Editing Techniques

Editing Techniques

Transitions- The process in which one shot changes into another

Straight Cut- One shot ends abruptly and the next begins abruptly. This ensures that the pace is kept in the film.

Dissolve- The first shot begins to fade out while a new shot appears behind it. The new one begins to grow until eventually the first one has dimmed out completely, and we are left with a new shot. This transition is mostly used to show the passing of time.

Fade To Black/White- This is when the screen turns black or white at the end of a shot. This can show time passing or, if done quickly, it can be used to show a flashback.  

Fade In/Out- The shot diminishes very gradually, which can give a peaceful beginning or end to a shot, or can be used for a montage effect.  

Cross-cutting- The film is edited so that it cuts within two or more lines of action. It builds suspense or shows how different parts of the action are related.   

Wipe- The first shot seems to be pushed of the screen by a new image, which reveals the new scene.

Jump Cut- A sudden transition from one shot to the next, which can give an effect of leaping forward in time.

 

Continuity Editing- This follows the next three rules to make the shot sequences flow better into each other and give the narrative a better structure.

180º Rule- This is the guideline for the distance and relationship between where actors or objects are placed in the frame. The camera should not cross this line as it will appear like the characters have moved suddenly.

 

Match on Action- Shots are edited together to show how actions progress over time. This can show the cause and effect of an action in a scene.

 

Shot Reverse Shot- One character is shown looking at another, and then the other character is shown looking back at the first. Mostly used in dialogue sequences to see reactions from what the characters are saying to each other.

This is an example of shot reverse shot from the film 'Sin City', directed and edited by Robert Rodriguez.

 

Film Genres

Film Genres

Genre definition: A style or category of film

 

Action- Snatch

Thriller- The Silence of the Lambs

Comedy- Sleeper

Science Fiction- District 9

Romance- True Romance

Drama- American Beauty

Romantic Comedy- When Harry Met Sally

Zombie Comedy- Shaun of the Dead

Musical- The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Adventure- The Lord of the Rings

Fantasy- Pan’s Labyrinth

Horror- The Shining

 

Major genre- One of the dominant and important categories that should be obvious and easy to define.

 

Subgenre- A minor category or subdivision within a major genre. It is a specific type in its own right, for example, the James Bond films.

 

Hybrid genre- Major genres can sometimes combine to create another type of film which we call a hybrid genre, for example the romantic comedy.

 

 

 

How are the concepts of genre used?

 

-          Particular audiences like certain genres and will therefore know whether or not a film will appeal to them depending on the genre

-          Knowing the genre of a film can help when analysing films and how they are made and promoted

-          Genres can give films more of an identity

-          Some types of film can attract a mainstream audience

-          A specific genre could target a niche audience

 

How to recognise genre

 

Generic codes and conventions are signifiers that have been established over time and are accepted in the storyline, mise-en-scene and characters.

 

Signifiers are aspects we see or hear in film, like the clothes or props. When watching a film signifiers can be interpreted to create meaning.

 

Western

What can be seen?  Sand, guns, cacti, the desert  

What can be heard? Gunshots, Ennio Morricone score

Who are the typical characters? An outlaw, cowboys, Mexicans

What are the themes in the storyline? Revenge, murder

Example: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

 

Horror

What can be seen? Blood, gore

What can be heard? Screaming, swearing

Who are the typical characters? A criminal, victim, hero, possibly a monster

What are the themes in the storyline? Usually group of people in a solitary place, no escape from villain

Example: The Shining

 

Fantasy

What can be seen? Creatures or monsters

What can be heard? Sounds made by creatures, perhaps screaming

Who are the typical characters? One main hero or heroine, creatures that do not exist

What are the themes in the storyline? Good vs. Evil, an adventure, magic

Example: Pan’s Labyrinth

 

Gangster (American)

What can be seen? Violence, people wearing suits, guns and weapons

What can be heard? Gunshots, swearing

Who are the typical characters? Usually a large cast of characters, a gang or family of gangsters, the gangsters are often Italian Americans

What are the themes in the storyline? Drug use, gang lifestyle, violence, rivalry between gangs, revenge

Example: The Godfather, Goodfellas, Casino

 

Romance

What can be seen? Flowers, a wedding

What can be heard? A voiceover, romantic music or songs

Who are the typical characters? Usually a main male and female who fall in love, one of the characters is sometimes clumsy –especially if it is a romantic comedy

What are the themes in the storyline? Usually boy and girl meet and fall in love, sometimes they don’t get along to begin with but then change their minds. The relationship usually has problems somewhere but they will mostly end up happy together by the end.

Example: The Goodbye Girl, When Harry Met Sally, Annie Hall

Shot types, Composition, Framing and Angles

Media Glossary

Camera Shots

Extreme wide shot- Is often used as an establishing shot and there is not a particular subject that can be seen. It shows the surroundings for a scene.
 

Wide shot- A subject takes up almost the whole height of the frame. It is used to show all that the subject is doing, perhaps in a fight to see all the action.   

Mid shot- This is a shot from the waist up, which can give an overall impression of a subject but also shows their expression clearly enough.

Close up- A certain part of the subject (usually the face) takes up the whole frame, often so that the audience can see expressions.

Extreme close up- This shows extreme detail in a feature of the subject, it is rarely used but when it is, it's often very dramatic.

Cutaway- This is a shot that is not of the subject, often showing something happening at the same time. It can help the editor to create a longer sequence, and keeps the viewer interested. 

Two shot- This is similar to a mid shot, but shows two people in the frame. It can juxtapose and compare two characters.

Over-the-shoulder shot- This looks at the subject from over the shoulder of someone else, often used in scenes with a conversation taking place.

Point of view shot- This shows the perspective of the subject, what they can see. It helps the viewer to empathise with the protagonist.

Composition- This is how different parts of a picture or shot are arranged

Rule of thirds- The shot is divided into thirds horizontally and vertically, and a point of interest is placed between two lines.

The Golden Mean- This is usually a diagonal line going from a top to a bottom corner. The focus points are then clear to the viewer.

Framing- This is the arrangement of subjects and objects in a shot, where they fit well and their size and position.

 

Angles

Bird’s eye view- This shows a scene from directly overhead, giving an overall impression of the setting.

High angle- The camera is lifted up above a subject, but not as extreme as the bird’s eye view. It can give the idea that a subject is inferior or defenceless.

Eye level- The camera is positioned on a level that makes it seem like another human is watching what is happening.

Low angle- The camera is placed below the subject, looking up, and can give an idea of superiority and power.

 

 

 

The Thriller Genre

The Thriller Genre

Definition of the thriller genre

A work of fiction that depicts crime, mystery, or espionage in an atmosphere of excitement and suspense. It is an exciting experience that holds the audience’s interest by using suspense and adventure.  

Conventions of a thriller 

-One of the opening shots of thriller films tends to be the establishing shot. This shows the setting and can sometimes give the feeling that a character (or characters) is being watched.

-The camerawork at the beginning of a thriller movie is often tracking and pan shots used to show the audience what a particular group of characters are doing.

-Some thriller movies include a red herring, which is something that is misleading and distracts from the main story. They are used to keep the audience’s interest and create twists in the story. Alfred Hitchcock used these for a lot of his films.

- Music plays over the top of the opening in thriller films and increase in volume for suspense to build at key points. The high-pitched screech sounds used in Psycho for the murder in the shower adds horror and is eerie as it is a non-diegetic sound, yet matches the stabbing movements in the scene.

-Narratives in thrillers often show a fight against good and evil, and involve an increasing amount of threat and danger for the protagonist. The narrative is often shown from the perspective of the protagonist. A common narrative technique is the flashback.

-Thrillers mostly have two main characters: the protagonist and the antagonist. The protagonist is usually familiar with danger, for example a policeman or spy. The protagonist will persevere with defeating the villain even if things are not going to plan. Villains in thrillers are typically men, work on their own and have had an experience that has changed their attitude to life.

-Weapons, police cars and fake blood are conventional props for thrillers. The weapons show what power the characters have, and also give a feeling of suspense as violence or a fight could easily occur.

Misery
 

Part of the mise-en-scene in this thriller is the snow covered setting, which gives an atmosphere of impending danger, especially when the protagonist is in his car. The house in which he is kept is solitary, and surrounded by an icy environment causing him to be trapped.

The transitions between scenes in the editing are fades, which gives the feeling of a long period of time passing while Paul Sheldon (the ‘hero’) is trapped in Annie Wilkes’ (the ‘villain’) house.

The roles of the two main characters are typical of the thriller genre in the way that the protagonist is a male, and that the antagonist is on her own and her husband having left means that she has a bad view on life.

There are typical thriller props in the film, for example the fake blood, weapons and police car.

The narrative technique of flashbacks is used in the film to develop the empathy for the lead character.
            
Long shots are used to establish setting and to ensure that the viewer remembers the snowy landscape.

At some of the more intense points in the film the lighting is darker, and only some of the antagonist’s face can be seen, which makes the viewer unsure of what is going to happen.

The film follows the thriller convention of being seen from the perspective of the hero, because sometimes when we see Annie’s face it is from a low angle camera, as if we are seeing it from where Paul is lying down on his bed. This inspires empathy for the character, meaning that it is more frightening when things happen to him.

 

There is a high pitched sound motif that can be heard when something sinister is happening in the movie.