2. Learning
Objectives
Identify Key Terms:
Editing
Continual editing
Montage Editing
Know how to construct
a continual or ‘Linear’
AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and
sequence understanding of film as an audio-visual
form of creative expression
Analyse and evaluate
the editing techniques AO2 Apply knowledge and understanding,
used in the opening of including some of the common
critical approaches that characterise the
The Fellowship of the subject, when exploring and
Ring analysing films

3. Editing
In your pads, note down your own
definition of the term:
Editing
To collect, prepare and arrange something
To add, or to eliminate Thelma
Shoonmaker
Editing is the process of selecting and arranging
shots to reproduce the scenes in a screenplay
Films are edited in an attempt to hide the fact
that scenes are made up of many different
shots

4. Editing
Editing is arguably the most important
stage of the filmmaking process. It is
during the editing that a film is
arranged in to it’s final form
Series of disconnected shots are edited
together in to a coherent and
understandable sequence Watch the following clips
and answer the following:
The mode of editing can also provide
important information about the How would you describe the
characters and their surroundings editing in these scenes?
How does the editing add to
the ‘pace’ of the film?

5. Pacing
The pace and frequency of edits in a film
determine the pacing of a film
If long, lingering shots are used the pacing will
be slow and create a more realistic feel
Dramas, thrillers and ‘Art-house’ film employ
this style
If shots are short and numerous the film pacing
will be fast – adding a layer of activity to a
scene
Action films benefit from this form of quick
editing

6. ‘CUT!’
The most common and simplest edit is
a ‘CUT’
‘Cuts’ are intended to be invisible and
go unnoticed by the audience
Cuts occur when one shot ends and
another begins
The number of cuts in a scene will
determine the pacing and can have
dramatic effects on how we read the
film

7. Count the ‘cuts’
Watch the following extracts and count the
number of edits in each scene
How does the frequency of cuts impact of
the pacing of the scene?
Goodfellas
The Matrix
(1990)
How does the editing inform us about the
Reloaded
characters and their place in their film (2003)
worlds?

8. Count the ‘cuts’
The Matrix Goodfellas
Cuts: Cuts:
46 0
The quick editing pace adds a The entire shot is one long
sense of urgency and increased tracking shot filmed in one
tension movement
The use of bullet time informs us The audience follow Henry
of Neo’s superhuman abilities thorugh the kitchens in to the
dinning room past his inner circle
The editing is also slower in this of friends
film than in its sequel – editing
gets faster as Neo’s skills grow Why has this shot been used?

9. Editing Transitions
Fade up / Fade in –
The screen starts as one colour, usually
black, and the images fades in and
replaces the black screen
Fade down / Fade out –
The same as above. The image
gradually fades in to a black screen

10. Editing Transitions
Wipe
One shot is literally wiped off the
screen by another. Wipes can be
vertical, horizontal or diagonal.
Use to inform the audience of a change
in location, time or setting

11. Editing Transitions
Dissolve
The image on screen is slowly replaced
with an over lapping image.
The first image will fade out whilst the
new shot will fade in
Dissolve is used to link two or more
scenes together.
Seemingly unconnected shots are
visually connected informing us about
a characters thoughts, or how two
scenarios are linked

12. Linear
The overall form of editing can be split in to two distinct
styles
Linear Non-Linear
Linear editing attempts to present
scenes in a chronological order
Events from one screen will have a
direct impact on subsequent
scenes
Arranged in or
Linear editing attempts to order extending along a
events so they follow a straight straight or nearly
line – a realistic representation of straight line
time

13. Linear Editing
Linear editing ensures that the
narrative of the film is unbroken
It presents scenes in chronological
order in order to give an impression
that the film follows ‘real time’
Time does not jump around, back
and forth – it moves exactly as we
would expect it to in real life
The story moves along in a way that
is understandable

14. Non-Linear
Editing

15. (NON) Linear
Non-Linear
Non-Linear editing cuts shots
together with a seemingly
unconnected and random method
Presenting images in ‘real time’ is
not the intention
The juxtaposition of short shots to
represent actions or ideas, or
cutting between events to
condense time can be used to
suggest particular meanings
Connecting two seemingly unconnected
shots to create meaning

16. (NON) Linear
Non-Linear editing is also used to
present scenes in an unordered
way
Pulp Fiction begins with a scene in
a dinner
This scene actually takes place in
the middle of the story and events
seen after this take place before it
Why would a director choose this
form of editing?

17. Montage Editing
Montage editing is the juxtaposition
of short shots to represent ideas or
actions
It also refers to cutting between shots
to condense a series of events or time
period
The conflicting images we see are not
intended to generate ‘real time’ but
to create meaning by combining two
or more shots
Battleship Potemkin
Montage editing was invented in Dir: Sergei Eisenstein
Russia by Sergei Eisenstien 1925

18. Montage Editing
Battleship Potemkin is arguably the
most important film ever made.
Eisenstein introduced the concept of
montage editing, or putting two shots
together that do not seem related, to
create new meanings
His influence soon spread from Russia
in to Germany and later to the USA
resulting in a revolution in cinematic
filmmaking
Battleship Potemkin
Dir: Sergei Eisenstein
1925

19. Montage Editing
Fellowship of the Ring
To understand purpose of this montage?
Why is the Lord of the Rings audiences
must understand the origins of the Ring. The
amount of time it would take to tell that
story would result in another 3 movies.
Peter Jackson had to find a way to convey a
lot of information in a very short amount of
time
The Lord of the
He used this montage to inform the Rings:
audience of key events and show how The Fellowship of
seemingly separate events impact on other the Ring
scenes (1999)

20. 180 Degree Rule
The 180 ˚ Rule is a basic guideline in film editing that states
that two characters should always have the same left/right
relationship to each other.
 Orange Man is on the
right. Blue, on the left
 Orange man should
always be shown on the
right, and blue always
shown on the left
 If the shot changed to
show Orange on the left
and Blue on the right,
audiences will be
disorientated and break
the flow of the scene.

21. Shot-Reverse-Shot
A common editing technique employed by all filmmakers is
‘shot-reverse-shot’
This technique is most commonly used when characters are
talking or to indicate what a character is looking at
Shot Reverse Shot
If the filmmaker does not include the reverse the audience are
left wondering what the character is looking at – vital in the
creation of suspense

22. SHOT SHOT
REVERSE REVERSE
SHOT SHOT

23. Cross Cutting
Cross Cutting is a technique established to
portray two or more events occurring at the
same time at different locations
The film will cut away from one scene to
another. This then suggests that these two
events are occurring at the same time
Cross Cutting can be used to create suspense.
E.g. Lord of the Rings The Return of The king
During a large battle scene the film cuts
between three battles, focusing on three sets
of characters. The aim is to inform the
audience that the actions of each group are
directly linked to that of the other groups

24. Graphic Match
What is a Graphic Match?
This is where shapes, colours and
composition are matched to mirror or link
one shot with another.
The connection is with the images rather
than with the action, and allows for a
smoother or more visually stimulating
transition.
If the transition is not ‘flowing’ or does not
feel comfortable then the audience’s
suspension of disbelief will be broken and
the film spoiled.

25. Graphic Match
The Graphic Match used at the
beginning of War of the Worlds (2005)
links nature, Mars and the earth
together
This introduces the three key themes
of the film in a very short space of time
and lays the foundations for what is to
come later in the film
The match also links Earth & Mars and
foreshadows the subsequent invasion
of Earth by the Martians

26. Eye Line Match
Conversations, and for that matter any
interaction between characters, will
usually also require an eye-line match in
order to maintain continuity between
edits.
If character A is in a chair looking up at
character B who is standing, when we cut
to a close up of character A s/he should
still be looking up
The direction of a characters gaze needs
to be matched to the position of the
object they are looking at

27. Editing
Watch the following clips and make notes on your handout –
use your editing transitions handout and your own notes
You must:
Note down the different forms of editing transitions used
Identify the style of editing
Provide a brief analysis of the editing and note how it creates
meaning

28. Analysis Task

29. Summary
Editing is the assembly of individual
shots in to a coherent and
understandable form
Cuts are the most common form of
editing transitions and are intended to
be invisible
Linear editing refers to films that follow
a ‘linear’ or straight path
Non-Linear editing placed unconnected
shots together and juxtaposes them to
create new meaning or suggestions

30. Micro elements Analysis Task
Editing Cinematography

31. Micro elements Analysis Task
Sound Mise-en-Scene