Editing techniques

1. Editing Techniques (AC1: Informing ideas.)
Continuity editing: In film and video creation, continuity editing consists of
combining more-or-less related shots, or different portions of a single shot, into a
sequence that focuses the viewer's attention on a pre-existing continuity of story
across time and place.
Eyeline Match: An eyeline match is an editing technique within continuity editing. It
is something that usually goes unnoticed however it is important as it shows the
viewer what a character is seeing, an example of this would be if a character was
watching something and then the camera pans to what they’re watching so we, as
an audience see what they're seeing.
An example of eyeline match is the following scene from Star Wars: Episode One
where the characters Obi Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul are fighting as we see the
character of Darth Maul from the perspective of Obi Wan:
https://youtu.be/77KP_uWMrXI7
Eye trace: Walter Murch’s eye trace/directing the eye is a technique which directs
the eyes of the viewer. It is when the director intentionally directs the viewers eyes to
a portion of a frame. This is done three ways, motion, position and colour. When
motion is used to direct the eye, it could be movement of the character, camera or
even a graphic moving on the screen. When it comes to position it comes to placing
imagery where the viewers eyes are already placed. Colour can be used to evoke
emotions or draw the viewers eyes to a character by putting them in a bright colour
in a scene where it looks dull or busy.
180-degree rule: The 180-degree rule in film is a technique that helps the audience
keep track of where the characters are in a scene. By keeping the camera on one
side of the line between the two characters it means the first character is always
frame right (just meaning they’re on the right side of the screen) of the second
character. When they're or two or more people facing each other there is a 180-
degree angle or a straight line established between them.
30-degree rule: The 30-degree rule in film is a basic technique that states that the
camera should move at least 30 degrees relative to the subject between shots of the
same subject. This small change makes the shots look different enough so that they
don’t end up looking like jump cuts (To keep the editing continuous.)
Ellipses: Ellipses are apparent breaks in natural time continuity based on the story’s
implied timeline. Keeping temporal continuity is quite easy if you shoot and use all
the action that occurs in the timeline, no matter how relevant it is. Additionally, the
whole film would have to be shot in one take to prevent having to edit together
different shots, which would lead to viewer disorientation. Although, in many cases
the ellipsis may be necessary in a story, removing it altogether will preserve any
films narrative continuity. A long story, on the other hand, would require a viewer to
watch the film for a long time.

2. Diegetic Sound: Diegetic sound is the sound which characters on screen can gear
and can include sound effects. Examples of these are the sounds made by the
actions of characters, background noise, movements or spoken dialogue.
Match on action/Cutting on action: This is an editing technique used in continuity
editing where one-shot cuts to another shot where the same action from the first
scene is being portrayed. It portrays the continuous sense of the same action rather
than matching two different things.
Temporal Discontinuity: The temporal discontinuity can be expressed by the
deliberate use of ellipses. Using the dissolve and fade techniques, one can show the
nature of the specific ellipses. Another editing style can show a reversal of time or
even a complete abandonment of time.
Non-Continuity Editing: Non-continuity editing is when shots are mismatched
to disrupt the impression of time and space. This directs the audience's attention to
the cutting process, shattering the sense of ‘reality.' An example is the use of flash
backs. It is a style of film that was popular back in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Film
makers will deliberately use an arrangement of shots that seem out of place or
confusing compared to continuity editing.
Jump cut: A jump cut is a transition between two shots which appear to jump due to
the way shots are framed in relation to each other. Objects may appear to move to a
position we don’t naturally expect.
Split screen: A split screen is when there are two or more camera shots in frame at
one time.
Breaking the 180-degree rule: Breaking the 180-degree rule mentioned above is
when you shoot on all sides/film the actors from all sides (known as shooting in the
round) This may make the viewer feel disorientated compared to scenes shot with
the 180-degree rule so it's better to use these sparingly to communicate a specific
message. Breaking the 180-degree rule is also known as the reverse cut.