editing is the post production process where the final film is brought together in the most interesting and dramatic ways, Editing represents 10% of the entire time it takes to produce a film, it determines how viewers read a film. There are three stages to the editing process; the editors cut: an editor’s cut is sometimes called the 'rough' cut, the director’s cut: once filming is finished the director can give the post-production process their full attention taking the editors cut and molding it into their vision, the final cut: after the director has looked over the film a producer representing the studios version will overlook the next cut.
Griffith successfully used his technique of intercutting in a number of films. But his contributions to filmmaking go far beyond editing techniques. He had almost single-handedly invented the art of modern cinema. … Naturally the script, cinematography and acting make major contributions to the final effect of a film.
Editing is an essential part of making any film or video. As Francis Ford Coppola says, “The essence of cinema is editing. It’s the combination of what can be extraordinary images of people during emotional moments, or images in a general sense, put together in a kind of alchemy. and editing a film or video are often performed by the same person. As Anthony Woller wrote in “American CinemeEditor,” “An editor need not be a writer, but he or she must know story structure; he need not be a cameraman, but he must understand pictorial composition and the compatibility of angles; he need not be a director, but he must feel the actors’ performances and the dramatic or comedy pacing as surely as the director.” demy Award for Film Editing is an annual award. Nominations for this award are closely correlated with the Academy Award for Best Picture. For the last few decades, every film chosen as Best Picture has also been nominated for the Film Editing Academy Award, and most of the Best Picture Oscar winners have also won Oscars for Film Editing. With the rise of digital non-linear editing systems, in 1999 the award name was changed to Academy Award for Best Editing.
The Genesis of Editing Styles
The earliest films were not edited. They were continuous shots typically made from one camera position. The mere fact that they showed motion on a screen was a marvel in itself — moving pictures! Eventually filmmakers realized their unedited films could benefit greatly from editing — cutting out some parts, moving shots around, changing the length and positions of shots. By re-arranging and manipulating different shots an editor could create a story sequence. This changes the impact of the film. An in-depth treatise on the process of film editing, featuring 16 original interviews from renowned editors. These editors share insight and anecdotes about the daily joys and difficulties of their careers (and the professional principles they subscribe to), as well as the creative, interpersonal, and technical challenges they constantly face. Discussion of the “MTV influence” behind modern film editing is offered, and this influence is explored in filmmaking history. Advice and inspiration is also shared for the benefit of future film editors; Hollywood editors tell their own stories about how they thrived in a notoriously-difficult field, and
what it would take for an aspiring editor to do the same. You can learn a lot about the storytelling process from editors; they're in charge of one of the most important and under-appreciated aspects of filmmaking: choosing not only what shots to leave in, but what to leave out. The collaboration between director and editor on a movie is crucial, because having complete freedom with no outside guidance can ruin a film just as much as having no freedom at all. Working on a John Woo film, the editor has many options open to him considering Woo has multiple cameras rolling during an action scene, sometimes as many as 16 shooting all at once. Woo’s action sequences are famous for deftly blending together numerous camera angles and speeds, which breaks the monotony of typical action editing. “A lot of movies I see today, it seems gratuitous that they go to slow motion in certain spots,” says Kemper. “One of the things I worked particularly hard on, on all of Woo’s pictures is to carefully meld the over-cranked, under-cranked, and normal speed material. If you catch it at the right action, it’s almost seamless. It’s almost like you haven’t realized for a beat that you’ve gone from slow motion right back to a 24-frame shot. I found it not only challenging, but a heck of a lot of fun.” Many members of the film community acknowledge the importance of editing, but Oscar seems all too content to assume that the best picture must also be the best edited. (Since 1981, about two-thirds of best picture winners have also won for best editing.) Realistically, there’s no way to celebrate the multi-faceted process behind this “invisible art.” It’s impossible to measure elements like “who had the most horrendous acting to work with in dailies and then transformed it into an award-winning performance?” Or “who created the best dramatic moments out of hundreds of subtly different takes?" It’s often in the creative problem solving and the gradual process of discovery where some of the “best editing” takes place.
Filmmaking spread around the world and D.W. Griffith’s techniques were widely studied. In the 1920s Soviet filmmakers were fascinated with editing and the theory of film as a communications and propaganda tool. After the 1917 Russian revolution the Soviet Union was trying to grow its new film industry. The new filmmakers did not have enough cameras or film stock so instead of shooting their own footage, they experimented with editing existing footage from Russian melodramas and the occasional American film. Lev Kuleshov, a film teacher, smuggled a copy of Griffith’s “Intolerance” so his students could study it in detail. They re-edited part of the film and discovered what a radical difference they could make by changing a scene. Kuleshov’s workshop to experiment with a shot from a Russian film. They had the shot of a man looking ahead without emotion. They used that same shot in three different sequences:
1. Intercut the man’s face with a bowl of soup
2. Intercut the man’s face with a little girl playing
3. Intercut the man’s face with a dead woman.
They showed the three sequences to audiences. Audiences praised the actor’s range! They said he felt hunger when he saw the soup, joy when seeing the girl play, and grief for his mother, but the shot of the actor had not changed, only what surrounded it. This powerful effect of juxtaposing different shots is called the Kuleshov Effect. It demonstrates that audience reaction is determined, not by one shot, but by the context and shots that surround it.
conventions and techniques.
A transition in film is a technique mainly used in the post-production process of film/video editing, this is because it is where the scenes or shots are combined together, and this is usually mostly done just by using just a normal cut that goes straight to the next scene. But now as well as this most films include selective uses of other transitions, they usually do this to set a tone or mood as this gives more of an effect to the audience or suggest that time has passed or for separate parts of the story.
seamless/continuity.
Continuity editing is the process, in film and video creation, of combining more-or-less related shots, or different components cut from a single shot, into a sequence so as to direct the viewer's attention to a pre-existing consistency of story across both time and physical location.
Motivated editing
A motivated edit or motivated cut as it is also known, is when the scene cuts to another scene or object that was not in the previous frame. This is done in a discreet manner so as not to come off as jarring to the audience or break the illusion of continuity. Motivated edits are usually justified by narrative means such as in Flashbacks, to create a sense of tension and reverse shots.
Montage.
Montage is another technique that has been around for a long time, but isn’t used as much as the previous cuts. The idea behind the montage is to use rapid cuts of imagery to help convey the passing of time or to help aid the context of the narrative. An example of this is Rocky.
Jump cut.
The jump cut is a technique which allows the editor to jump forward in time. In this very early version of the jump cut, contemporary audiences were introduced to a new way of time passage in film. It obviously gained traction and is one of the most used types of cuts today next to the hard cut. An example of this is Battleship potempkin.
parallel.
There's one technique that tends to stand out from the myriad editing techniques used by pros: parallel editing aka cross cutting. This editing technique is the process of alternating between two or more scenes that happen simultaneously in different locations within the world of the film.
180-degree rule
In film making, the 180-degree rule is a basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene.
splicing.
Film splicer. A film splicer (also called a film joiner, usually in Europe) is a device which can be used to physically join together lengths of photographic film. It is mostly used in film motion pictures.
transitions.
The standard.
he hard cut is the basic type of cut in editing. This type of cut is utilized when you want to cut from clip to clip without any type of transition, or where you cut from the end of one clip to the beginning of another. The only down side of the hard cut is that (out of all the cuts we’ll talk about) this one gives the least amount of visual meaning. An example of this is
Jump cut.
The jump cut is a technique which allows the editor to jump forward in time. In this very early version of the jump cut, contemporary audiences were introduced to a new way of time passage in film. It obviously gained traction and is one of the most used types of cuts today next to the hard cut. An example of this is Battleship Potemkin.
L-cut and J-cut.
First, let’s talk about the L Cut. This editing technique is used not only by narrative filmmakers, but is also a favorite of documentary filmmakers and commercial videographers. What L Cut means is that you are hearing the audio from the previous shot, even though we’ve moved on to another shot. So, the audience is looking at clip B but still hearing audio from clip A. An example of this is The Jazz Singer.
A J Cut is essentially the opposite of the L Cut. Here we hear the audio before we see the video. So, the audience is looking at clip A but still hearing audio from clip B. This type of cut is used quite often in all forms of filmmaking and videography, but you can see it quite often in content featuring an interview. An example of this is Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Cutting on action.
The technique of cutting on action is a huge component of, well, action films. Of course, this type of cut can be used on less-explosive action as well. The basic idea of cutting for action is that the editor cuts from one shot to another and matches the action of the shots. Editing is all about motivation. An example of this is Muriel ou Le temps d'un retour.
Match cuts.
The match cut is the technique of matching the movement or space of two opposite environments together. This technique has been used for many years. It’s most effective when you need to move the narrative along, but you need to find a way to connect them together seamlessly. An example of a movie that uses this is Titanic or Psyco.
Juxtaposition
Placing two elements or words side by side and letting the reader or viewer compare them. This act compares and contrasts the two elements and can show irony, humor or sadness. An example of this good and bad, yes and no or foolish and serious.
dissolve
In the post-production process of film editing and video editing, a dissolve is a gradual transition from one image to another. The terms fade-out (also called fade to black) and fade-in are used to describe a transition to and from a blank image. This is in contrast to a cut where there is no such transition.
fade
In the post-production process of film editing and video editing, a dissolve is a gradual transition from one image to another. The terms fade-out (also called fade to black) and fade-in are used to describe a transition to and from a blank image.
wipe
A wipe is a type of film transition where one shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to another or with a special shape.
Cut away.
Cutaways take the audience away from the main action or subject. These are used primarily as transition pieces to give the audience a view of what is happening outside of the main character’s environment. This also goes a long way in helping you emphasize specific details of the mise-en-scène and allowing you to add meaning to them. An example of this is The Dead Series.
point of view shot.
Point-of-view camera and editing is a key device that filmmakers use to create audience identification with characters in a film. They often use the technique to place the audience in the position of the main character.
shot-reverse-shot
Shot reverse shot (or shot/countershot) is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.
providing and withholding information.
Providing and withholding information is a big part of cinema because as a viewer we don't want to be told the plot from the beginning and this is why dramatic questions are very important in film making. Providing information for the viewer is essential in the sense that putting a few
shots together that will reveal the minimum will engage your viewer but I think that the best way to keep a viewer guessing and more hooked on your feature would be by withholding information because then as a viewer they will be asking questions to try and justify the actions they've just witnessed. TV dramas are known for providing and withholding information because they are a serial program they have to rely on keeping their audience guessing on what's going to happen in the next episode.
editing rhythm.
Rhythmic Editing: Definition: Rhythmic editing is when the relations between shots function to control film pace. Characteristics: a shot's physical length corresponds to a measurable duration. rhythmic function occurs when several shot lengths form a discernable pattern.
Cross cut.
The technique of the cross-cut, also known as parallel editing, is where you cut between two different scenes that are happening at the same time in different spaces. When done effectively you can tell two simultaneous stories at once and the information being given to the audience will make complete sense. An example is The Birth of a Nation.
cutting to soundtracks.
Cutting to soundtrack is the technique where each cut is influenced by the style of music heard in the background. So if the scene is a sad one, perhaps at a funeral, a slow song will be heard. If there is a car chase scene, the music will be fast and upbeat.
Principles of editing.
01. Contrast: cutting between two different scenarios to highlight the contrast between them. As an example, Pudovkin suggests moving from scenes of poverty to someone really rich to make the difference more apparent.
.02 Parallelism: here you can connect two seemingly unrelated scenes by cutting between them and focusing on parallel features. For example, if you were shooting a documentary about fish stocks in the Atlantic, you could cut from a trawler being tossed about in the ocean to a family chomping down on some fish and chips – in both scenes drawing our attention to the fish: the object that connects them. It creates an association in the viewers’ mind.
.03 Symbolism: Again, more intercutting, you move from your main scene to something which creates a symbolic connection for the audience. Pudovkin (living in Soviet Russia) suggested cutting between shots of striking workers being shot by Tsarist police and scenes of cows being slaughtered: in the audience’s mind, they associate the slaughter of the cattle with the slaughter of the workers.
.04 Simultaneity: This is used lots in Hollywood today: cutting between two simultaneous events as a way of driving up the suspense. If you’re making a film about a politician on election night, you might cut between shots of the vote being counted to shots of your main subject preparing to hear the result. This extending of time builds anticipation.
.05 Leit motif: This ‘reiteration of theme’ involves repeating a shot or sequence at key moments as a sort of code. Think how Spielberg uses a ‘point of view’ shot in Jaws showing the shark looking up at swimmers. The first time he does it creates a visual code for “the shark’s about to attack”. Every time we see that underwater POV we know an attack is imminent. He has allowed us to participate in the decoding.
Engaging the viewer.
The process of editing begins in the post-production stage, in which a film or a television piece is editing to create the final outcome. This is transformed into a piece suitable for its target audience; the role of an editor can be seen as one of the most important roles when creating either a film or television piece due to the fact they are the key collaborator with the director. Each genre of a film has a different technique and style that are used to illustrate the genre of the film or television program;
The genre of horror commonly combines both slow and fast cuts to build up and release tension. Slow paced shots are used to distress the audience but also to convince them into carry on watching. Low angled shots are used to create fear as this shows to the audience the character’s fear and intimidation. This type of editing that creates anxiety within the viewers is closely matched by the choice of sound used alongside the scene. An example of 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 Brothers film The Orphan.
Development of drama and combining shots into sequences.
Editing is used to develop the particular drama in the scene as the way certain footage is edited can determine the intensity of the scene. This is done by creating scenes using certain camera shots and angles at certain points which all help develop the drama of the scene.
Combining specific shots into a specific sequence is edited by the editor to help create a smooth flowing scene. Once all the individual shots have been corrected such as colour correcting which means editing the brightness and contrast to help create a more appealing image as well as re-sizing shots so that they all match they are able to be successfully edited together to merge one scene.
Motivation
Creating motivation is vital when producing a film or a television program as this is the main aspect in keeping the target audience interested in your product. To successfully edit a film or program together an editor must always look for motivation in their cuts and this affects and determines how the audiences feels.
Relationship to genre
When editing different genres of film, they use individual techniques and styles to illustrate this genre. The way they edit these genre's changes the way we think about the story and our emotions change to the techniques used, it captures the audience and draws them in.
storytelling
Any sequence needs to be able to tell a story, to enable the audience to become engaged and interested. Storytelling is important because you need to capture the audience’s attention and keep them entertained throughout the duration of a film. Although this may seem easier said than done, if the editing of your sequences are done correctly, then telling the story shouldn't be a problem.
Combining shots into sequences
Combining shots into sequences is the process of putting together all shots and making them flow. Once all of the shots have been individually edited they can they be place together in a sequence a successful edit mean the sequence will look good, the edit needs to look invisible and so the audience can only see one long sequence.
Pace
Creating pace is when editing is used to speed up or slow down a film. The pace of an edit can alter the way the audiences views the film. For example, action films are usually fast paced, this is done editing shots so they are short and then quickly cut to another shot. Drama films normally use slower shots, this is to allow the audience to see and understand a scene, and to understand the character. this is done by having longer shots in a scene.
Development of film editing.
The development of film editing has changed massively. Now we use computers and technology mostly, but they never used to use technology at all.
Back in early 1800's, early motion pictures that were recorded were shown to be one locked-down shot. no editing was required as there generally wasn't any story. everyday movement recorded like people walking up and down a street and shown to an audience was enough to amaze as this technology wasn't around before. British film pioneer Robert W. Paul’s "come along do!" which was made in 1898 was one of the first ever to have more than one shot. in 1908 D.W Griffiths created the film "For Love for Gold" which featured the first ever continuity cut when a scene cut. in 1915, Griffiths released "The Birth of a Nation" which is based on the novel "the clansman". The film included a variety of camera techniques such as longshots, still shots, cross cutting and planning shots. These techniques are widely used today to create films. the soviet montage began in 1924. during the time of the movement's control fewer than thirty films were made in this particular style but the films were very influential for its time. the French new wave (or French nouvelle vague), the style of a number of highly individualistic French film directors of the late 1950's to 1960's.
Shot variation
Shot Variation is the technique used in filming to create a sequence of images using movement; these types of shots include a wide shot as this type of shot is commonly used at the start of a sequence to set the tone of the scene as well as enabling the audience to grasp the concept of the scene. Long shots are used to enable the focus of the audience to remain on a certain
character, this is commonly used to introduce main characters. A Medium Shot are primarily used in dialogue scenes or action scenes to enable the audience to follow the narrative. Variations of this shot are a two shot or a three shot. Using a Close Up means the camera in concentrating on a certain item or character; this is commonly used within the genre of Romantic Comedy as it enables the audience to see the expression and emotion on a characters face and helps progress the narrative.
following the action & multiple points of view.
he earliest films in the cinema were produced by using one shot without the editing process as the equipment and knowledge was still unknown. But as the film making techniques evolved the editing stage was introduced as it became an essential process in completing a film. Only by editing footage together could the narrative of the films produced be achieved.
The film Life of an American Fireman in 1903 shows the events of a fireman rescuing a woman from a burning building. The film is first viewed by the audience from inside the building and then a shot shown from outside the building which repeats the action in the narrative. This editing technique of using different points of view of the action demonstrated its own laws of time and space on narrative.
Camera editing.
In camera editing is a technique used within the video and film making production in which shots are filmed in the exact sequence that they will be shown to and viewed by the audience as either a film or a television program. This was done by severely planning which shots would best tell the narrative and the shots were filmed in chronological order.
The film 'A Beautiful Mind' released in 2001 was director by Ron Howard and he made the creative decision to film it completely in chronological order. Although only 90% of the film ended up being filmed using the in Camera Editing technique due to three separate trips being made to the Princeton University campus. In 2002 the film was nominated for the Oscar award of Best Edited Film and was also awarded for Best Picture.
Analogue.
The term Analog editing is the name given to a tape based video production to sync up with footage in digital editing. Tape based editing is linear because it is impossible to jump instantly to any point in a video tape which means to reach a point you wish to edit you must roll through every shot.
Manipulation of Diegetic Time and Space.
The use of manipulating diegetic time and space is the editing technique used to portray time unconventionally; this can be shown by using flash blacks in where characters see images from the past or flash forwards in which characters are able to see images from the future. It can also be used to show the environment or an object changing of a period of time. An example of this can be seen from a scene from the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban film in which Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are able to visit the past using a certain object.
Digital
In this method, video footage is recorded onto a computer hard drive and then edited using specialized software. once the editing is complete, the finished product is recorded back to tape or optical disk.
linear and non-linear.
Linear editing is a type of video editing where the film has to be assembled in order, Regardless of whether it was captured by a video camera, tapeless camcorder, or recorded in a television studio on a video tape recorder (VTR) the content must be accessed sequentially. For the most part video editing software has replaced linear editing. In the past film editing was done in linear fashion, where film reels were literally cut into long strips divided by takes and scenes, and then glued or taped back together to create a logical sequence of film. Linear video editing is more time consuming and highly specialized and tedious work.
Non-linear editing is what you’ve used in final cut pro, where you can access any frame of film regardless of where it is in the sequence and manipulate it. A pointer-based playlist – effectively an edit decision list (EDL) – for video or a directed acyclic graph for still images is used to keep track of edits. Each time the edited audio, video, or image is rendered, played back, or accessed, it is reconstructed from the original source and the specified editing steps. Although this process is more computationally intensive than directly modifying the original content, changing the edits themselves can be almost instantaneous, and it prevents further generation loss as the audio, video, or image is edited.
The Purpose of Editing
The purpose of editing can be seen as being very significant; the editing itself is effective as it sets a meaning for the film. The editing can also help the film with the narrative; by this it helps the audience receive information about the plot and the story throughout the film. Using edit’s, it can define the information the audience will receive about the film. I can be used to build up emotion for or about a character in which people can like or hate.
The editing of a film is classed as a form of art and in this case it would be the ‘invisible’ art. Being able to edit a film perfectly to professional standards helps the film itself so much as it enables viewers watching to engage with the film. The editing of a film can be used in a diverse way. It can be used to create a sensually provocative montage. It can bring out the emotional truth in an actor's performance within filming; it can also create a point of view on otherwise obtuse events. It can also be used to guide the telling and pace of a story. The editing can create an illusion of danger where there is none and keep the viewer on the edge of their seat making the film more exciting, give emphasis to things that would not have otherwise been noted; and even create a vital subconscious emotional connection to the viewer, among many other possibilities.
Conclusion
An editor is like a surgeon with many tools to mend, heal and produce something beautiful. From jump cutting to building suspense on a ride through a hotel the editor is keeping the
machine moving. Playing a part in every aspect of the story, they have rules they have to meet themselves but occasionally can jump the line. so far has the industry has come a long way.