided:
• Ellipsis within a scene
• Montage across time
• Montage across time and space
Fly Away Home|Dir. Caroll Ballard|Ellipsis within a scene
Citizen Kane|Dir. Orson Welles|Montage across time
Ghostbusters|Dir. Ivan Reitman|Montage across time and space
Intensified Continuity
• Contemporary continuity
• Faster cutting
• Closer views (CUs and MCUs)
• Fewer establishing shots
• Increased use of telephoto/tight framing
• Frequent camera movement
The Two Towers|Dir. Peter Jackson|Intensified Continuity
Alternatives to Continuity Editing
Spatial and Temporal Discontinuity
• Using space ambiguously, inserting jump cuts and
violating or ignoring the 180 degree system can jar and
disorient the viewer.
• Shuffling the order of story events or using time
ambiguously can block viewer expectations.
• Can force the viewer to focus on piecing together the
film’s narrative.
Breathless|Dir. Jean-Luc Godard|Alternative to ContinuityEditing
21 Grams|Dir. Alejandro Inarritu|Alternatives to Continuity Editing
Editing:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Graphical editing? Rhythmic editing
• Spatial editing--The Kuleshov effect?
• Temporal editing
• Continuity editing:
• 180 Degree line, Eyeline match, Match on action, Shot
reverse shot
• Intensified continuity
• Alternatives to continuity?