PRINCIPLES OF

EDITING

THFM 1610: Introduction to Film

Dr. Rosalind Sibielski, Bowling Green State University

Basic Edits: The Cut

Instantaneous change from one shot to another The first shot replaces the second shot on the screen

Basic Edits: The Jump Cut

When two shots of the same image are cut together without a change in camera setup Results in a

noticeable “jump” in the image on the screen

In the following clip from The Royal Tenenbaums, the first edit, when we switch from the shot of Dudley and Rollie outside the bathroom to the shot of Richie inside the bathroom, is an example of a cut

The shots of Richie cutting his hair and trimming his beard are examples of jump cuts

The quick cuts to shots of Margot, Richie’s parents, and Mordecai (his pet hawk) from earlier in the film are examples of insert shots. They are used here to show us what Richie is thinking about.

Basic Edits: Fade In/Out

Fade In = a dark screen that gradually changes to an image as the shot appears

Fade Out = a shot that gradually disappears as the screen darkens

Basic Edits: The Dissolve

A transition between two shots in which the first image gradually disappears while the second image gradually appears for a moment the

two images blend in superimposition

Basic Edits: The Wipe

A transition between shots in which a line passes across the screen, eliminating one shot until it has completely replaced it with another

Basic Edits: Graphic Match Cut

Shots are linked by matches in the graphic qualities of the image across edits This match is constituted by similarities in shape, color and/or composition between the two shots

Basic Editing Techniques: Rhythmic Editing

Creates patterns in editing based on the tempo of the cuts, as well as the duration of the shots

Cutting together longer takes with fewer edits can slow a film’s pacing; using shorter takes with more frequent edits can accelerate it

Increasing the tempo of the editing as a scene progresses can be a way of increasing tension or building suspense (as in the following example)

The Function of Editing

Editing also has a symbolic function

mise-en-scène & cinematography create implicit meaning within shots

editing creates implicit meaning between shots

The Kuleshov Effect: Part I Any shot in a film has two

values1. The meaning of the shot in

and of itself the shot of the man = the

shot of a man the shot of the bowl of soup

= a shot of a bowl of soup

2. The meaning created when the shot is juxtaposed with another shot the shot of the man + the

shot of the bowl of soup = hunger

+

= Hunger

The Kuleshov Effect: Part II

Editing shapes our perception of spatial and temporal relationships between shots, as well as between scenes

Key Techniques: Continuity editing Elliptical editing Parallel editing Montage editing

Continuity Editing

Set of editing techniques used to create a cohesive sense of space and a sense of continuous time by maintaining consistent graphic, spatial, and temporal relationships between shots

The 180° Rule

This system of editing organizes onscreen space by: Constructing the scene

along an axis of action Making certain positions

in the frame are consistent

Keeping eyelines consistent across shots

Keeping screen direction consistent across shots

Eyeline Match Shot

First shot shows character looking offscreen

Second shot shows us what the character is looking at

Shot-Reverse Shot

Alternates between two shots framed from reverse angles

Often used to depict conversations

Match on Action

Action begun in first shot is completed in second shot

Maintains continuous action (and therefore continuous sense of the passage of time) across edits

Breaking the 180° Rule

Certain techniques can be used to cross the axis of action while still maintaining a sense of spatial continuity (all of them are illustrated on the next slide)

Shifting the axis of action by using mobile framing to reposition it

Having actors move within the frame to reposition the axis of action

Cutting in a circle by repositioning the camera slightly with each cut

Cutting to the axis of action, then crossing it

Using a cutaway shot to reposition the axis of action

Parallel Editing/Crosscutting

Continuity editing technique that alternates back and forth between scenes

Can be used in two ways: To depict simultaneous action by cutting

between two or more events taking place in different locations at the same time (the following example is this type of parallel editing)

To create thematic parallels by cutting between action taking place in separate locations at different points in time that are linked by theme

Temporal Ellipses

Using editing to signify the passage of time

A fade out/in between scenes is one example of this, since the brief period when the screen goes black often signals a passage in time from one scene to the next

Elliptical Editing

A set of editing techniques that create temporal ellipses by removing part of the story action unnecessary to plot development so that it takes less time to unfold on screen

Cuts in Action

Elliptical editing technique that uses cuts to eliminate parts of the action in order to condense the amount of time it takes to play out onscreen

Often we just see the beginning and the end of the action, with the middle cut out

Empty Frames

Same technique as cuts in action, except that the shot is held for a brief period before/after the character exits the frame, so that the frame is briefly “empty” of action

Notice in the following example, how the shots often begin before the character enters the shot, and are held briefly after he exits the shot

This is an example of empty frames as a type of elliptical editing

Cutaway Shot

Character begins action in first shot

There is a cut “away” from the action to something else

This is followed by a cut back to the character completing the action begun in the first shot

In the following example, the cuts away from the woman stealing the key to her husband speaking from behind the closed bathroom door are examples of cutaway shots

Montage

A montage sequence is an elliptical editing technique used to depict actions that take place over an extended period of time

Condenses the passage of time into a short succession of shots, so that they take much less time to play out onscreen

End