Unit 16

1. Film and Video Editing Techniques
Introduction
In my assignmentI will critically assess the developmentand
principlesof editing, includingthe understandingof purposesand
conventionsand techniques. I will begin with the introduction and
pioneersof film editing, includingfamousmasterpiecein film editing
developmentin ancient time. I will give someexamples of different
editing techniques and analogue editing. Finally, I will fully assess
and summarizethe most importantfactors for film and video editing.
Development
Nowadays, the film and video editing techniques has developed a lot.
It started with the American inventor Thomas Edison. Hepioneered
the first motion picture Kinetoscope. It introduced the basic
approachthat would become the standard for all cinematic
projection before the adventof video. Astime passed, the editing has
become variousand technological at a higher level. Film editing is
often referred to as the ‘invisible art’ because when it is well
practiced, the viewer can become so engaged that he or she is not
even aware of the editor’s work. This is definitely the case with the
modern audience, likepeopleof my generation. Early filmsgenerally
included onecontinuous, static shot of things such as peoplemoving,
cars coming to you. The first major developmentsin editing
happened, asa resultof the work of three men: Edwin Porter, Lev
Kuleshov and Sergei Eisenstein. It seems that these men realized that
film can work like the brain in the sense that when we see things in
the world weare able to relate these ‘images’ to what is happening
around usin time space.
The silent period
Early film appearswith no sound and little editing. Duringthe 1885-
1930, itis the silent period. It was the age of great creation and
experimentation. It was a period when editing, unfettered by sound,
came to maturity and provided afullrangeof optionsfor the
filmmaker. They included considerationsof visualcontinuity, the
deconstruction of scenes into shots, the developmentof parallel
editing, the replacementof real time by a dramatic senseof time, all
of them became partof the editing repertoire. Griffith’s work
presented sequencesthat werenarrative-driven, and idea-or
concept-driven. D. W. Griffithis the acknowledged father of film
editing in its modern sense. In The Greaser’s Gauntlet(1908), hecut
from a long shot of a hanging tee (a woman has justsaved a man
from being lynched)to a fullbody shot of the man thanking the

2. woman. Throughthe match-cutting of the two shots, the audience
enters the scene at an instant of heightened emotion. Not only do we
feel what he mustfeel, but also the whole tenor of the scene is more
dynamicbecause of the cut, and the audienceis close to the action
taking place on the screen. The early example of parallel action also
suggests Griffith’s experimentation with the orderingof shots for
dramatic purpose. In 1909, Griffithcarried this idea of parallel action
further in The Lonely Villa, a rescuestory. Griffithintercuts between
a helpless family and the burglars who have invaded their home and
the husband who is hurryinghometo rescuehis family. In this film,
Griffith constructed the scenes usingshorter and shorter shots to
heighten the dramatic impact. The resulting suspenseispowerful,
and the rescueis cathartic in a dramatically effective way.
Intercutting in this way also solved the problem of time. Complete
actions needn’tbe shown to achieve realism. Becauseof the
intercutting, senses could be fragmented, and only those parts of
scenes that were most effective needed to be shown. Dramatic time
thus began to replace real time as a criteria for editingdecisions.
Sound development
A great many innovationsin picture editingwere compromised with
the comingof sound. The early sound films have often been called
filmed playsor radio playswith picturesas a resultof the
technological characteristics of early period. Although experimentsin
sound technology had been conducted since 1895, itwasprimarily in
radio and telephone transmission technology that advanceswere
made. Alfred Hitchcock’s Blackmail (1929)hasmany of the
characteristics of the earliest sound films. It was shot in part as a
silent film and in partas a sound film. The silent sequences have
musicand occasional sound effects. These sequencesare dynamic;
the openingsequenceshows the apprehension and bookingof a
criminal by the police, which is a good example. Cameramovementis
fluid, images are textured, and the editing is fast-paced. The sound
sequences, on the other hand, are dominated by dialog. The camera is
static, as are the performers. The mix of silent and sound sequences
of this sort typifiesthe earliest sound films.
In-camera editing
In-camera editing simply involvesshootingthe scenes of your film in
the exact sequencethey are going to appear in the finished video
without any kind of room for error and with no editing wizardry or
gimmicks. In-cameraediting requires peopleto edit while they shoot.

3. In fact, in-camera editing is not true‘editing’ at all. Instead, it refers
to the process of shooting your program sequentially; each scene
shot in order, and at the length that it will appear in the finished
program, so that peoplehave a complete program as soon as they are
donetaping. The resulting ‘edit’ is therefore already complete when
the film is developed.
The advantageof in-cameraediting is that there is a reduction in the
cost of the production. And itcan also be a very educationalprocess
because of time and organizational skills that are required.
However, there are also some disadvantagesfor in-camera editing.
Becausein-camera editing requires that scenes be shot in the order,
you might have to do some legwork to produceascene that requires
morethan onelocation. In addition, you'llneed to get each shot right
the first time. There's no "fix it later" flexibility here. Editingin the
camera requiresa great deal of planningbeforeyou roll the tape.
There is a past historical example of in-camera editing from the film
“The LumiereBrothers” as this wasone of the first film coming outin
1985. Becausethis wasone of the first filmspeopledidn’tknow
about film unliketoday as the audienceknow a lot so at this point
when the audiencesaw this they got scared because they thought the
train was actually coming towardsthem.
Filming a complete film
in chronological order
may make the editing
process simpler and
dramatically cut down
the time it takes to
produceafully
understood narrativefor
the audience. The film 'A
BeautifulMind' released
in 2001, itwasdirected by Ron Howard and he madethe creative
decision to film it completely in chronological order. Although only
90% of the film ended up being filmed usingthe In-CameraEditing
technique dueto three separate trips being made to a university
campus. In 2002 thefilm was nominated for the Oscar award of Best
Edited Film and was also awarded for Best Picture.

4. Followingthe action
Followingthe action is where you follow all the movementsmadeby
the actors or the subject. For example, there will be more than one
camera when this is happeningso they switch between the different
camera angles dependingon which way the actor or subject is going.
Where ever the subject movesthere will be cameras that will also
being followingit. It is unobtrusiveand focusesallof the viewer’s
attention on the character.
Early films had limited editingtechniques that are difficultor even
impossible to edit in a creative way, editors often simply followed the
action basic pansand tracks instead.
In “The Godfather”, the camera followsthe character Fredo as he
breaks up a party. As the camera followshis movement, wesee his
growingfrustration with his brother and the slow-moving
partygoers. This gives moredepth to what the audienceare watching
instead of just watching one camera action all the way through it, it
gives the audiencesomething else to watch and gives it more
excitement rather than just being one angle throughout the film.
Manipulatingand distortingtime and space
Editors distort reality by manipulatingtime and space. They can
extend or compresstime. They can visit any location near-
instantaneously and makeremote locations congruentwith our
theme. With such manipulation of time and space, we incite intense
emotional reaction in our audiencesby using rapid movement
contrast, comparison, pace, and warpingof familiar forms.
In the Autumn of 1896, an event occurred which has since
passed into film folklore and changed the way Méliès looked at
filmmaking. Whilst filming a simple street scene, Méliès
camera jammed and it took him a few seconds to rectify the
problem. Thinking no more about the incident, Méliès
processed the film and was struck by the effect such a incident
had on the scene - objects suddenly appeared, disappeared or
were transformed into other objects.
Méliès discovered from this incident that cinema had the
capacity for manipulating and distorting time and space. He
expanded upon his initial ideas and devised some complex
special effects. He pioneered the first double exposure (La
caverne Maudite, 1898), the first split screen with performers
acting opposite themselves (Un Homme de tete, 1898), and

5. the first dissolve (Cendrillon, 1899).
A Trip to the Moon (1902) is a shortfilm directed by Georges Méliès
wherethe narrativeplayed around time and space. The special effects
are mind-blowing when taken in the context of the era in which it was
released and the tight, structured narrativeprovides amusementand
enjoymentfor fans today, over 100 years after the film's release. The
child-like creativity of the director enhances the enjoyment of the film
and serves to create a world into which the audience is invited with the
utmost enthusiasm.
The story begins in whatappears to be a classroomat a university--
however, this isn't certain, as the film lacks title cards to tell you what is
occurring (something few movies of the day had). However, when the
group of scientists are led out to what appears to be a giant bullet, the
action heats up and the story gets interesting. The "bullet" is opened
and it seems it's a space capsule. The capsule is shoved into an
enormous gun and is shotto the moon.
At this point, the film is really cute--having an actual man's face in the
moon. The face is quite upset, mind you, when the capsulebecomes
lodged in the eye! Surprisingly, theair on the moon is fine and the men
walk about the weird moonscape(full of cool stars and planets you just
have to see to appreciate). Later, they discover an underground
cave...and moon men! The moon men are hostile, but considering that
they explode when you hit them, they aren't too much trouble for our
intrepid travelers. They make a hasty escape and fall fromthe moon
back home.
Another good example of manipulation of diegetic time and space would
be The Time Travellers Wife, as it shows thecharacter of Henry
travelling through time to see his family. This is another way of
explaining manipulation of diegetic time and spacein the narrativeas it
shows theway in which someone could traveltime to go back and forth
through different periods of time in a shortspace of time.
Multiplepointsof view
Multiplepointsof view is where the film shows differentpointsof
view of many differentcharacters. As a film has one storyline
throughout the whole film, multiplepointsof view are there to show
the audiencevariouscharacters’ viewsupon the particular subject.

6. The film Life of an American Fireman in 1903 showsthe eventsof a
fireman rescuinga woman from a burningbuilding. The film is first
viewed by the audiencefrom inside the buildingand then a shot
shown from outside the building, which repeats the action in the
narrative. This editing technique of usingdifferentpointsof view of
the action demonstrated its own laws of time and space on narrative.
There is a contemporary exampleof this would be The Blair Witch
Project. As it’s not filmed like normalHollywood filmswhere the
camera man only films a story line with the characters, The Blair
Witch Project is filmed with each of the characters filmingthe events
and showing their point of view throughout the film individually,
along as filming their other co-stars showing their view upon the
storyline. This is an exampleof multiplepointsof view as it shows
the film in first person with characters filming, yetit also shows the
film in second person as people are staring in front of the camera.
Shot variation
Shot variation is where a shot can be filmed static, with no cuts
throughout to show a piece of film, or where many differentfilm
shots are puttogether to also create a piece of film. These include:
Long shot: where the audienceget to see the bigger pictureduring
the film. It will show a coupleof characters and their surroundings,
setting the scene more. Medium shot: this shot shows onecharacters
emotion and a bit of surrounding or action duringthe film, showinga
bit less than a longshot, but it also keepssome information outthat
the audiencemay find outlater in the film. Close up: this shot only
shows onecharacters expression or emotion. This normally happens
when something big happensto show the audiencehow that certain
character thinks about the situation.
Editing variationsfound in early films suggest that filmmakers
experimented beforeadoptingcontinuity editing. While these
choices today might seem odd, they werebased on practices used on
the stage and in the projection of magic lantern slides. Early film
there waslittle shot variation than in modern day films, this is
because early film editing techniques are notfully engaged. This
restricted quite a lot of things can not be shown in early films.

8. An example of the first version of shot variation could be Inception
where there’s a constant flowingshot, but yet it’s digitally mastered
to look unreal.
Analogueediting; Digital editing
Analogueediting was beforeall the new technology wehave today
where we can easily and quickly edit a movie. In times when
analogueediting was used, onewould create a film through having a
razor blade and a diagonal splicing block. After the tape was cut
where it needed cutting, it would haveto be taped back together,
which would berepeated over and over again until a film was
created. An example of this would be the ‘Exiting The Factory’ which
was created in 1895. It’sshown in black and white and is cut with a
blade between shots which you can see if you pay enoughattention.
This technique would havetook months to create a piece of film and
would havebeen made by a very talented person. Comparingitto
digital editing, it was a time consumingthing to do.
If you look at today’sediting software, a film like ‘Exiting the Factory’
could have been created within a day or two, where as it would have
took months with analogueediting. Also, with digital editing you can
go back and forth and change things if you don’tlike them or if you
wantto improveapiece of film, but if you had to do it through
analogueediting, that cut you madewould have been your only cut
and you have had to moveon to another piece of footage.

9. Linear video editing is a analogue editing processof selecting,
arrangingand modifyingimages and sound in a pre-determined,
ordered sequence – from start to finish. Linear editing is most
commonly used when workingwith videotape. Butit is notpossible
to insert or delete scenes from the master tape without re-copyingall
the subsequentscenes. Also, because of the overdubbingthat has to
take place if you want to replace a currentclip with a new one, the
two clips mustbe of the exact same length.
While the non-linear video editing method is a way of random access
digital editing, which meansinstant access to whatever clip you want,
whenever you wantit. So instead of going in a set order, you areable
to work on any segment of the project at any time, in any order you
want. However, the biggest downsideto nonlinear video editing is
the cost.
Purpose
Many of the early techniques developed by Porter and Griffiths are
still used today. However editorstoday are more experimentalwith
their techniques and can create immersivenarrativeswhich engage
the audienceoften creating dramatic tension and suspense.
There are three main reasonsfor using editing in film and television;
to engage the audience, to develop storytellingand to create
meaning. All filmsaim to do these things in differentamountin order
to appeal to audiencesand often these are used a critiques of films
when they have notbeen successful. Editing techniques can change
the storylineof a film, the way to doingthis includealtering the order
of the sequences, or change the soundtrack into a differentstyle.
The processof editing begins in the post-production stage, in which a
film or a television piece is editing to create the finaloutcome. This is
transformed into a piece suitable for its target audience; the roleof
an editor can be seen as oneof the most importantroles when
creating either a film or television piece dueto the fact they are the
key collaborator with the director. When creating a film or television
piece the role of the editor is primarily to edit the footage they
have received and cut together appropriate footageto enable the
audienceto clearly understand thenarrative. The editor mustalways
includea beginning, a middleand an end, so that the audienceare
able to fully understand thefilm. Another way the editor is able to
engage the audience at all times is by the pace of the shots they have
decided to use. For example, editing can be used to create tension by

10. usingslowly paced shots that gradually build up speed, and in
comparison fast paced shots are commonly found in action movies in
where there is a scene involvinga car chase or a fight scene. This
editing technique is used alongsidesound effectsthat compliment
the scene as music can effect and also influencethe way the audience
view a particular scene.
Each genreof a film has a differenttechnique and style that are used
to illustrate the genreof the film or television program. The genre of
horror commonly combinesboth slow and fast cuts to build up and
release tension. Slow paced shots are used to distress the audience
but also to convincethem into carry on watching. Low angled shots
are used to create fear as this shows to the audiencethe characters
fear and intimidation. This typeof editingthat creates anxiety within
the viewersis closely matched by the choice of sound used alongside
the scene. An exampleof a horror film that uses a combination of
slow and fast paced shots to help build up tension in the scene can be
seen in the trailer for the 2009 Warner Brothersfilm The
Orphan.
At this scene the frameconsists of the wheelchair drippingwith
blood with the woman'slegseither side. This shot is used to show the
woman has had a miscarriage. It is effective for the audiencebecause
it submitsa contrast between good and bad. Good being the
wheelchair with it's intentions of assisting patients and the bad being
the blood. The sight of blood is the most obvioususe of iconography
in most thriller films as it shows violencehas been inflicted on
someoneor portraysa characters death. Blood informs the audience
what they are watching is a thriller film because blood connotesa

11. murder or gives the viewer a sense of forebodingof something bad to
be revealed.
Combiningshots into sequences is the process of placing shots
together and making them all flow into each other. Firstly when all
the shots are individually edited they can then be placed into a
successfulsequence, and the quality of the editing will determine
how smoothly the sequence flows. The editingneeds to be that good
that it is almost invisible to the audiences’eyes. An easy way to
practice this method nowadaysisdown to computer softwaresuch
as Final cut Pro, and Adobe Premier Pro. They all have their own
individualqualitiesbut are very good for puttingsequences together.
Through editing, wecan also controlthe pace. Creating pace while
editing in a film is where a film’s speedsup or slows down certain
parts of the film. Pace changes the way the audiencesview films and
make them understand itin differentways. An exampleof filmsthat
would usea fast pace to edit would beaction films, as you'd expect
there to maybe be a car chase or some sort of runningscenewhere
fast pace would be relevant. To producea quick pace scene, shots are
cut faster and moveto other differentshots to create the feeling of
pace. A slower pace would be used in a dramaor a love story typeof
film. This allows the audienceto see and understand the scenes and
characters fully without getting distracted by quick cut shots. This is
doneby havinglonger shots in a scene. For example, in the film
The way footage is edited can determinethe intensity of the shots in
a film dramais key. In dramafilms, they usea lot of reaction shots,
this is to signify how oneor morecharacters act to a situation that
has occurred. They also use long-winded shotsas they wantto build
up tension and create a sense of danger by doingthis.
Developingdrama all comes down to emotion and how they react
and deal with that, after the dramaelement has took place. An
exampleof where dramais used and built up is in a film called 'The
Lovely Bones'. The element of the film is murder, and wesee the
characters go through an emotional roller coaster. To intensify their
emotions, reactions shots are used throughout because its the torture
of notknowingwho killed the girl in the film or what happened prior
to this when she didn'tcomehome. Its the emotion and build up
these eventsthat therefore develop the drama.
Creating motivation is vital when producingafilm or a television
program, as this is the main aspect in keeping the target audience

12. interested in your product. To successfully edita film or program
together an editor mustlook for motivation in their cuts and this
affects and determineshow the audiencefeels. Sound isalso
an appropriate placeto cut to another scene or character as if there is
a loud or extravagant noise the character may look away so cutting to
the item or place that the character is looking at keeps the audience
interested.
Within Walter Murch’sbook ’In the blink of an eye’: A perspectiveon
film editinghe discussessomething he calls the ‘Ruleof Six‘.
Six elementsto buildingthe story within the edit, which he describes
as a list of priorities: “What I’m suggesting is a list of priorities. If you
have to give up something, don’t ever give up emotion before story.
Don’tgive up story beforerhythm, don’tgive up rhythm before eye-
trace, don’t give up eye-trace before planarity, and don’tgive up
planarity before spatial continuity.” These priorities can be used as a
formativeplan for our edit or a guidelineto follow that ensures our
edit keeps the audienceinvested in the film.
When editing and cutting together a film, it is essential that there is a
sense of motivation in both the storyline and within the characters in
the scenes. If there is no motivation then the audiencewatching
won’twant to continueviewingwhat is happening. There are three
differentwaysto create motivation within a film. These three types
are story motivation, physical motivation and character motivation.
Story motivation is when an editor will putcertain cuts in particular
places to drivethe storylineforward. It is crucial that these cuts are
doneat the right time so the audienceget the proper emotion for that
scene. If notthe storyline might not flow properly. Physical
motivation can be linked in a lot with sound and mise-en-scene. An
exampleof physical motivation could be if the camera is focusingon
a character on screen, and there is a loud ‘bang’. Then the camera
could film what that ‘bang’ was as the character looks over. This type
of shot urges the audienceto continuewatching as they wantto see
what the final resultis, they wantto know what the character is
looking at. Character motivation focusessolely on the characters and
getting to know the characters. The use of motivation can either be
positive or negative dependingon how the editor wantsit to come
across. The sameapplies for characters motivation, whether the
editor wantsthe viewersto like, dislikeor be intrigued by a
character. The idea of character motivation is how are the cuts going

13. to build and develop the character, which continuesthe storyline
further.
Conventions and techniques
As the technology advanced, filmmakersemerged, withCecil
Hepworthand Edwin Porter leading the way. Hepworth producing
such early cinemaclassics as 'How it feels to be run over' and
'Rescued by Rover' with Porter directing 'The Great Train Robbery'
amongmany others.
In France, Georges Mélièsemerged from a theatrical background and
started makingfilms combining film technique with the spectacular
effects achievable from the theatre. Méliès' work led to someof the
first 'special effects' in cinema.
There are lots of techniques used when filming and they each have
their own effect on the audienceand make it look better the more
variety that is used. A film will usually havemultipletechniques
to meet the conventionsof the production.
A film splicer is a devicewhich can be used to physically join together
lengths of photographic film. It is mostly used in film motion pictures.
A film transition is a technique used in the post-production process
of film editing and video editing by which scenes or shots are
combined. Most commonly this is through a normalcut to the next
scene. Mostfilms will also includeselective useof other transitions,
usually to convey a tone or mood, suggest the passage of time, or
separate parts of the story.
A transition can be used to suit the mood of the film narrative. A
great exampleof this technique can be seen in Ransom'sflossy music
video, FamousLast Words. Watchcarefully at the very beginning:

14. you'llsee the camerapan up the fade of the apartmentbuilding
(often called an establishing shot because it establishes the location
of the action) and then dissolveinto the next scene, where you see
the cat owner saying"Here kitty, kitty."
Cutaway shot is the interruption of a continuously filmed action by
inserting a view of something else. The most common useof cutaway
sots in dramatic filmsis to adjustthe pace of the main action, to
conceal the deletion of some unwanted partof the main shot, or to
allow the joiningof partof the main shot, or to allow the joining of
parts of two versionsof that shot. In Lars Von Trier's Dancer in the
Dark (Denmark, 2000)Selmaand Bill have a dramatic conversation
in Bill'scar that is framed by a cut-in and a cut-away. The two cuts
neatly bracket Bill's anguished confession as a separate moment,
privateand isolated, that only Selma knowsabout. This editing-
constructed secrecy will ultimately have drastic consequencesfor
Selma.

15. Point of view shot is a camera shot which shows the viewpointfrom a
particular subject. This example is taken from a montage sequence
early in the film, establishing that Linda(Joan Fontanne)has fallen in
love with the socialite playboy Johnnie(Cary Grant). This segment
starts with a fade in to a close-up entirely from her pointof view. We
see her hand on the left as she is lookingthrough magazines, with the
opened pagessuggesting that she is lookingfor photographsof
Johnnie.
Providingand withholdinginformation technique makes the
narrativemore dramaticby giving the audiencemoreinformation or
taking away information. It is a big partof cinema because as a
viewer we don’twantto be told the plot from the beginning
(ENIGMA). A good example of this is in East Enders whereArchie was
struck by the statue of Queen Victoria yet in the shot the only thing
you see is the statue and apartof Archie's head and the slow motion
movementin the scene accompanied by the Christmas jingle makes
you wantto know who the person waswho struck Archie in the back
of the head to kill him.
Editing rhythm is what editors useto keep pace of the film up to
match the action that is going on in the film. It describes an
assembling of shots and/or sequences accordingto a rhythmic
pattern of some kind, usually dictated by music. There is an example
of editing rhythm in Cries and Whispers(1972). Therhythm of the
editing playsan importantrole in underscoringwhat is going on in
the narrative. The paceof the shots of quite slow, with the exception
of onemomentwhere the glass of winebreaks. This sudden, brief
interruption of the slow back-and-forth of the progressively silent
dinner is then immediately followed by the longest shot of the

16. sequence. The rhythm is slow, fast, slower, emphasizesthe strained
dynamicbetween the two characters.
Cuttingto soundtrack editingis when the pace and beat of a song can
determinehow fast scenes can cut. This can attract audiences
attention because if it is a fast beat and it cuts fast it can get you
interested into what it will cut too next. A good example of this
editing is the music video 'Feel the Love' produced by Sarah
Tognazzi and Marieta Blaskova where it begins to cut quite slow
then cuts more once the beat speeds up. And the scene follow the
sound’s rhythm. It keeps the original speed with the suitable slow
sound until the sound started to become faster, and the shot
became fast.
Motivated camera changes are quite popular in films, for example,
there is a shot where a character is talking about a place in the
distance and he looks at it through binocularsand the camera then
cuts to a shot of the place. The character is motivatingwhere the shot
is going next. This is a very popular shotand looks very professional
because you can see that they have thought of the shots and you can
see through the character’s pointof view. You see it all the time in
horror films. For example, in the 2007 film ‘30 Daysof Night’, a
woman is standingin a spooky place all alone and then hears a
startling sound. Shespinsher head around and seesnothing. The
sound then comes from another area, and the soon-to-be victim jerks
her head in that direction. Eventually, theviewingaudiencegets to
see the object of terror, usually along with a loud, startling sound.
Parallel editing/crosscutting is also a very effective technique
because it is where two things are being filmed at the same time and
they interact with each other or someway affect each other and you
can see it from each pointof view, this technique is used to create
anticipation. An exampleof this is in the film 'Silenceof the Lambs'
where a male character is talking to the trapped girl, the police
surround ahouseand a female agent knockson the door all at the
same time. Is all linkstogether and is such a great effect. Inception
(2010)showsa parallel editing. The two scenes usecomplimentary
colors to differentiate the two scenes. The cross cut involvestwo
scenes being edited together, and occurringat the same time within
the film chronology. It is linked in sound.
Seamless/Continuity editing is where you puttwo differentpieces of
film together to create a neat, smooth piece of film that runsinto each

17. piece of each other easily. It is all about creating action whilst hiding
the edits from the audienceand makingall of the footage flow
smoothly. It is a system of cutting used to maintain continuousand
clear narrative action by followinga set of rules. By using this editing,
the narrativehas structure. The shot sequences flow seamlessly into
each other.
In this sequencefrom Neighbors (Buster Keaton, 1920), continuity is
maintained by the spatial and temporalcontiguity of the shots and
the preservation of direction between world and screen. More
importantly, the shots are matched on Keaton'sactions as he shuttles
across the courtyard from stairwellto stairwell. This editing
technique makes the audiencewatch something and noteven realize
that it’s been edited. This editing servesto properly tellthe story, not
to show off all the cool techniques the editor can come up with.
Typically nowadaysaHollywood montagerefers to piecing together
fragmentsof differentyet related images, sounds/music, often in the
style of a musicvideo. Holiday Inn (1942)showsa basic montage
style. The montage occurs duringthe IndependenceDay show, as
BingCrosby sings “Song of Freedom”. The 50-second montage
combines severalsingle screen sequences of workersin an aircraft
factory and variousmilitary unitsin motion (troops marching, planes
flying, tanks driving)with multiplesplit screens, with up to six
images in one shot. The penultimateshot shows a centre screen head
shot of GeneralDouglas MacArthur in a large star with military

18. images in the four corners.
There is a good exampleof montagein ‘The Karate Kid’ of its training
montage. This is where, in a film, the editor changes the speed of
which the film goes to show the audiencea longperiod of time into a
relatively short time. Films use this to skip through hours, daysor
even months. A good exampleof this would be the new version of
‘The Karate Kid’ as through the time he learnsto train, it speedsup to
make it last about 15 minutes, when it would havelasted daysor
even weeks. Asit lets the audienceknow it’s been a long period of

19. time, it also allows the director and editor to add more footage into
the film as it’s shortened down whatwould have been a long piece of
film, showing the days/weeksof training day by day.
A Jump-cutisan exampleof the elliptical style of editing where one
shot seems to be abruptly interrupted.
Here is an examplefrom Dancer in the Dark (Denmark, 2000). While
the girl is talking to the woman, through this scene, it cuts to a shot
that the girl with the man. It is a jump cutthat from one scene to
another differentscene. Jump cutsare used expressively, to suggest
the ruminationsor ambivalences of a character, or of his/her
everyday life, but they are also a clear signifier of rupturewith
mainstream film storytelling. Rather than presentinga film as a
perfectly self-contained story that seamlessly unfold in frontof us,
jump cutsare like utterancesthat evidentiatesboth the artificiality
and the difficultiesof telling such a story.
Shot reverseshot is a staple of editing in dialoguesequences.
Conventionally, itutilizes the 180 degreerule, the eye line match, and
ruleof change amongothers. The viewer unconsciously assumesthat
they are looking at each other. A classical exampleof shot reverse
shot is in PaulThomas Anderson’sfeaturedebutHard Eight. The film
opensinsidea diner. In terms of shot reverseshot, this scene is
standard but effective. A nice touch is the way the clip starts with
actor Philip Baker Hall lookingdirectly into the camera, emphasizing
his character’s sincerity and good intentions. Anderson usesa
traditional set up of over-the-shoulder shots, while occasionally
turningto a medium two-shot. The latter serves to break away from
the close-ups and re-establish the senseof place, before subsequently
suckingus back into the gravity of the conversation.

20. A convention that must be followed is the 180 degreerule, it is very
importantto follow this because the viewer can become confused as
where the shot is being filmed and is irritating to watch, the rule is
that you usea 180 degreeline as placementfor the camera and you
cannot movepast the 180 degreesbecause this causesconfusion for
the viewer and you will be able to see the other cameras in shot.
This scene demonstrate 180 degreerule. When the two characters
taking to each other, the camera only movein one side of them. And
these shot clearly show the characters’ positions, so the audience
won’tbe confused. Thecamera is somewhereover the character’s
shoulder, which focus on the characters’ talking respectively. Besides,
we will notsee the camera by this way. It is used to maintain
continuousand clear narrativeaction, which willkeep the structure
of the narrativeintact, and won’t cause the plot to go adrift. It also
allows each of the shot sequences to flow smoothly into each other.
Shot reverseshot and 180 degreerule were all developed to
maintain continuity. They could maintain to create emotionsor
tension in films.
Conclusion
From the documentary of the pioneeringof films, editing is one of the
most importantdevelopmentsin films. Editing helps to engage the
viewer, pushthe story forward and create meaningin the mindsof
the viewers. Editinghas advanced from the traditional processto the
use of digital technology. Every other aspect of filmmakingoriginated
in a differentmedium than film, but editing is the oneprocess that is
uniqueto film. Everythingprecedes editingis merely a way of
producingfilm to edit.

21. Tutor feedback
Abby, please follow my suggested improvementdown themargin of
your essay. To reach the distinction grades you mustmake surethat
you link ideas together. To do this makesure you commenton why
one technique developed after another. For example, shot variation
developed when editorsrealized that to create meaningin film you
need variety of shots. Once this wasestablished editors realised that
you could create a narrativeto engage with audience.
The developmentsection of your essay needsto be improved asyou
need to consider a timeline of which editor and film came first and
how this developed filmmaking.
When giving examplescan you also make sureyou are specific about
the scenes and when you describe the scenes use camera
terminology throughout. Then you can also consider the impact of
this technique on the audience.