Editing
Editing is a vital part of a film, editing is what makes the film or a particular scene deliver a chilling response to the audience. Editing is when different shot are merged together to produce a final scene for the audience to view. There are many shots that are edited to produce an overall scene there are different camera angles taken and different camera shots taken and with that a final scene is produce. This enables for the audience to get the best view of what is happening in the scene or the film.
Speed of editing:
Films are joined together at certain points. The lengths of each shot determines the pace of the film and helps determine the mood.
There are to types of speed editing one of them is slow editing and the other is fast editing.
Slow editing is when clips are put together for a particular scene at a slower pace and with this slower pace it creates tension and suspense for the audience. It creates tension as the emotions are caught of the character. The audience feel the tension and anxiety as the pace of he scene makes the feel as something is about to happen and the slow paced scene leads the audience up to a big shock/finale.
Fast editing is when clips are put together in a scene at a faster pace. When the scene is put together at a faster pace this creates a sense of unrest with in the audience also the audience feel chilled, fear and the audience feels an adrenaline rush as the fast editing shows different shot and camera angles really quickly and the audience see everything that happens in the scene very quickly. For example if it was an attack scene then the person who was being attacked they would see t he knife coming from above below and they will be twisting and moving to get out of the way the fast editing shows all these view to the audience quickly and that is what creates the chilling and uncomfortable response from the audience.
Slow editing is when clips are put together for a particular scene at a slower pace and with this slower pace it creates tension and suspense for the audience. It creates tension as the emotions are caught of the character. The audience feel the tension and anxiety as the pace of he scene makes the feel as something is about to happen and the slow paced scene leads the audience up to a big shock/finale.
Fast editing is when clips are put together in a scene at a faster pace. When the scene is put together at a faster pace this creates a sense of unrest with in the audience also the audience feel chilled, fear and the audience feels an adrenaline rush as the fast editing shows different shot and camera angles really quickly and the audience see everything that happens in the scene very quickly. For example if it was an attack scene then the person who was being attacked they would see t he knife coming from above below and they will be twisting and moving to get out of the way the fast editing shows all these view to the audience quickly and that is what creates the chilling and uncomfortable response from the audience.
In this scene from Psycho there is a lot of editing. It starts off with slow editing as the character is writing in her book this slow edit eases and makes the audience comfortable about the scene. Also with the slow edit it shows the audience that she is very innocent and the audience feels for the character and they can anticipate that something bad is about to happen to the character. There are a lot of different edits in the beginning as it shows the character then it shows her writing in her book. Then when she goes into the bathroom it shows a shot of the toilet and then the bath and the shower tap. These edits set the scene and it gives the audience a indication that all these object will be important. The editing speeds up as the character turns on the shower tap. Also there are slow editing when the antagonist/attacker comes as this builds tension and suspense as there is dark shadow on the shower curtain. This makes the audience feel anxious as the audience is desperate to find out how is the attacker or who's shadows is it. The slow edit helps keep the identity of the attacker hidden and the audience is kept on the edge trying to find out who the attacker is. The whole attack is done with fast editing. with the fast editing in the attack it chiles the the audience as they can see the fear on the characters face and the audience are made to fear the antagonist as the antagonist is shown as over powering with a deadly weapon which his the knife. The speed empathizes the action in the scene, it makes the audience have a chilled response and it makes the audience feel a reality to the attack as an attack is fast and furious. The scene shows that the attack is fast and furious and with more shots and angles it unsettles the audience. Lastly the slow editing adds a dramatic effect to the scene and it creates sympathy from the audience toward the character as she is lying on the floor. The slow edit shows that the character is dying slowly and painfully.
The genre that uses fast editing are genres such as Action, Thriller and Horror these fast edits are ideal for these genres as they needed to build tension and fast editing allows these genres to build tension.
The genre that use slow editing are romantic genres. Slow editing is ideal for this genre as in romantic films there has to be slows as the film mainly captures the emotion and the key details in the film.
Trailers:
Film trailers are an excellent way to connect with the audience to a film, film trailers mainly use a mixture of fast edits and slow edits. Film trailers mainly have fast edits as the trailer needs to show the audience a 2 hours film in 2 minutes. Also it needs to be hocking and also it needs to make an impression on the audience. There is slows editing used in trailer but they at the end of the trailer for example in a thriller trailer there would slow editing at the end of the trailer as it would leave the audience with a shock or a cliff hanger fro the audience to go and watch the full film.
Fast and Furious 6 trailer is a great example of a trailer with fast edits. These fast edits for a action thriller really hock the audience and the fast editing gives the audience a adrenaline rush due to the high octane action happening in the trailer. This fast edit trailer makes the audience impatient and it makes the audience crazy to go and watch the whole film on the day it is released.
The Silent house trailer has a lot of sow editing, it has a lot of slow editing as it wants to make the audience scared in the trailer and also it does not want to give to much away it has deliberately chosen the most scariest scene to to put the fear in the audience and the people who like to be chilled will like the scariest parts. In a thriller trailer it has to be careful as it has to scare the audience and it has to live up to its reputation there slow editing is used to give a chilling response to the audience and tempt the audience to be brave enough to go and watch the whole film.
Straight cut:
A straight cut is an example of when one shot moves into another shot in a edit without confusing the audience. This straight cut can be used when two people are in a conversation and it shows the two peoples faces back and fourth.
Straight cuts can be used in thrillers when it can show the antagonist from a long shot and then edits it straight up close on the antagonists face. This is is used to really scare the audience and to make their antagonist in the film feared by the audience. In the video it shows that the boy pops his head out of the tree and then there was a straight cut that showed the boys face that was scary and very freaky. That is the response that the straight cut can get from the audience instantly and that is why the straight cut is used.
Fade to black:
Fade to black shot this is an example of one shot moves into another shot and with the movement into another shot there is a black filter between the two shots. Fade to black Usually symbolizes the beginning or the end of a scene. The timing of the fade to black scene will show the significance of a scene. If there is a slow fade this will create tension and suspense within the audience. Also this will indicate to the audience that this scene is very significant. The audience will feel the tension as they can anticipate that something bad is about to occur with reference to the color black in the fade. Also the fade to black can be used to keep the audience in suspense as the film can end a scene with the fade to black leaving questions in the audiences heads into what happened and eager to find out what happened.
In this video this shows an example of the fade to black at the beginning as it is used to show the beginning of the scene. However when the thrilling part takes place in the video the response from the audience and myself was very scary with the face and when the face faded out the audience is still chilled as they are still not sure where that face went and will it come back again. The fade to black edit leaves the audience chilled and fearing for the worse it still scars the audience even after it has faded away.
Wipe Cut:
Wipe cut is an example of when a shot slides into another shot. This is used to blend two different shots into one edit. Also it can be used to wipe one character to another. The wipe cut can be used in a thriller to wipe one thrilling scene into a much lighter scene. Also with the wipe cut the audience are made to feel curious in what the next scene would be and when the wipe cut is happening the shot will make the audience guess what it is wiped into, also the wipe cut creates questions in the audiences head into what is really happening. The wipe cut can used to frightened the audience as in a scene it can be wiped into a scary face which will leave the audience sacred and unsettled.
Dissolve:
Dissolve is when one shot disintegrates clearly into another shot. This dissolve can be used when it shows one face and then in integrates into another face face clearly. In Thriller films the dissolve cut can be used to scare the audience as one happy face can dissolve into a scary face that really scares the audiences. The dissolve cut has an uncertainty to it as the audience do not know what it will integrate into.
The images show a dissolve shot where and how one shot dissolves into another shot.
Reaction shot:
Reaction shot is a shot that often used as a cutaway in which a subject reacts to a previous shot. These reaction shots are used to unsettle the audience and to show the audience how the character reacts to what has happened. With showing the characters reaction this will put fear into the audience as they have come to grow a soft spot for the character and if they see the petrified face of the character then the audience will be scared and fearing for what really has happening.
This is a reaction shot where all the emotions are captured.
Montage
A montage is the speed of the editing, where shots are quickly put together to create excitement. This confuses the audience and makes them feel very unsettled as the audience does not know what is really happening.
The 180 degree rule. This is when the camera does not pass the 180 degree line between two characters on each side. This is used so that the audience is not confused and if the camera does pass the 180 degree line then the shots will be inconsistent.
In this video it shows a 180 degree rule in batman. This shows the 180 degree in practice when batman and joker are talking. With the 180 degree rules being used it shows Batman and Joker having eye contact. With this it makes the audience see the two characters facial expressions when they are having a conversation. Also with using the 180 degree shot in a thriller it focuses on the two characters and the audience intently watch what is happening. Also this shot does create tension as the camera is going back and fourth from each character.
Shot reverse this is mostly used in films where a conversation is taking place and it is when one shot quickly follows another shot.
In this video this shows a shot reverse as it shows Batman and Jokers face back and fourth when they are in a conversation. The reverse shot is used to show the most important people in the scene. With this reverse scene it builds tension as the camera moves back and fourth from one character to another, the audience don't know what to expect from this conversation and the camera focuses on the face of the two character which creates a scene of fear as it shows Jokers face which chills the audience.
Jump cut this is an example of a drastic camera movement that is noticeable to the eye. The edit on a jump shot literally jumps. The camera movement intentionally is done and it is designed to confuse the audience and for the audience to question what is happening. The audience don't get to see the whole movement they will see one movement at one place then another movement from another place. This distorts the vision of the audience.
Conclusion:
The editing in films are very important as this creates tension, suspense and drama in the scenes. Also with out these editing thrillers would not be very chilling and frightening for the audience.
In the production for my thriller i would like to use fast editing because fast editing create tension in the thriller and chile the audience.
Also reaction shot and close up shots will be used in the thriller because these shot show the emotion of the character in the thriller and this connects with the audience as the audience can see the emotion on the characters face.
A good deatiled post here Abdullah. I like the analysis on Psycho, which is a great scene to analyse in terms of how editing can be used to emphasis action in a scene.
ReplyDeleteYour definitions are accurate and you further choose some good examples to illustrate your work.
To improve;
-can you use still images to provide an example for dissolve and reaction shot?
-in your conclusion, can you identify some good examples of editing you plan to use in your production and state why?
Miss I have made the changes to the post
ReplyDeleteI have put images for the dissolve wipe and reaction shot
Also improved the conclusion and better explanations
Well done, your images now support your understanding in more detail and you suggest some editing techniques you propose to use from this research.
ReplyDelete