This document discusses three techniques for constructing time in film editing: parallel editing, temporal ellipsis, and temporal expansion. Parallel editing cuts between two stories happening simultaneously to invite comparisons. Temporal ellipsis omits parts of an event through techniques like fades and swish pans, while temporal expansion stretches out time through extended scenes. Examples of each technique are provided from films like Strangers on a Train, Citizen Kane, and The Birds.

1. THE CONSTRUCTION OFTIME
Shannon Walsh / sm2002 / Spring 2015
School of Creative Media, City University Hong Kong
CLASS 3

3. • Parallel Editing
• Temporal Ellipsis
• Temporal Expansion

4. • Parallel editing or "cross-
cutting" means "two stories
told simultaneously with
inter-cutting
Alfred Hitchcock, Strangers on aTrain (1951)

5. Parallel action is a powerful
technique because it invites
the viewer to draw thematic
connections or make other
kinds of comparisons between
the areas of actions.
(Hurbis-Cherrier, 2007, pg. 75)

7.  Temporal expansion: stretches out time, and
is the opposite of temporal ellipsis; examples
are evident in Serge Eisenstein's classic
Potemkin, Kevin Kostner'sTin Cup, and
Silence of the Lambs.
 Explosions, falls, and fights are often juiced up
with temporal expansion, but such are often
ridden with clichés.

9.  Elliptical editing or temporal ellipsis means "omitting
part of an event," and almost all editing is in fact elliptical.
 Fades often signify "temporal ellipsis"--a break in time
going forward, while dissolves often signify flashbacks or
suggest future action (Casablanca).
 Swish pans (flash pans, zip pans, or "wipes") are used to
signify a series of events--as in the "marriage sequence"
in Citizen Kane.
 Sometimes elliptical editing is combined with dialogue to
create a long break in time, as in the famous sentence in
Citizen Kane that begins "Merry Christmas. . . and ends
twenty years later. . ."and a Happy NewYear."

10. THE BIRDS (1963)
Graphic &Temporal Relations:
Fire scene

11. THE BIRDS (1963)
Graphic &Temporal Relations:
Fire scene

12. TEMPORAL ELLIPSIS
MALTESE FALCON (1943)

13.  What happens when the cut only happens for a change of scene?
 Film grammar is disrupted when we cut less because we are use to quick cutting and a certain
language of cinema
http://www.fandor.com/blog/daily-venice-toronto-2013-tsai-ming-liangs-stray-dogs

15. • Action Continuity Assignment Workshop & Shooting