Editing
• Earth trailer
• http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/earth/t
railer_large.html
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.”
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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:
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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
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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
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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
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmgPoto
MaoE&feature=related