film editing

Film Editing

HUM 110: Intro to American FilmJC Clapp, North Seattle Community CollegeInfo here borrowed heavily fromthe Film Art (10th ed.) textbook by Borwell & Thompson and from the Yale Film Studies website: http://classes.yale.edu/film-analysis/htmfiles/editing.htm

Basic Types of TransitionsBetween Shots

• Cut – instant change from one shot to another• Fade-out – gradually darkens the end to black• Fade-in – gradually lightens a shot from black• Dissolve – briefly superimposes the end of shot A and

the beginning of shot B• Wipe – shot B replaces shot A by means of a line that

moves across the screen (both shots are seen at the same time, but don’t blend)

Editing Allows for . . .

•Graphic relations between shots•Rhythmic relations between shots•Spatial relations between shots•Temporal relations between shots

Examples . . .

Graphic Relations Between Shots

• Graphic match – shapes, colors or composition in shot A is reflected in shot B. (The example below from Aliens uses a dissolve, as well)

Rhythmic Relations Between Shots

•Pace or tempo is the amount of time the audience has to grasp and reflect on what we see. Rapid shots leave us with little time and can build excitement. •Pay attention to the rhythm of the

film – the pace matters.

Some examples . . .

Spatial Relations Between Shots

• Juxtaposing any two points in space suggests some kind of relationship.•Kuleshov Effect: cutting together

portions of a space in a way that prompts the viewer to assume a spatial whole that isn’t actually shown.• Soviet Montage (collision montage)

http://vimeo.com/8082147

Temporal Relations Between Shots

• Order of events (chronology)• Flashback• Flashforward• Elliptical editing: presents an action so that it

consumes less time on screen than it does in the story.• Overlapping editing: stretches the action out

past its story duration

Continuity Editing

• Aims to transmit narrative information smoothly and clearly. Graphic qualities are kept roughly continuous, figures are balanced in the frame, lighting tonality remains constant, action occupies central zones of the screen. Long shots left on screen longer than medium shots, and medium shots are left on longer than close-ups. http://www.criticalcommons.org/Members/pcote/clips/vertigo-editing-clip-1.mov/view

Continuity: 180 degree system

• Ensures that relative positions in the frame remain consistent• Ensures consistent eyelines• Ensures consistent screen direction

(direction of movement)• Ensures the viewer always knows

where the characters are in relation to one another

180 degree system

Continuity

• Shot/reverse-shot: shot from one end of the axis of action, then the other• POV shot: shot down the axis• Eyeline match: shot A presents someone looking at

something offscreen and shot B shows us what is being looked at. (Eyeline matches often used with Kuleshov effect to create false spaces through editing.)• Match on action: carrying a single movement across

a cut• Establishing shots and reestablishing shots