1. EDITING
AS Media Studies

2. What do you look for when
editing?
 Order of shots / shot choices
 Continuity
 Transitions
 Shot duration
 Pace and Rhythm

3. Order of the shots
 The meaning of the whole scene can change
depending on the order of the shots
 Putting 2 shots together creates a connection
 Order of the shots can reveal who motivates
the edit – gets the most screen time (which
characters are important)

4. Continuity
 Establishing shot – establishes the location
 180 degree rule – ensures that same space is
described in each shot
 Shot / reverse shot – linking action
 Eyeline match – character sees something,
next shot shows what he sees
 Match on action – continuation of same
movement in different shots

5. Transitions
 The process of cutting one shot to another
usually involves a simple straight cut.
However transitions are available:
o Fade to black
o Dissolve / Cross Fade
o Wipe

12. Transitions can:
 Imply a passage of time
 Change of location
 Emphasize a connection (actor
dreaming…dissolve)

13. Shot Duration/Pace & Rhythm
 Duration explains the narrative context
(emergency or ease)
Short duration: action and urgency
Long duration: slower pace and conveys
intensity and intimacy (you can focus more
on facial expressions and mise-en-scene that
way)

14. Some editing terms
 Parallel editing: This is an editing technique where two or more
shots, set in different places, alternate, these are usually simultaneous, and
the actions are linked in some way.
 Split screen: it is the visible division of the screen, traditionally in
half, but also in several simultaneous images happening at the same time.
 Jump cut: A jump cut is when a single shot has an interruption.The
interruption is either the background changes instantly while the figure in
the shot remains the same, or that the figure changes instantly while the
background remains the same.