Editing Techniques

Editing Techniques

 

Transitions:

 

Fade in/outs:
A fade in is commonly used to open the beginning sequence and a fade out is usually used to end a sequence. Sometimes fades are used between clips, especially with dramas because it is showing that it is leaving that scene and going to a new one.

 

Cuts:
Cuts are used to help a scene flow with different camera angles. An example is that you would have a long shot and then cut to a close up of the person who was in the long shot.

 

Dissolve:
This is used as a transition to merge two shots together. There are many different reasons why a dissolve is used. One of these reasons is to use it for a day dream sequence like when someone's in lesson and they are board. Another time a dissolve would by used to show them thinking of the past. Like in 'Stand by me' they use it to go back to when the main character was a kid. 

 

The Continuity system:

The continuity system was made to help action or movement flow well so it fits into the next scene. match on action, eye line match, shot reverse shot, 180 degree rule and establishing shots are what make up the continuity system.

 

Establishing shots:
 

 10 Things I hate about you. Establishing shot 0: 23

 

As you can see from this YouTube clip that right at the beginning it opens with an establishing shot which establishes where the scene or location is. Sometimes it is used for dramatic effect to emphasise how large or small a place is. The camera movements that are usually used for the camera shot is a pan, tracking or tilt. 

 

Match On Action:

A match on action simply does what it is called. For example someone in the first shot s would reach into their own pocket continuing into the next shot they would have the object they were pulling out of their pocket previously. A match on action shot is used to show the audience what is happening. It simply lets them understand what is going on in the sequence.

 

The clip that I choose was a scene from criminal minds where the FBI agent is about to inspect a murdered victim.



http://youtu.be/equSVccI3NI




 

I choose this clip specifically because the match on action created in it has a continuity error which is in the second shot his hand is in a different place to where it was placed in the first shot.

 

In the photos above you can see clearly where the mistake is.

 

180 Degree Rule:

 A 180 degree rule is where there are two people and they have to make sure that if they take other shots of these two people they have to stay within 180 degree in each shot. But sometimes the rule can be broken like in Hero.

 

Hero 180 degree rule 1:48
 

Shot reverse shot:

A shot reverse shot is quite similar to a 180 degree rule apart from the 180 degree rule is focused more on the position of characters and a shot reverse shot is used to show a conversation between two people. During the conversation shots are taken behind each characters shoulder to get a different perspective of the characters who are having the conversation. The audience then feel engaged as they feel like they are then one of the characters.

 

The shot reverse shot that I am going to show you is a clip from the vampire diaries.


Vampire diaries season 5. Shot reverse shot 0: 45.
 

This shot reverse shot is between two people and makes you feel part of it as your are invading their personal space which instantly makes you in love with the characters. 

 

Eye Line Match 

An eye line match is used to show where a character is looking. For instance in the first shot a man is board  turns and looks at something and then in the second shot you see a clock which is what the man in the first shot was looking towards. This can help show characteristics of a character or it can help foreshadow future events.

 

The YouTube clip I am going to show you is from 10 Things I hate about you where a teenage boy falls instantly in love with a girl.

 

 10 Things I hate about you Eye line match 4: 43

 

As you could see in the clip he was ignoring his friend and focusing his look in the first shot on the girl who we then see in the second shot.

 

Main protagonist:

When an audience watches a film or a TV programme its important that they love the main characters as they will be with them throughout the entirety of the film or TV programme. So to do this the camera operators give them more screen time, close ups, point of view shots and reaction shots.

 

Point Of View Shots:

Point of view shots are I think vital to use because it lets you see from the protagonists perspective what things look like and it also makes the audience feel closer to the character as they get to be that protagonist.

 

Screen Time:

Screen time helps define who the main character is but sometimes we can be tricked like in a horror film the first actor/actress has lots of screen time but is really the first victim to be killed. If the main character hardly had any screen time it could be hard to recognised who the main character is . It can also make it harder for the audience to relate to the character therefore not enjoying the film.

 

 Scream screen time the whole clip.
 

Reaction Shot:

Reaction shots are a bit like match on action shots apart from you only see the reaction and not the action that they see. This can give the audience an insight to what the personality of the main character is depending on how they react. It can also create dramatic tension if something serious has happened which then makes the audience want to see it.

 

Other Techniques:

There are many more techniques that can be used to create something interesting visually such as a montage, editing rhythm, cross cutting and many more. 

 

Montage:

A montage is used to show time passing by which can often be used at a beginning of a film to show a family/person growing up. Montages help the audience feel closer to the character as usually only parents would see there children grow up but the cameras let us into their personal life by seeing them to. 

 

The montage I'm showing you is from a film called Alfie which is shown during the film to show him getting used to life as a dad.
 

Alfie Montage 0:32
 

Editing Rhythm:

Editing rhythm is where you can edit a clip and make it slower or faster. Fast pace is good to use if something bad is about to happen. Slow motion can be used in comedy films such as Ice Age to emphasise what is happening but slow motion can also be used in action films like its pausing time to show you how near things are hitting each other.

 

 

Transformers slow motion 0:13
 

Cross Cutting:

Cross cutting is used to show that two things are about to collide or to show different scenes if the main characters are far from each other. when the people or objects are about to collide the cuts get faster and faster to create dramatic tension which lets the audience know that something is going to happen between the two.

 

My example for cross cutting is James Bond

James Bond 0: 10
 

Editing Techniques are useful even when I was a little girl it was like watching magic something that I thought I couldn't even do. Every camera, every editing technique is what helps make a good story line. For example a lot of films use CGI now which if we didn't have it, it couldn't create worlds like in Avatar, Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. If none of these editing methods were created there would be no way of showing the story. Telling a story is imaginative but with pictures, characters, sound and setting it could be magic.