1. Ben Saunders RESUBMISSION IS THE BLUE TEXT Final Assignment Unit 16
Describe, explain and critically assess the early development and the purposes of film editing.
Film editing is part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term film editing is derived
from the traditional process of working with film, but now increasingly involves the use of digital
technology. The film editor works with the raw footage, selecting shots and combining them
into sequences to create a finished motion picture. The uses of film editing to establish continuity
was first seen in British film pioneer Robert W. Paul's Come Along, Do! Made in 1898.
Development
In-Camera-Editing is a development technique used to further help the editor when editing the
film. It is notably used by Alfred Hitchcock in his film Rope (1948) and consists of shooting the
sequences in a strict order so that the edit is already complete when the film is developed. When
directing his films, Hitchcock imagined in his head where the cuts would be so that the editor
knew when to cut. It gives the editor the advantage of already knowing where to cut when
editing.
Another example of a development
technique is Following the Action; this
is where the camera follows/tracks all
the movements made by the actors on
screen. Wherever the subject moves,
the camera follows; this results in
more depth to the scene and the use of
multiple camera different angles
further adds to it. This is a
development as previously, the shots
would be in a fixed position with the
action in front of it however this
allows the action to go off screen requiring the camera to follow. The multiple camera angles is
known as Shot Variation, this also creates pace in the scene. These shot variations could be
someone walking down a street and the camera cuts between high angle shots, low angle shots,
over-the-shoulder shots etc. These shots are then combined into a sequence in the finished edit.
Shot variation is key in genres such as action films where the audience need to focus on all angles
of the action. An example of this would be in the Matrix, as the fights ensue, different angles
capture the action. Such example can be seen above.
Another example of a development technique is the Manipulation of Diegetic Time and Space. It
is an editing technique used to portray time unconventionally; this could be shown as flashbacks
or even flash-forwards. This technique can further the narrative of a film and provide depth to a
scene. These flashbacks could be used as Cutaways; this is where the action of a film, is
interrupted by inserting a view of something else. Could also be used as Montages, to show a
series of flashbacks. A montage is a filming technique, created by Soviet Russian film director
called Sergei Eisenstein. A montage is where a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to
condense space, time and information. An example of a Montage sort of Flashback is in Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallow Pt2 where we see one character access the mind and memories of
another character, the memories are then shown as a montage.
Today, most films are edited digitally
through a computer using software such
as Avid and Final Cut. Digital Editing has
seen the rise of SFX used in films; it has
changed the way films are made, as
anything is possible now through the
manipulation of film. It is less time-
consuming then the original type of
editing on a splicer, and you can also
make mistakes and correct them. If you
created mistakes when splicing; you
couldn’t go back. Films such as Employees
2. Ben Saunders RESUBMISSION IS THE BLUE TEXT Final Assignment Unit 16
Leaving The Lumière Factory by the Lumière Brothers (1895), as seen above, took months to
create and it was only one shot, using digital that film could have been created in a matter of
days. This shows how editing has evolved to reduce the time taken editing.
Analogue editing was the first form of film editing. Before computers were created they used
analogue editing, which was all done by hand; nothing was done by using editing software. You
had a copy of the “positive” film, which held all the footage that was filmed. They then took the
film and cut it in different parts using a splicer and pasted it onto different pieces of film to create
the cuts. With analogue editing it then had to be fed through a machine, this resulted in it being a
hard, time-consuming job that had to be taken very seriously. Editors were very precise; if they
made a wrong cut or needed a fresh positive print, it cost them money for the lab to reprint the
footage and that therefore pushed the editing process back further.
Purposes
Storytelling is a key purpose in film
editing as the whole reason people
go to see films is to be told a story.
It is key for an editor to make sure
the story follows and makes sense
to the audience so that they are
kept fully engaged in the film.
Engaging the viewer can be done in
many ways; such as Eye-Trace and
Crosshair Framing, which is where
the film is edited so that the
audience’s eyes follow the action on
screen or so that the audience’s eyes are already looking where the action is. Good examples of
the use of these are in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (as seen above). Crosshair
Framing is used throughout the film; the characters are almost always centre-framed, this means
the audience are specifically looking in one place: where the action is. Eye-Trace is used in one of
the film’s chase scenes. A man on a motorbike enters the scene from the left and moves across to
the right. Then a man on a motorbike enters the scene from the right and moves across to the left.
This is used as the audience’s eyes have followed the first man from left to right and then when
the second man comes in on the right, the audience is already focused on that side of the screen.
Combining shots into sequences is used in film editing to follow continuity in the film. If the scene
doesn’t flow, it ruins the effect of the editing. The shots will have been edited individually and
placed together to make it all look good. Creating pace is when editing is used to speed up or slow
down a film. The pace of a scene can
alter the way the audience views the
film. Fast-paced is more common in
action films and slow-paced is more
common in drama films. Fast-paced
means shots are short and quickly cut
from one to another to create the
feeling with the audience that they are
there, in the action. Slow-paced means
longer and slower shots so that the
audience have time to understand the
characters and the scene. A good
example of pace used in a film is in
Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards (2009) seen above. In the scene, British and American
soldiers pretending to be German, meet up with a German contact in a bar where they’re playing
a card game. The pace of the scene is very slow; there are long pauses between dialogue to add
tension to the scene, the tension being that they are undercover and trying to be inconspicuous.
The pace of the scene creates intensity rather than diminishes it. Tarantino uses anticipation as a
means to manage the dead air in the scene.
3. Ben Saunders RESUBMISSION IS THE BLUE TEXT Final Assignment Unit 16
When it comes to editing, different genres of film have different conventions, techniques and
styles; these are sometimes seen as the clichés of genres. Following these is also a key purpose of
editing; if the editor wants to maintain the relationship to the genre. For example, in an action
film, you’re more likely to see fast editing to create fast pace for car chases and fight scenes and
long shots, to establish a scene as fast as possible. However in Horror films, fast editing is used to
create tension and make the audience feel anxious, as they do not know what is to come next.
Conventions and Techniques
Seamless: Seamless editing allows you to watch something, such as a film, and not even realise
that it’s been edited. Every film edited uses this technique to keep editing as the “invisible art”. It
is used to smooth over the inherent discontinuity of the editing process and to establish a logical
coherence between shots.
Continuity: The predominant style of film and video editing. Used to smooth over the
discontinuity if the editing process and to establish a connection between shots in a scene. It
allows the narrative to have structure and allows the shots in the sequence to flow; this lets the
audience follow the film without confusion.
Motivated: Where shots are carefully chosen to push a story along. For example; if there is a shot
of someone walking into a room and looking around, it is best to then cut to a shot of that actor’s
point of view. It also further engrosses the audience into the story. This is commonly used in
horror films, you might see a shot of a character walking through a forest at night; then you hear
a crack of a wood, suggesting that there is something in the woods and then it cuts to where the
sound is coming from.
Montage: An editing technique in which shots are
juxtaposed in, often, a fast-paced fashion that
compresses time and projects a lot of information
in a relatively short period. Montages mainly
consist of different shots played to a piece of
music. Montages can be used as a way to further
progress the storyline of a film, a montage can
condense months or even years into a few
minutes. A famous example of a montage is in the
Rocky films in which actor Sylvester Stallone is
seen training for his big fight over the months to the soundtrack of Eye of the Tiger.
Jump Cutting: A cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken
from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit gives the effect of jumping
forward in time. Jump cuts can be used to add a sense of speed to the sequence of events. An
example of jump cutting is in the film Royal Tenenbaums where an actor is seen changing his
appearance in the mirror, the jump cuts are used to quicken up what would otherwise be a
lengthy scene.
Parallel Editing/Cross Cut: Is the technique of alternating between two or more scenes that often
happen simultaneously, but in different locations. If the scenes are simultaneous, they
occasionally meet up in a single place, where the relevant parties confront each other. It is
commonly used to develop the storyline at two different points. An example of this is in
Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight (2008) where two hostages are held in separate locations. The
parallel editing is used to show the two groups of policemen travelling to each of the locations,
we aren’t aware which group is going to which location until they arrive. This use therefore also
results in information being withheld from the audience.
180o Rule: The basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character
and another character or object within a scene. Used so that the viewer does not become
confused with where the actors are positioned in the scene. I believe you will see the 180o rule in
any film featuring a dialogue scene; it is one of the most common techniques used in film.
4. Ben Saunders RESUBMISSION IS THE BLUE TEXT Final Assignment Unit 16
Splicing: An old technique the edit films, very slow and delicate. You had a copy of the “positive”
film, which held all the footage that was filmed. They then took the film and cut it in different
parts using a splicer and pasted it onto different pieces of film to create the cuts. Editors were
very precise; if they made a wrong cut or needed a fresh positive print, it cost them money for the
lab to reprint the footage and that therefore pushed the editing process back further.
Transitions: A technique used in the post-
production process of film and video editing by
which scenes or shots are combined. Most
commonly this is through a normal cut to the
next shot. Most films will normally use different
types of transitions; usually to convey a tone or
mood, suggest the passage of time, or separate
parts of the story. Different types of transitions
include: cuts, dissolves, fades, wipes and more.
An example of transitions used in film is in the
Austin Power films where they use a Batman-like transition screen from scene to scene; these are
used for comedic effect in the Austin Powers series as he is usually dancing in them.
Cutaways: The interruption of continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else. It
is usually followed by a cut back to the first shot. It is used to adjust the pace of the main action,
to conceal the deletion of some unwanted part of the main shot, or to allow the joining. Cutaways
are used in every episode of Family Guy and are used for comedic effect.
Point of View Shot: Also known as a POV shot, it is
a short film scene that shows what a character is
looking at. It is used to allow the audience to see
the scene from a different view, meaning that the
audience isn’t bored of seeing everything through
the same perspective. POV shots are used in many
films, more notably in the AMC series Breaking
Bad. They are used frequently in Breaking Bad for
many reasons, mainly to allow the audience to see
what the characters see.
Shot Reverse Shot: The technique is where the camera switches in a scene between one character
and another. It is almost always used in dialogue scenes and it allows the audience to see which
person is speaking in the scene, to limit confusion for the audience. Similar to the 180o rule, it is
likely to see Shot Reverse Shot in any film featuring a dialogue scene between two characters.
Providing and Withholding Information: Providing and withholding information is a big part of
film because as a viewer we don't want to be told the plot from the beginning. Providing some is
essential so that the audience have an idea of the plot and what’s going on but it’s best to
withhold information in order to keep the audience engaged in the story. A famous example of
this is in the Sixth Sense in which the end reveals to protagonist was dead all along.
Editing Rhythm: Editing rhythm is all to do with the pace of the scene and is usually dictated by
the sound of the scene. Editing rhythm is used to keep the pace of the film matching the action on
screen. Slow cuts create a calming feel to the scene where fast edits create a fast feel to the scene.
An example would be in Cries and Whispers (1972) where the rhythm of editing plays an
important role in underscoring what’s going on in the narrative.
Cutting to Soundtrack: Cutting to soundtrack is when the pace/beat of a song can determine how
fast the scene cuts. This can attract the audience’s attention because they wonder what it will cut
to next. A faster beat means faster cuts and vice versa. This is mainly seen in films such as
musicals as a song to cut to will always be there It can also be used in fast-paced action films such
as the Fast and the Furious franchise.
