media

1. UNIT 21: EDITING TECHNIQUES
Hollie Joice
 Continuity Editing- Is the process of combining and matching related clips to
form a sequence to divert the audience’s attention from the pre-existing
consistency of the story at hand with their location and timing in mind. This is
used to shape the narrative and smooth over the discontinuity of the post
production process. The process supports the viewer’s assumption that reality
is contiguous between shots. Continuity editing is often referred to being the
classic Hollywood style of editing and was developed by early directors such
as D.W Griffith with his film "The Birth of a Nation"
 Non-continuity Editing- Shots are mismatched to purposely disrupt the
impression of reality in films. It intentionally draws the audience’s attention to
the editing process and disturbs the reality of the film. Non continuity edits
contain jump cuts, montages and flashbacks. I’m going to analyse a variety of
editing techniques in examples from the following films;
The first example that I am going to be looking at and analyzing is from Battleship
Potemkin, The Odessa steps Scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xP-8r7tygo
An easily identifiable editing technique is the quick cuts in the scene; the director
Segei Eisenstein creates a montage of all the short clips and put them together
which gives the audience an immediate impression. The use of montages and quick
shot editing Is utilized at the end of the scene, where a mother is shot and drops to
the ground; consequently, she bumps into her push chair which causes it to roll
down the stairs with the child in. The buildup to this is extremely dramatic and
causes mass suspense for the audience. The short shots that are used are
extremely strategic, there are close ups of the push chair’s wheels rolling to the edge
of the stair steps. When the baby starts to roll down the stairs, the director uses a
dolly shot enabling him to go down at the same speed as the push chair. This means
it is consistently in the same shot which creates tension, as the audience are on the
same page as everyone else in the scene and don’t know whether the baby is going
to fall or not. These shots are followed by close ups of the mother’s face in pain, but
also shots of her waist. I think the shots of her face are meant to symbolize the pain
and fear she is feeling for her child as it is rolling away, and the shots of her waist is
to remind us about the physical pain of being shot that she is also enduring. These
extremely close up shots are very beneficial to creating a narrative for the audience,
especially due to the fact there is no dialogue and just intense music.
The next clip I will be analyzing is from the film Way down east
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II2e3pXat54. This clip is created with a lot of
tension, and this is due to the use of the effects of parallel editing. Parallel editing is
an editing technique in which two or more simultaneous sets of action unfold within a
single film scene. It’s used to create tension and show multiple perspectives. It is
also used in some cases for dramatic irony, as the characters can be unaware of
something happening in a different scene whilst the audience are fully aware. This

2. clip is a woman attempting to be rescued after being swept away onto the edge of a
waterfall on top of an ice berg. Parallel editing is utilized in this scene, when one
character is in danger and distress and the other is trying to jump from one ice berg
to the other to rescue her. The magic 3 technique can also be applied in this scene,
as it focuses on 3 main things; the woman begging for help, the man trying to get
onto the waterfall, and the ever-flowing current moving faster and faster as the scene
progresses. The purpose of this is to create much more tension within the scene and
quickens the pace of the story, meaning as an audience they are going to have our
hearts racing a bit more with anticipation. Parallel editing was used efficiently by D.W
Griffith in this scene by creating tension and anticipation, due to the persistently cut
shots of the two different perspectives - it makes the audience extremely uncertain
on what’s actually going to happen, rather than them being able to guess. This is
shown to generate thrill and excitement for the audience alongside the tension. D.W
Griffith is an early director, so due to the limited technology in this time parallel
editing is used a lot more frequently now.
Another scene that I will be analyzing is from The Silence of The Lambs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts1x6uADFtM. Examples of parallel editing is
used in this clip as well. This scene is started off with an establishing shot of police
surrounding a house, which introduces the audience to the location and get a grasp
of what is going on in the first scene. After the audience have established what is
happening and the type of scene they are watching, we then get an extreme close
up of the antagonist of the scene and we see he is confused as to what he can hear
and that he has some kind of insect on his nose. Just from looking at the main
character, the audience can make some assumptions; the extreme close up shot can
give off the vibe that his eyes are very deceiving and cunning which could possibly
connotate he is up to no good or he is a dangerous man, and lowkey lighting is used
which could have been utilized to make the man appear this way even more. This
can leave the immediate impression on the audience that this man has done
something bad or that he is a character to be weary of, which sets the scene of
danger and suspense. After the introduction of the antagonist, the scene is
interrupted by the sound of his doorbell (diegetic noise, as it can be heard by the
characters). Due to the way the man was introduced to the scene, the audience now
have a lasting impression of him that he may be an unlikeable character, and now
the man is aware there is someone at his door. This creates tension for the audience
as they will probably be guessing what the antagonist’s reaction will be, and due to
him coming across as fairly suspicious at the minute, the audience doesn’t know how
he will react to the knock at the door. The use of the establishing shot being police
also brings this suspense, as the audience might question whether he has broken
the law. However, it misleads the audience as we expect the police to be at the door
but it is someone else; this is the use of parallel editing. This clip takes advantage of
parallel editing and uses it to create a lot of suspense and surprise for the audience.
It is revealed the woman at the door put herself in a dangerous situation when the
police storm the house, however the use of parallel editing limits what it reveals so
as the audience we only get to see the action taking place which is what creates the
mystery.
When we’re comparing the two uses of parallel editing, we first have to work out
exactly what is happening in both scenes to be able to make an efficient comparison.
Both scenes are dangerous, suspenseful and life-threatening situations but they also

3. flow very well. In Silence of The Lambs, straight away from the establishing shot we
as an audience are confident that the scene is under control due to the use of police
at the beginning of the scene; however, they control the scene very well as we begin
to sense more and more danger. This is because of the close up of the antagonist,
then the realization that the police are not actually at the door and it is someone else.
This creates fear and suspense, from what seemed like an under-control situation.
However, this isn’t the case in Way Down East, in this clip we are presented the
scenes as though we are experiencing them ourselves which is what creates a
sense of realism. This realism that what we feel is what makes it easier for us to slip
into the mindset of being nervous and scared, therefor filling the scene with tension.
Personally, I find the use of parallel editing in Silence of The Lambs more effective
as it does a better job at creating the nerve-wracking suspense than Way Down
East. I think this because at the beginning, SOTL is quite reassuring as we see the
police, so in my opinion the use of parallel editing to create that sense of danger that
wasn’t really there before means it feels a lot more present than it would be if we
hadn’t seen the police.
Another clip I will be analyzing for its use of editing techniques is Rocky III, the
training scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4soF2wigKSM. The director
presents the use of a montage, which is quite typical as montages tend to be used a
lot in modern films today to showcase events that happen over a small period of time
/ long period of time. This is a very famous scene, especially for its soundtrack. The
scene radiates a lot of positivity and shows us Rocky training and building up to his
big fight. We see him running along the beach with Creed; running and exercise is
typically good for stress and to clear your mind, and the setting of a beach shows it’s
a safe and nice environment. All these things set the scene as positive and
enjoyable to watch. In the background of this montage, there is no dialogue, it is non
diegetic sound used within the scene - the song, “Eye of The Tiger”. This soundtrack
could be considered contrapuntal sound; this is because it emphasizes the action of
the scene through the beats of the song which could reflect that he is training at a
certain pace and intensity. Fitting into the positivity of the scene, the music and
training can show the audience that he is training hard to win and achieve his goals,
which can give the audience the encouragement and confidence to achieve their
own goals and also cheer on for Rocky because of this. By utilizing the technique of
a montage, this is incredibly useful as the director can present all of Rocky’s hardest
work and strength and show the outcome of it, no matter how long of a period time it
is meant to be spread over. Throughout the montage, there is the recurring shot of
the two characters training. They are doing the same run on the beach and Rocky
starts out as slower but because of the use of montage, the audience get to see how
strong and fast Rocky has become over his period of training as he finally beats his
partner. Repetition of shots are used at different times as well, to remind the
audience of how far Rocky has come and his achievements. At the end of the scene,
the montage slows the pace to show Rocky’s celebration and allows to audience to
celebrate alongside him. The slowed down pace then fades into a black screen - this
can symbolize that all of Rocky’s hard work was done and had paid off, and the slow
and calm pace may reflect he can now relax. This montage was used extremely
efficiently, due to the music and the use of scenes.
Lastly, I will be analyzing a spoof montage from Team America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhWitTORp22k. A spoof montage is a collection

4. of clips which are satire parodies of something, generally a film or a particular genre.
Usually its characteristic is exaggerated for comedic effects. Spoof montages are a
common theme in pop culture and many films have used this technique. This clip
from Team America, we could infer it is a spoof montage of Rocky III which I just
analyzed in the paragraph before. The clip from Rocky III is quite a serious and
dramatic scene, so this was probably done to add a more comedic and light hearted
side to the scene. The scene creates a comedic atmosphere that the audience can
enjoy without feeling any bit on edge. This is due to the multiple edits, split scenes,
cutaways etc. This is to make the scene look over the top with a mass amount of
different edits. This could be to imply to the audience that even though Rocky is so
serious about training and his hard work, that you can make it fun whilst chasing
your dreams.
sequences.