2. WHAT IS VIDEO EDITING?
Video editing is process in which raw footage is taken by a team of editors
and it cut and annotated so that it is ready for the final product that will be
show to the audience. Editing can take up to many days even months to get
the film as the director wants. Editing used to be done physically using
scissors to cut up film, but is now done on computers with digital editing
software. Editing is part of the post production phase of filmmaking.
The purpose for editing is so the director can manipulate time around the
characters in the media text greater sense of purpose and atmosphere to a
scene. For example the editors might put emphasis on type of character they
are
3. THE PRINCIPLES OF EDITING.
1. Story Telling - the story line is the plot of the movie or
film and how it is told can be. Things to consider when editing the story
line is the narrative which is the order in which the events happen these
can be arranged and rearranged to be in a chronological order or a
non chronological order. The story line can also be edited to be an
closed or open ended storyline. So films left with a cliffhanger to either
be continued in a sequel or to make the audience think of the message
in it. An example of an open ended story line is the final scene of shutter
island (2010) when Leonardo dicaprio’s character walks away and the
camera is cut to show the lighthouse. An example of a closed ended
story is Disney's Tangled (2011) were Rapunzel is reunited with her
parents and falls in love with Flynn the prince in the story and they live
happily ever after, a common thing in Disney movies for them to be
closed ended.
4. 2.Combination of Shots-This is used in
editing to keep the attention of the audience. just like in a book
a writer must keep the motion of the story going without letting
it get stale and becoming boring, an editor must do the same
by using a combination of shots in the film. For an action scene
an editor would use different shots to mix things up and put
you in the action. In the opening of trainspotting (1996) Euan
McGregor is runaway from a security guard after just having
stolen from a store, a mixture of shots is used to create the
speed of the chase making it more interesting. Another
example of a combination of shots is used in (1992) last of the
Mohicans during one of the battle sequences when a
tomahawk is thrown there are a combination of shots to show
how it impacts the other man's back.
5. 3.Creating Pace-Pace can be created with a music score the cuts are
linked to the beat and change according to it to help with setting the scene. In the
lord of the ring the fellowship of the ring (2001) pace is created in the first scenes
before Bilbo has his 111th birthday a slow song is played with a homily feel to help
establish that Hobbiton is a slow peaceful place. Again in the fellowship of the ring
pace is created towards the end of the fellowship when they are walking across
mountains and fields in an epic few scenes with an upbeat song that speeds along
their journey. This is done to speed up the time as the quest that they go on actually
lasts about a year.
6. 4. The 180˚ Rule- This rule is about character placement on the
screen to identify what side the character is on. This is done by keeping the
camera on one side in relation to the actor and can only be broken by
showing the camera move to the other side. This picture shows the 180˚ rule.
The side in green is the side which the shot opens with and establishes that
the man in orange is on the left and the man in blue is on the right. The red
side of the picture is the opposite side from the opening shot, the shot can not
be cut and put on this side as it will go against the establishing shot of the
characters. An example of where the 180˚ is used is in the first episode of how
I met your mother (2005) when ever they are having a conversation it is
always filmed from the fourth wall which means the 180 rule can never be
broken. An example where the 180˚ is broken in (1980) the shining bathroom
scene. After the conversation changes to a much darker one the camera is
flipped to put the audience on edge.
7. EDITING TECHNIQUES.
1.Continuity Editing-Small changes
can be noticed in a film from shot to shot because of
filming at a different time. This can include a mug
being in a person's hand to not being in their hand.
This can look strange to people as it can put off the
realism to the film. A continuity checker would go
through to notice these faults in the film. And
example of bad continuity can be found in harry
potter and the chamber of secrets (2002) in one
scene the man falls to the ground with the wand in
his hand but the other shot it is flying through the air
next to him. Another example where continuity is
broken is in the first episode of friends (1994). In the
first scene chandler raises his hand towards his
face but in the next shot of his face the hand hasn't
risen.
8. 2.Match on Action- Match on action is
when the camera cuts with the audience's point of focus
in mind. A cut will take place from one scene where the
audience's vision might be focused to for example a
person's head and then have the same persons head in
the same place in the next shot. During the fight scene in
kill bill volume one (2003)when Uma Thurman's character
jumps down with the bamboo stick onto the table, her
position on the screen doesn't change from when she is
in the air to when she is landing on the table. This is done
as to keep the focus on the character and not confuse
the audience. Match on action is also used in (2017)
Logan when hugh jackman is driving backwards away
from a convoy of vehicles
9. 3.Parallel Editing- This is a technique that
shows two events happening at the same time and
cuts between the two events. You know that they are
at the same time because the are being cut between
back and fourth. If parallel edits are not done
correctly then you can lose the audience and they
could become confused as to what is happening. In
the movie snatch (2000) parallel editing is used flip
between the black guy getting chased by a car and
the hare outrunning the two dogs. This is done to
show the idea of getting chased down. The difference
being is that the hare gets away because its small
and fast, where as the man doesn't because he's fat
and slow.
10. 4.Match Cut- A match cut is when the scene is cut with one object is shown
becoming another one this is done to move the story on making it seem effortless. In the film
2001 a space odyssey (1968) this trick is used to cut from the scene of the monkeys to the
one of the spaceship in space. This is done to make a speedy transition and linking two non
connected parts of the movie. Another example of a match cut is from (1983) The Meaning of
Life by Monty Python. In one scene it shows on man put his hands up to his face and in the
next shot is the same man in a different setting with his hands still raised up to his face. This is
used to progress the story and
11. 5. Cut away-this is a large scene that has
small events going on around and the camera
cuts to the different events. This is done to
show different view points of the people
viewing the main event. Sports film are good at
using cut away, an example of is used in forest
Gump (1994) when he plays football in collage
and it cuts to his coach and other team mates.
This is used to let the audience know the other
peoples feelings when watching it. Cut always
are used in music videos. In (2001) System of a
Downs music video for Chop Suey. The main
subject is the Band on the stage but is cuts
away to the band either interacting with the
12. 6.Shot Reverse Shot-This is two shots that go back and forth
continuing from a master shot this is mainly in a conversation scene. This is
used to help the audience get into the conversation showing the person
talking from the perspective of the other person. This technique is used in
almost every movie. An example when this is used is in twelve monkeys
(1996) when James Cole is being interviewed after getting let out of prison.
This is used with the strange camera angles as it lets the viewer know it’s a
conversation in the dystopian future.
13. 7.Superimposition-this is a
technique which shows a ghostly figure or
object layered in front of the shot usually
bigger and in slow motion to emphasise the
event's importance. In rock 4 (1986) during
his fight with the Russian fighter there is one
shot where they are punching each other
with a shot of the crowd. This effect is used
to put emphasis on the setting and the
atmosphere.
14. 8. slow motion- this is when the events of a scene are slowed down
to create great emphasis to it or to make the audience aware of an event. It
can be used for comedic value or something serious. Slow motion was used
in blade runner (1982) to put emphasis on the death of one of the character.
It is used to highlight to the audience that they have died. In (1999) the Matrix
slow motion is used when neo encounters a smith agent. it is used to show
how fast neo can move in the matrix making him the chosen one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVZDyeTTsic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ0OUq_kDh8
15. 9.Fast Motion- Is the opposite to slow motion as it speeds up the
scene, but unlike slow motion, fast motion can only really add humour to a
scene. In the movie click (2006) fast motion is used contently as the main
theme of the film. In this part Adam Sandler lets his dog out and hits the fast
forward button on his control to speed up his dog. This is done in this film as it
is a comedy and it funny to watch the dog speed walk around the garden.
16. 10.fade in/out-fade in is when the screen is black and it slowly comes
into colour, fade out is when the screen goes from colour to black. This is
used all the time in the halo reach (2010) cutscenes. Right from the start fade
in is used to show the fall of reach. It is used with the game play to create
story. When the player sees fade out from the game they know the there will
be some story to follow
17. 11.wipe-this is a technique which looks like one frame is pushed out by
the other. This is used constantly in the star wars a new hope (1977) and is
seen as one of its main traits. sometimes a wipe will take place at the same
time as an action in the pictures below Luke and obi-wan are lifting up C3-PO
and when they do the screen follows them. This is done to make the
transitioning of slides seem effortless and to not distract the viewer.
18. THE HISTORY OF EDITING
When film first started it was used as another art medium and was used
because it was new and interactive. In 1895 The Lumiere brothers ,French
filmmakers ,created the first projector to show films to a small number of
people. These films had no real point as they only showed normal event with
no story line. The movies were soundless and were all on one film reel
meaning they were short in viewing length. George melies saw one of these
films and decided to create films like it with more purpose than to just be
watched. He took it a step further by introducing camera and editing tricks,
such as putting himself in more than one place at once this would amaze the
audience and intrigue them. Editing techniques to show a story really started
when Edwin porter cut and paste between the frames to create a longer film
that would be more enjoyable to watch. The first film to include techniques
such as a long shot or a combination of shots was D.W.Griffith's in 1908. His
film was noted for it use of storytelling and the discovery of the close up.
Another one of Griffith's films that better shows the development of editing
was the birth of a nation in 1915 which was about the KKK. It had panoramic
long shots, still shots and parallel editing all techniques still used today.
19. In 1924 Iwan Serrurier invented the Movieola revolutionised editing. The
machine allowed and editor to edit more effectively as it had a small
screen on which the movie could be viewed whilst editing. As time
moved on and movies started introducing sound the Movieola became
obsolete. In 1953 the Steenbeck Flatbed editor came out, which
allowed you to edit film and audio at the same time as well as having it
on a slightly larger screen so as to allow more than one person to edit.
In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s devices like the time based
correctors and digital video effects units were used to help with the
process of editing, it still used the analogue reel to reel and was able to
digitally enhance the footage making it easier to edit. In the late 90’s
video camera technology made it possible to make an entire film
digitally with digital recording. Star Wars the phantom menace (1999)
was the first film to use all digital editing processes. With the advances
in phone technology and digital movie editing you can shoot an entire
movie on your phone and edit it. Film directors tend not to use this
method as they feel that it's unprofessional and that it's not always easy
to convert it to a format that matches a computer, needed for
uploading.
