Research: Editing - Miss Begum

Editing

What is editing? And why it is important to use in films?

Editing is a type of technique used to correct, condense or otherwise to modify a certain clip to either empathise or subtly change the scene to get a specific reaction from the audience. It is important to to use editing in films in order for a proper sequencing to try and achieve a smooth flow of narrative. The use of editing sometimes is used to encourage tension build up for the audience through transitions of one shot to another by the speed of the editing.
A transition is a type of edit used where there are some sort of filter or technique to show the next image or scene.

Editing Key Terminology

Edits:

Straight cuts: A straight cut is a simple edit or clip that is put together. Something that is put together to introduce the next scene, character or idea in a simple manner so there is no disruption to the audiences understanding of what is going on in the scene. This creates a more fluent transition to the next scene but no too subtle that wouldn't be noticeable.

Shot Reverse Shot: A shot reverse shot is usually used during a conversation between two people or more, following one shot to another. Its very similar to a straight cut but only used in a conversation so the audience doesn't get confused on who is talking.

Straight cuts are used in this scene from the thriller movie 'Se7en' when it jumps from one detective to another still keeping the tension present as we don't know what is in the box, the straight cuts are have no transitions between them that create tension but not enough to make the audience confuse that its quite subtle and unnoticeable.
There is also a use of a shot reverse shot in this short movie clip from 'Se7en' when the antagonist confesses to the detective (protagonist) to a brutal murder he committed to his wife. As he explains what he has done, the audience are able to get a clear image of the antagonist motionless face to the protagonists broken-hearted. Although the audience are feeling the sympathy for protagonist, they are also fearful that he might be responsible for the antagonists death which creates tension.

Montage: A montage is an edit of clips condensed to demonstrate a short story that might not always make sense but to give us an idea of what would've or could've happened. This is either edited together in slow motion or fast to get the audiences understanding.

In the movie 'Psycho' the infamous shower scene uses a montage with a series of shots that are shown in a rapid succession to a condense space which really empathises the murder. Similar to the straight cuts but only faster, the shots quickly flicker from the knife to the victim to demonstrate that she is being brutally attacked by this mysterious antagonist. Montages are very simple yet very effective as the audience is able to interpret this scene without actually having to see the actual stabbing.

Fast Editing: Fast editing is used when clips are put together at a faster pace to create excitement and suspense. The audience is always on the edge of their seats when there is fast editing involved because in thrillers, especially in thrillers, it creates of thrill that we are not able to experience in real life.

In this movie clip from 'Fast and Furious 6', the fast editing is used during a rescue scene. The male and female protagonists are working together to stop the antagonist. This means that they are forced to work quickly making this scene a fast editing. When the truck is getting closer to the edge of the cliff, the suspense and tension is being built up for the audience who are uneasy and unsure whether the protagonists are going to survive.

Slow motion editing: When slow motion editing is used, it slows down the shots from the film to really empathise what is going on. This is typically used in fast action scenes such as fight scenes and chase scenes where they needed to be slow down to be understandable.

In the film 'Inception', slow editing is used in this scene where there are multiple explosions and cuts in slow motion for the audience to be able to see the full scale of them. Moreover, it creates excitement because we able to observe these fast moving scenes slowly.

Jump Cut Scene: A jump cut scene is a drastic camera movement that is noticeable to the eye. It is used to create awareness to the audience that something has happened and we are able to find out later in the film. 

In the 'Iron Man' trailer, jump cuts are used to show short parts of the movie, using a short narrative to show the audience was will happen although it doesn't give out much. 

Reaction Shot: A reaction shot us a shot that is often used as a cutaways in which a subject reacts to the previous shot. When a reaction shot is used, we are able to see the subjects face more clearly, the expression of their face from the previous shot creates thrill as we (the audience) are able to experience their mentality and emotions.

In this clip from 'The Grudge', a reaction shot is used to evidently present the female protagonist which is also a victim at this very point. She responds to the supernatural antagonist frightfully. When we see the supernatural antagonist, the shot is quickly reverted back to the protagonist who is socked stiff as this is a unconventional to real life circumstances.

Transitions:

Fade To Black: A fade to black is a transition which is has a literal meaning where the scene we are presented with at first fades to blank black screen. This creates tension for audience as black is a symbolic colour for death, hurt and the end, it tells the audience that this will end darkly.

The film 'The Grudge' also uses a perfect example of the fade to black editing technique. When the flash backs (montage) turns back into reality and the female protagonist notices the grudge at the top of the staircase. This creates a spine chilling experience for the audience as the female protagonist is in serious danger and has limited time to herself and her brother. The use of the fade to black transition repesents conventional themes such as death and danger.

Dissolve: A dissolve shot is a shot which disintegrates into another shot which means you are able to see bits from the previous scene into the new shot. It can also sometimes convey hidden messages for the audience to spot out on.

A perfect example is from the movie 'Psycho'. When the killer is discovered, there is a shot of him which dissolves into another scene of a rope which if you look closely looks like its tied to his neck. This conveys messages such as he was hung right after the scene for his convicted murders.

Wipe Cut: A wipe cut is a transition to which when one shot slides into another which is noticeable to the audience.

Conclusion:

Researching on the different editing techniques has taught me that editing is very important when it comes to a thriller movie. I have a clear understanding how to create a fluent edit allowing the audience to understand and familiarise themselves with the characters and the particular scene. Editing is important and I know that because with each and every unique edit, it conveys hidden messages which then the audience will pick out and understand the movie more.