Introduction
Editing is initially putting the footage into the order you want it to be in. Even though it sounds so simple, there is so much you can do with it. There are different types of editing and many "rules" and things you should look out for when editing.
In this blog I will be looking at the principles and purposes of editing and how editing has developed over time, which will help you in your film production skills.
The Purposes of Editing
Editing is used to piece together all of the footage into the correct order that is wanted by the editor. The correct order is generally the chronological order but this isn't necessarily the case for everything. For instance, the film Memento is shown backwards. It is made so well that in the viewers eye everything is revealed to them in the right order as when looked at in the chronological order it doesn't create the same impact as it does as being shown this way. The fact that it is shown backwards links very strongly to the storyline which works well
Techniques -
Editing is initially putting the footage into the order you want it to be in. Even though it sounds so simple, there is so much you can do with it. There are different types of editing and many "rules" and things you should look out for when editing.
In this blog I will be looking at the principles and purposes of editing and how editing has developed over time, which will help you in your film production skills.
The Purposes of Editing
Editing is used to piece together all of the footage into the correct order that is wanted by the editor. The correct order is generally the chronological order but this isn't necessarily the case for everything. For instance, the film Memento is shown backwards. It is made so well that in the viewers eye everything is revealed to them in the right order as when looked at in the chronological order it doesn't create the same impact as it does as being shown this way. The fact that it is shown backwards links very strongly to the storyline which works well
Techniques -
- Jump cut - A jump cut is a cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit gives the effect of jumping forwards in time. It is a manipulation of temporal space using the duration of a single shot, and fracturing the duration to move the audience ahead. This kind of cut abruptly communicates the passing of time as opposed to the more seamless dissolve heavily used in films predating Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, when jump cuts were first used extensively. For this reason, jump cuts, while not seen as inherently bad, are considered a violation of classical continuity editing, which aims to give the appearance of continuous time and space in the story-world by de-emphasizing editing. Jump cuts, in contrast, draw attention to the constructed nature of the film.
- Contunity -
Continuity editing is the predominant style of film editing and video editing in the post-production process of filmmaking of narrative films and television programs. The purpose of continuity editing is to smooth over the inherent discontinuity of the editing process and to establish a logical coherence between shots.
- In most films, logical coherence is achieved by cutting to continuity, which emphasizes smooth transition of time and space. However, some films incorporate cutting to continuity into a more complex classical cutting technique, one which also tries to show psychological continuity of shots. The montage technique relies on symbolic association of ideas between shots rather than association of simple physical action for its continuity.
- Cross Cutting - is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time in two different locations. In a cross-cut, the camera will cutaway from one action to another action, which can suggest the simultaneity of these two actions but this is not always the case.
- Matched cuts - Match cuts form the basis for continuity editing, such as the ubiquitous use of match on action. Continuity editing smoothes over the inherent discontinuity of shot changes to establish a logical coherence between shots. Even within continuity editing, though, the match cut is a contrast both with cross-cutting between actions in two different locations that are occurring simultaneously, and with parallel editing, which draws parallels or contrasts between two different time-space locations.A graphic match (as opposed to a graphic contrast or collision) occurs when the shapes, colors and/or overall movement of two shots match in composition, either within a scene or, especially, across a transition between two scenes. Indeed, rather than the seamless cuts of continuity editing within a scene, the term "graphic match" usually denotes a more conspicuous transition between (or comparison of) two shots via pictorial elements. A match cut often involves a graphic match, a smooth transition between scenes and an element of metaphorical (or at least meaningful) comparison between elements in both shots.A match cut contrasts with the conspicuous and abrupt discontinuity of a jump cut.
- Cut on Action - Cutting on action or matching on action refers to film editing and video editing techniques where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action. Although the two shots may have actually been shot hours apart from each other, cutting on action gives the impression of continuous time when watching the edited film. By having a subject begin an action in one shot and carry it through to completion in the next, the editor creates a visual bridge, which distracts the viewer from noticing the cut or noticing any slight continuity error between the two shots.A variant of cutting on action is a cut in which the subject exits the frame in the first shot and then enters the frame in the subsequent shot. The entrance in the second shot must match the screen direction and motive rhythm of the exit in the first shot.
180 rule
180° Rule – when the first shot within a scene happens a line is created, any more shots must be filmed on the one side, otherwise it gets confusing. Doing this properly should keep the continuity running smoothly; doing it wrong can sometimes disorientate the audience, making them wonder why the person on the right is suddenly on the left.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HinUychY3sE
1903 - First ever film. The great train robbery. Basic shots,cuts. No connection Theatre conventions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuto7qWrplc
1920 - More complex stories. shot variation 180 rule.
1940s/60s - Hollywood studio system. Narrative development conventions invisible
Technique of editing examples:
Godfather
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CDlBLvc3YE
In the clip of the god father the director has used cut on action (0.05- 0.08) the director has done this because it allows the cuts to flow into each other. There is a series of scenes happening at the same time this is called a montage they have used this because they want to get across all the scenes are happening at the same time.
Apocalypse now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is_Jj024Kq4
During the clip there is a match cut with the sound of a helicopter and the fan. This is used because it shows hes remembering whats happened in the war.
Sherlock homes fight scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGCMfprPJoA
This is a great use of match cuts because it lets the scene flow. The audience doesnt lose focus on the fight. Each cut is used to get a different view of the fight.
DIstinction - well done
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