Editing

1. EDITING

2. • Date: 10th January 2020
• Title: Editing Techniques in Luther
• Sub-title DIT – write up the
additional points based on what you
have missed
• characters
• settings
• camerawork
• Characters:
• Luther’s costume in the extract of a shirt and tie connotes his official status
and authority as a police detective
• Luther’s costume in the extract of an undone top button and loosened tie
connotes that he is not conventional and doesn’t conform to rules
• Alice Morgan’s long, red hair in the extract connotes that she is volatile,
dangerous and sexual.
• It contrasts with her short, messy hair at the beginning of the extract when
she is pretending to be innocent connoting that she is manipulative and
conniving
• Alice Morgan is wearing a smart jacket, trousers and boots in the extract.
This gives her a business-like appearance which connotes that she is an
efficient and ruthless criminal• Settings:
• The scene opens with a shot of an isolated location, a factory, which is in an abandoned space. We can see
barbed wire preventing people from entering the factory. This connotes that this is a dangerous location, which
is typical in crime drama, particularly as the lair of the villain.
• The dress codes of the two characters creates binary opposition, connoting that they do not belong there and
therefore possibly involved in criminal activities.
• The scene also shows a normal urban street and house, which is surrounded by police searching for a missing
girl. This is also conventional as the home is supposed to be a safe place, but here we see it becoming unsafe.
• The house is revealed to be Madsen’s which is conventional because it shows that villains can appear like any
normal person, which increases the fear as villains hide in plain sight.
• The setting all appears to involve filming on location and at night, something which connotes the programme’s
typically high production values.

3. • Camera Scene 2:
• The scene opens with an establishing shot looking over London. This is a
conventional location for a crime drama and we can see a densely populated
area that is maze like, suggesting how hard it will be to catch a criminal.
• We then see an over-the-shoulder tracking movement on Luther as he
approaches Alice’s building. This positions the audience on his side, establishing
him clearly as the hero in this scene.
• There is a close-up shot on Luther’s hand unlocking the building door. This
emphasises his role as a maverick hero who plays by his own rules, as well as
him being intelligent in having the skill to unlock the door.
• A two-shot is used to show Luther and Alice standing opposite one another on
the bridge. This connotes a relationships between the two, which is
unconventional for crime drama. It also emphasises the sexual tension between
the two and foreshadows that they will later work together.
• A high-angle shot it used looking down on Alice as Luther holds her over the
bridge. This is contrasted with a low angle shot looking up at Luther. These
shots connote the power status between these two, with Luther having the
power at this moment.

4. STARTER
• Watch this sequence from Luther and be
ready to answer some questions…

5. EDITING
• How many edits were there?
• What happened to the pace of editing?
• How does this impact the audience?

6. CONTINUITY EDITING
• The reason you don’t know how many edits
there were is because they are designed not
to be noticed
• This is why it is called CONTINUITY EDITING
because it seems to be invisible to the
audience

7. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• You must know 4 examples of continuity editing
• You must know 1 example of non-continuity editing
• You must know the function of each editing technique –
why it is used
• You must be able to identify them in the Luther sequence
• You must be able to describe the edit and analyse the
meaning created

8. CONTINUITY EDITING
• when a shot is followed by the shot we naturally expect
to see
• it is invisible – we don’t notice it

9. WHAT DOES A CONTINUITY EDIT LOOK
LIKE?

10. IN THE EXAM
• There are FOUR main types of continuity
editing to know for the exam
• We must think about what the editing tells us
about the characters and the narrative.

11. SHOT-REVERSE-SHOT
• Used to show the relationship
between two characters
• Usually in conflict

12. EYE-LINE MATCH
• We start with a of the character looking
off-screen at something
• Then CUT to what they are looking at
• Can suggest the importance of what
they are looking at

13. ACTION MATCH
• The scene is viewed
from lots of
different angles
• Can be fast paced

14. PARALLEL EDITING
• when the edits cut from one place to
another showing what it happening at the
same time
• relationship between two locations and
characters
• similar mood

15. JUMP CUT
• Discontinuity editing
• Cuts part of the action
out

16. ANALYSIS OF THIS SCENE
• pace of editing
• jump cuts vs continuity editing
• shot-reverse-shot
• cross-cutting

17. CROSS-CUTTING

18. SHOT-REVERSE-SHOT

19. JUMP CUTS

20. PACE
• fast?
• slow?
• does it change?
• why?
• what does this tell us about Luther?

21. EXAM PRACTICE: 23.22
• Explore the connotations of editing in the 2-minute
sequence (8)

22. POSSIBLE ANSWERS
• Parallel editing connects Luther in a cab and Alice in her flat. This example of continuity editing
suggests that Luther is thinking about Alice which in turn connotes that he is always thinking about
work, representing him as a troubled police officer.
• Shot-reverse-shot editing is used to depict the conversation between Luther and Zoe. The characters
are shown to be opposite one another and embroiled in conflict, suggesting that their marriage is in
trouble and building up this tension. This supports the idea that Luther is the ‘troubled’ cop
archetype.
• Action match editing is used at the start of the moments when Luther kicks the door through. The
editing is fast paced which connotes Luther’s state of mind at this stage, as though he is acting
before he thinks. Again this action suggests that he is the ‘troubled’ cop archetype and isn’t
conventional.
• Action match turns to jump cut editing when Luther is kicking the door. This use of non-continuity
editing connotes that his state of mind a fractured and that he has lost control. This violent outburst
again implies that he is not a stereotypical cop and that he can be violent and lost control.
• One important example of eye-line match editing is when Luther is kicking the door, we see this
action through Zoe’s eye-line. This helps us to see how frightening Luther is and how vulnerable Zoe
is in this situation. Again this links to the archetypal ‘troubled’ cop and shows that Luther can have
villainous traits.

23. EXAM PRACTICE - 2
• Explore the connotations of editing in the 2-minute sequence
(8)
• Shot-reverse-shot is used to depict the conflict between Luther
and Henry. This helps to emphasise the contrast between the
two characters, with Henry in a suit and Luther in a green casual
coat, which might initially convince the audience the Luther is
the villain and Henry a victim.
• OR connotes they have different status within the scene.

24. POSSIBLE ANSWERS
• Parallel editing between Luther and Henry establishes the connection between the two characters. As we
cut back and forth between the two we can see Luther gaining on Henry, which creates anxiety for the
audience.
• The pace of editing at the opening of the scene is fast with use of action match, which immediately creates
a sense of chaos and excitement. The editing slows down when Luther catches up to Henry indicating that
Henry is trapped and is unable to move.
• Parallel editing between the factory and the house informs the audience that there is a relationship
between the two locations. It heightens the tension as we find out that Luther is in a race against time to
find the girl before she dies.
• Shot-reverse-shot is used to depict the conflict between Luther and Henry. This helps to emphasise the
contrast between the two characters, with Henry in a suit and Luther in a green casual coat, which might
initial convince the audience the Luther is the villain and Henry a victim.
• Jump cut editing is used when Henry is climbing up the ladder to escape Luther. This disruption of
continuity emphasises the panic he is feeling, and shows how quickly he is having to move to escape.
• Jump cut editing is also used when Luther is shouting “You lied, and lied, and lied”. The effect of this is to
emphasise Luther fragile state of mind as he struggles to comprehend Henry’s terrible actions. This links to
his character as a troubled police officer who invests too much of his life in his work.