Editing In Trailers

Emma Marshall

Horror Comedy

The two horror comedy films & trailers I will be exploring for this research are:1) ‘Shaun Of The Dead’

2) ‘Zombieland’

What are some immediate editing techniques? Why do they use them?

• Montage editing is used throughout most of the trailer to show the audience a lot of the ‘best bits’ of the film in an attempt to encourage them to come and see it.

• Fast paced editing was also used and this creates tension and excitement.

• CGI is also used. This is to glorify scenes such as fights or explosions, or to add things into a film/trailer which would not be possible to film in real life.

• Ellipsis is used to take away the unimportant things that the audience can fill in and figure out for themselves, in order to make time for more scenes which might be of more interest.

What editing techniques are used in different genres? Why?

Genre Editing Technique Used

Horror

Conventionally, fast paced editing would be used to grab the attention of the audience to thrill them. It usually keeps building up until a

climatic point where something happens to scare the audience. Insert shots are also commonly used in horror trailers to make unexpected

scares or to reveal information to them.

RomanceFlashbacks are often used in romance trailers to show the backstory to the audience. They are usually slow or medium paced as there is not

really any need to build suspense or tension, and there is never a huge amount of action.

ActionAction films and trailers will always used fast paced editing to create

the suspense the audience want to feel. As well as this, there is normally some use of CGI when it comes to fight scenes or explosions.

How does editing connect/ compliment the plot & narrative structure?

The fast pace editing helps to set the atmosphere and makes everything seem more intense, which makes the audience realise how chaotic the situations must be (especially with Shaun Of The Dead and Zombieland as they both include a zombie apocalypse).

Special effects like the use of CGI compliment the narrative structure as they are used for the disequilibrium, showing the destruction and the consequences of the explosions and the gunshots they use.

Inspiration?

I personally find the fast paced editing inspirational and would like to use that in my own trailer as it is really effective when it comes to setting the atmosphere, as well as being able to fit more into the trailer.

I also like the montage editing. I think it’s a good way to show the ‘best bits’ of a film, so I think I am likely to use montage editing. Again, it is a good way to show a lot of scenes, as well as giving the audience an overall insight into what the film is going to be about.