final assignment

1. Final Assignment Understand the development and
principles of editing.
Editing is the formation of a film by altering shots to create an emotive storyline
fit for a specific audience. An editor has the unique job which entails aspects of
being a storyteller and aspects of being a unique artist in the style that they
choose to put the shots together. Editing is usually considered to be an ‘invisible
art’ as it’s not recognisable when watching a film to see all the editing that had
taken place to create the film, this helps to not distract the audience from
focusing on the story that the editor has created. An editor has the ability to
create the story however they wish in a sense that each editor has a different
idea on how to put together the shots and can create different emotions by
changing the order of shots.
Development;
Film editing is the art, technique, and practice of assembling shots into a
coherent sequence. A more in depth perspective would be that editing can be
perceived to actually create the film as it can be edited to alter the genre of the
film and even create everything that the film means. Editing was first recognised
to exist from Robert.W.Paul’s work “Come along, do!”. Editing is a critical part in
movie making due to the fact a different editor could place together shots in a
different order and style and theoretically create an entirely different film fit for
a different audience and emotive response. Without editing a film wouldn’t fit
together and become an actual cinematic piece. Film pioneers across the years
have helped editing and film progress such as; Thomas Edison who pioneered
the first motion picture Kinetoscope, which were installed in penny arcades,
were the first way for people to watch short films. Another film pioneer would be
the Lumiere brothers who devised early motion picture camera and projector
called the Cinematographe. Another pioneer was D.W.Griffith who made use of
advanced camera and narrative techniques and set stage for dominance of
feature length film in US. These pioneers allowed film to progress as they helped
develop ways in which film could alter.
From the early days of filming editing has progressed in many ways since at the
beginning there was very little shot variation. The editing used to follow the
action, which meant that the camera would just focus on one action and go along
with how the scene moved instead of being able to film from different directions
and angles like is done today. In camera editing was once the first form of
editing as the film-maker would pause the camera and halt filming then set up
the camera ready for the next shot that form was quicker as it assisted the editor
in seeing what cuts the director wanted without wasting time trying to form
them together off the editor’s own ideas. Alfred Hitchcock used in-camera editing
in films such as ‘Rope’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ872FSDyns )

2. The shot
before this one, where the camera focuses on the curtains before transitioning to
the man being strangled with a rope, would’ve been an in-camera editing
moment. Manipulation of diegetic time and space
”This is the technique where the editor alters the speed of which the film goes to
show the audience a long period of time in to a relatively short time. Films use
this to skip trough hours, days, even months.” (
https://ashleighevers.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/manipulation-of-diegetic-
time-and-space/ ) An example of this is ‘A Trip to the Moon’ by Georges
Méliès, where he altered the time frame of the film from setting the
rocket off to seeing the rocket land instead of including the entire
process and time length of the rocket getting to the moon. This
technique helps save time by cutting out irrelevant information and
preventing the film from dragging on too much and boring the audience.
Analogue editing is video recorded on tape, this type of editing has to
be in a linear order because it can’t be altered to any specific point on
the videotape. An advantage of analogue editing is that it’s quicker and
easier to carry out due to the fact that all the footage is in order, it also
assists in making it appear seamless without all the editing. A
disadvantage of analogue editing is that the reels are expensive
therefore wastes money. Whereas Digital editing is stored upon a
computer using editing programs which allow the shots to be
manipulated and the editor can jump to any point within the editing
material. An advantage of digital editing is that it can be stored using
physically less space and it’s also easier to edit as it’s a simple click of a
mouse for some shots. As Walter Murch said in his book ‘In the Blink of
an Eye’ there’s 95 unseen minutes for every minute that found its way

3. into the finished product.” This means that digital editing is more cost
effective than analogue editing due to the waste of film reel it would
produce just for one minute. Film has rapidly changed over the years
from being in black and white silent films to films in colour with
sound and rangeof shots instead of justone long continuousshot. It
has also changed from being on a reel to being filmed on tape (video)
in a linear fashion with the ability to decidehow they want to film the
shots instead of having to film it in the sequence that the film had to
appear in. Technology has helped film advanceby allowinga director
to use a variation of shots and showing that they can have many
differenteffects on the audience, something directors didn’tused to
think were possible. Following the action is when the director of a
film followsthe scenes action on things such as dollies which allow
the director to follow everythingthat’s happeningwithin a scene
with ease of movementand the ability to alter the angle and height of
the camera. This can create better effects on the action, oneof which
is a ‘dolly zoom’madefamousby Alfred Hitchcock in ‘Vertigo’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je0NhvAQ6fM Thisscene
shows the dolly zoom outthis shows the intensity of the character’s
view and gives purposeto the pointof view shot. This effect was later
copied in Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” where the camera zoomsin on
the characters face to express the sudden emotion overcomingthe
character, this is also an exampleof eye trace as the director is
ensuringthe viewer looksexactly where the director wants them too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB4bikrNzMk

4. Multiple points of view is used in a scene which includes
multiple characters, the camera will show what action is
occurring with one character then cut to showing another
character and so forth, therefore the audience gets to see the
point of view of all characters involved in the scene. An
example of this is in Iron Man as the audience gets a
perspective first of Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man then of the
rest of the characters in the scene, such as the female
character pushing the button and the other male character
reaching out to Iron Man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWnCg88GmTI
Shot variationis a range of shots used in film making which goes
uninterrupted for a period of time to establish the type of shot
These shots include;
- Long shots- this is where the camera shows the full subject in relation
also to its surroundings so that the audience link the importance of the
surroundings to the character.

5. - Medium shots- This is shot from a medium distance there’s not much
difference between this and a long shot as the medium shot also includes
the character and surrounding scenery.
- Close up shots- This shot securely fits a person or subject in to a singular
frame, they display the most detail but don’t include the scenery or
background.
- Full shots (also related to an extreme long shot) this variation shows the
entire person including scenery and in cases of extreme long shots will be
filmed at a large distance with barely any given detail.
Shot variation is used in Fast and furious using a range of medium, close up and
long shots to display the effect of the attitude within the scene and the
intensity of the action when it goes in to a closeup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOz9L1KrJJY
This screenshot shows
a medium shot of Vin diesel’s character as it’s from the waist up and
shows some scenery in relation to the character.
This screenshot shows a clip of fast and furious which includes a long shots
as it’s filmed from a distance showing the entire character in relation to
the surrounding scenery.
Purposes
Editors create the story of the film, without an editor placing
shots in the sequence that they do and altering them in a
specific way the story would have a completely different
meaning and interpretation than the emotion the editor set
out to create. The story telling aspect helps an audience
connect to the film in a way that wouldn’t be created if it was

6. just one long continuous shot. The way an editor uses music
and shots and manipulates it together to create a story can be
altered if a different editor were to get the same material, this
is the magic of editing as a different editor can create an
entirely different story and emotion with the same material as
another editor. The purpose of combining shots in a sequence is all about
the meaning and relationship an editor tries to get across to the audience as
shots have to appear to fit together with no gaps for it to be successful and
achieve what it sets out to. Creating pace is also key as you need to intrigue the
audience without boring them and without it moving so quick that the audience
doesn’t understand therefore it’s critical to get the right pace suitable for the
specific movie. It gives meaning to a scene and relates to the scene for example if
it’s a racing film it would not suit it to be slow paced. An example of this would
be ‘The Italian Job’ as it requires a fast pace to show how quick the action is
taken which is crucial to the story line
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAQl6mm_kYg#t=15 )
A slow pace example is in The King’s Speech where the it’s slow paced to build
the tension of the action and the severity of the emotion within the scene. This
scene would not have the same effect on the audience creating the empathy that
it does if it was fast paced, it wouldn’t focus on the emotion involved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fY3BOcjAnw
Editing can engage the viewer due to the style the editor chooses for example
providing and withholding information this is when the film doesn’t give
away the entire story plotline to keep the viewer intrigued, this increases the
dramatic effect by giving clues to the audience as to the meaning of the storyline
or taking away information that the audience thought was key to create a twist.
An example of this is in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction’ when Vincent picks up

7. Mina, the entire scene only shows female characteristics or items which link to
the Mina characters personality for example; her lips associate her to being quite
feminine or even a seductress, the cocaine portrays her drug use and her other
features (her hair and feet) leave the audience trying to figure out who this
character is and why she remains a mystery. If the editor didn’t use this then the
storyline would be given away within the first five minutes and watching the rest
of the film would be pointless therefore they have to find alternative ways to
intrigue the audience.
This relates to the genre due to the fact that depending what genre the film is
classified in causes for it to be edited in alternate ways for example horror films
tend to have plenty of short shots as opposed to continuous shots and more
suspenseful shots whereas a comedy doesn’t require suspense to keep the
audience on the edge of their seat, they have to edit the material in to a comical
manner. It all depends on how they want the audience to feel. An example of this
would be the Orphan trailer which introduces the character yet doesn’t give the
entire story away to keep the suspense for the film yet gives enough information
to intrigue the audience in to watching the film.
This further links in to developing the drama and tension due to use of
zooming in on the character’s face to invoke tension upon a situation and the use
of music to develop the theme of drama. For example in drama films they use a
lot of reaction shots to signify the importance of the situation.

8. Conventions and techniques-
The 180 degree rule was presented to the public in early days within the silent
film genre. It is where the camera establishes which side of a room it will stay on
as to not confuse the audience and give one view of the subject from only one
side of the imaginary 180 degree line. This method was used to establish clarity
and understanding for the viewer so that they can relate a camera shot to action,
which is being shown simultaneously. However, some directors who try take a
more artistic approach in fact break the 180 degree rule for effect for example in
the 1960’s film ‘Breathless’ where Jean-Luc Godard breaks the rule when the
camera transitions from the front seats to the back and henceforth, thus trying to
show the audience the camera action in a different style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KUVwKp6MDI An example of a film that
actually uses the 180 degree rule is ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ in the court scene
This establishes the entire scene so
that the audience understands the set out of the scene when the camera changes
position.
Seamless editing, also known as continuous editing, means the cuts between
the shots match the action and focuses on creating a clear continuity for the final
piece of film. This therefore creates the impression of a smooth flowing set of
shots so the viewer can focus on the narrative story instead of the shots. An
example of this would be To Kill A Mockingbird as the court scene is an entire
continuous scene just like if it were a real case with no interruptions giving a
better effect to the audience for understanding of the storyline.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44TG_H_oY2E ) Motivated editing is
where the action cuts from one shot to the next for the purpose of contributing
to the story in the sense that it explains a key factor about the storyline. This
gives more clarity to the audience to not get confused by the storyline. An
example of this technique would be the modern ’30 Days Of Night’ where the
second character is killed off as there’s a long suspenseful wait for the inevitable
end that the viewers are hinted at.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn3kTUCprv0

9. The film uses a range of close shots, jump cuts and long shots to establish the
suspense and buildup of the man on his chase which the audience is unaware of
the urgency causing suspense.
Montage editing usually involves filming a lot of clips which are all related but
are different and compiling them together to tell a story that happens over a
period of time. It compresses time and conveys a lot of information in a short
space of time. For example if there was a film where at first we would see the
main character as a child, we may see clips of them as they grow up and it could
show us 10 years of their life in a few minutes. (source:
http://videofilmeditingdb.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Montage) Montage
editing has progressed from the historical propaganda montage, formed by
Sergei Eisentstein, who used montage to create a reaction in the audience that he
wished to make. An example of this would be Eisentstein’s 1925 film piece
‘Strike’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWiDciPuSW4 where the characters
are seen to be running from what appears to be a slaughterhouse however as the
parade of people with guns appear and start shooting therefore introducing two
threats that they could possibly be running from edited together. This is different
than the modern Hollywood example as they’re edited not for propaganda but to
assist the understanding of the storyline. It has moved on to Hollywood montage
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP3MFBzMH2o ) this is an example of a
montage within the classic Rocky as the Rocky character trains and his training
is put altogether in one scene instead of prolonging the action which would take
up most of the film time. This method is good as it keeps the character intrigued
whilst using all the material just not throughout a long period.
Jump-cutting is used in modern day film to show the effect of the material being
shown, two shots from the same sequence of shots in a
scene portraying the same subject are filmed from different camera
angles/positions that vary in only a slight fraction this gives the impression that
the scene is slightly jumping forward, missing out any irrelevant information
that is similar to the rest of it. This makes the scene less boring and more
intriguing to the viewer. An example of this would be in Royal Tenenbaums
when the character shaves his head to dramatise the scene as it builds up the
tension of the action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2GPBBxFpEw Jump
cuts allow the audience to relate the shots together without confusion whilst
missing out irrelevant sections as to focus the audiences interest on the key parts
making the film shorter and more focused whilst also making it subtle that

10. there’s no editing to distract the audience.
Parallel editing, also referred to as crosscutting, is used to establish a
relationship between two subjects which are simultaneously occurring, this
requires quick cuts between the shots as the two eventually join together. An
example of this would be in the film ‘Inception’ in the scene where the policemen
are walking up towards the hotel room as the cars in a different place are being
chased, yet all the action is happening at the same time. This allows the audience
to realise that there’s a link between the two topics without the confusion of the
camera showing two different stories.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmptU7vEkNU
Splicing is just a matter of rearranging shots, this includes cutting out unwanted
scenes and shots physically and then rejoin the new pieces of splice with splice
tape. This was the old fashioned form of editing which has advanced to digital
editing now in a more simplistic way as with splicing a simple slip of the hand or
wrong cut would alter the film drastically as opposed to using technology where
you can merely undo an action.
Transitions are used in post production to combine scenes/shots in a way that
won’t confuse the audience but makes them realise that the scene has changed to
another one and is also another form of progressing the film to another scene or
further in to the film. An example of this would be ‘Star Wars’ as that frequently
uses transitions to transfer the camera action to another scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usXca7W_jvM
This links to all the ‘wipe’ transitions used within Revenge of the Sith.
Point of view shot is where the camera shows the action from the portrayal of a
character represented through where the camera

11. looks. An example of this is in Stanley Kubrick’s work ‘The Shining’ in the scene
where Danny, the young boy, cycles round the hotel floor and builds the tension
with music then as he turns the corner and is faced with the two twin sisters the
camera shows the action through the portrayal of Danny’s eyes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMbI7DmLCNI
Shot reverse shot is the technique where one character is shown to be looking
at another character, whom is usually off screen to build suspense, then cutting
to the other character looking back at the first character. An example of this
would be Sicario’s ‘Hitman’ as they’re having a conversation at a diner table
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLkUHZ1qips This technique is usually
used to build emotion on a personal level to the character.
Another technique would be providing and withholding information, this is
when the film doesn’t give away the entire story plotline to keep the viewer
intrigued, this increases the dramatic effect by giving clues to the audience as to
the meaning of the storyline or taking away information that the audience
thought was key to create a twist. An example of this is in ‘We need to talk about
Kevin’ as the entire opening scene withholds any information that could tell the
reader entirely what the plot is about instead deciding to drop only slight hints.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEq24mcYFwg This confuses yet intrigues
the audience as they won’t stop watching the film until they get the explanation.
Another example of this technique is Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino which
provides and withholds information in the scene where Mia is picked up by
Vincent, however we don’t see her face, instead we see only her feet and hair
therefore leaving the audience to try guess who the character could be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0vqgN2re0k This film is also an example
of continuous shots however the shots are edited together in a non-linear
fashion to create an alternative style to the typical modern continuous shots.

12. The technique editing rhythm is the relation between shots to control the pace
of the film. This means that shots are altered together to assist how the scene
intends to be portrayed e.g. fast paced fight. This technique is usually assisted by
music in the background to make it clear that the pace of the movie is quickened.
An example of this is in The Shining again when Danny cycles round the hotel
floor the music in the background gets more intense the last lap he takes round
the corner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMbI7DmLCNI This shows the
audience that something is about to happen as it builds up the tension therefore
creating tension within the audience.
The final technique is cutting to soundtrack this is where the action is edited
together to match the pace of the soundtrack, letting the pace of the soundtrack
control how quick the action will appear. An example of this is Taylor Swift’s
Blank Space music video which includes the soundtrack which controls how the
actions changes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-ORhEE9VVg