SECOND YEAR PROPOSAL
EDITING RESEARCH
WHAT IS EDITING?
Film editing is known for being an ‘invisible art’ this is due to the goal of filmmaking is to be to create a seamless production. Although the cinematographers and directors play a primary role in the creation of the film, it is in fact the editor who splice up the footage in order to create a story. The editors work closely with the director in order to capture their vison for the film. A great example of this would be Walter Murch working closely with Francis Ford Coppola to create Apocalypse Now.
Before digital editing became current in film making culture mechanical film making was the source of old school film making. This is when you had rolls of film and cut them precisely, using a razor, where you wanted a shot change. Harvard Reference: Ethan B. Reichsman. (2017). What is Film Editing?. Available: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/9/15/filmediting/. Last accessed 17th September 2018. |
HISTORY OF EDITING
Before filmmaking was even an established thing, there are traces throughout history showcasing editing and narrative. For example, in books we have flashbacks and in plays there are scene changes. Even art work has splices within it showing how the story is separated into different parts. But very early filmmakers were scared of film editing due to being in fear that the shot changes would confuse the audience and the story would be lost. This art work is from a church altar before editing was established, it shows scene changed via the cuts between each picture drawn.
Harvard Reference: N/A. (N/A ). Movies and Film: Fade In: A Brief History of Editing. Available: https://www.infoplease.com/features/movies-tv-and-music/movies-and-film-fade-brief-history-editing. Last accessed 18th september 2018. |
PRIMITIVE EDITING
Filmmakers discovered that editing shots within a sequence added to the audiences sense of the story, but it also enabled more complex stories to be created and shown to audiences. Examples of primitive editing will include films such as Rescued by Rover (1904) and The Great Train Robbery (1903). In the early stages of editing the cuts were made by the cameras, this is done by the cameraman stop cranking the camera at the time where they wanted to stop. Then if they wanted the shot to continue they would begin cranking it again. This is introduced some early special effect, for example George Méliès did this a lot in his films. The YouTube clip to the right of this text is one of George Méliès films titled 'The Vanishing Lady', in this he used the cranking of the camera to allow a women to vanish. This is done simply by stopping the cranking from the camera and then moving stuff in the shot (the lady) and re cranking it to begin filming again. This is editing in its earliest form.
Harvard Reference: N/A. (N/A ). Movies and Film: Fade In: A Brief History of Editing. Available: https://www.infoplease.com/features/movies-tv-and-music/movies-and-film-fade-brief-history-editing. Last accessed 18th september 2018. For my documentary I want to use footage from this video to reinforce my point on Edwin Porter showcasing the beginning of editing in film history. I want to use the footage beginning at 3:35 till 4:00 into the film.
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EARLY EDITING TECHNIQUES- EDWIN PORTER
After, Thomas Edison invented the first form of camera, the Kinetograph which showed moving pictures, in late 1980s. Then shortly after this in 1894 the Lumiere Brothers looked at Edison’s design and created their own camera. This camera was more light weight and used less film then Edison’s and it was called the Cinématographe. From all this editing soon became apparent, this is when Edison’s assistant Edwin Porter changed the idea of film making for the future. He changed editing history by ‘cutting’ shots and ‘jump cuts’ between different scenes happening at the same time. He said by doing this you will provoke an emotional response from the audience. The first film he showed this in was in 1903 with ‘Life of an American Fireman’ which showed someone trapped in a burning building with the firemen rushing to their rescue. He used these separate scenes and cut them together, to show time passing and to get an emotional response from the audience. At this time editing together and cutting together a film would involve cutting film and gluing it together where you wanted the next shot to be shown.
Harvard Reference: Liam Pym. (N/A ). The History of Editing in Film . Available: https://www.sutori.com/story/the-history-of-editing-in-film. Last accessed 18th Septmeber 2018. |
D.W. GRIFFITH'S REVOLUTIONARY EDITING TECHNIQUES
D.W. Griffith was the first to use revolutionary editing techniques such as jump cuts and action cut. He also used different types of camera shots such as close ups to get the characters emotions on screen. However, D.W. Griffith is notorious for using these techniques and sparked an interest within the film industry for others to use these techniques within their filmmaking, he didn’t invent these techniques. The combination of cutting and these new shot types allowed him to make a stronger impact on the audience watching his films. It also allowed him to draw attention of his audience to elements or subjects. These techniques are in many of films but most importantly are in 1915 film ‘The Birth of a Nation’.
Harvard Reference: Harvard Reference: Liam Pym. (N/A ). The History of Editing in Film . Available: https://www.sutori.com/story/the-history-of-editing-in-film. Last accessed 18th Septmeber 2018. |
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FEMALE EDITORS
In early stages of editing, editors were mostly female, and it required a large amount of people to make copies as there was no digital production. This meant when the chief editor and director decided where to cut a sequence people were then employed to cut the film reel up until it matched what the director wanted. It would then be checked over via a projector to see the accuracy of the editing and if there was continuity within the edit. At this time editors were under-valued and weren’t credited for their work within films. This is completely different from the relationship between the director and editor in the modern film industry, for example Francis Ford Coppola and Walter Murch. However, this all changed in 1929 when a Russian film maker, Dzifa Vertov, created ‘A man with a Movie Camera’ which highlighted the importance of a film editor. The respect for editor also may of changed due to the social situation within the world at the time, post first world war where women had become more respected within society.
Harvard Reference: Harvard Reference: Liam Pym. (N/A ). The History of Editing in Film . Available: https://www.sutori.com/story/the-history-of-editing-in-film. Last accessed 18th Septmeber 2018. |
KULESHOV EFFECT
Lev Kuleshov, who was a soviet filmmaker, was one of the first to dissect the effects of juxtaposition. To illustrate the importance of film editing. The Kuleshov effect was created, this basically shows the importance in editing together different shots. In the video it shows a man looking at three different things: food, a coffin and a women. Even though the video is the same video of the man every time it is said that different emotions are sparked every time you see the video. For the first one hunger is illustrated, then sorrow and finally desire. This is showing how emotion has sparked from editing and how influential it is to setting a scene and mood within a film. It can impact the audience emotions and draw them in.
Harvard Reference: Ethan B. Reichsman. (2017). What is Film Editing?. Available: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/9/15/filmediting/. Last accessed 17th September 2018. This an interview with Alfred Hitchcock who is explaining in the importance of the Kuleshov effect and how it can manipulate the audiences emotions by what shots are illustrated. Thus, revealing the impact and the power the editor has over the film and the overall vibe of it. The effect on the audience will completely differ depending on how the footage is edited together. The audience could see a sinister side to a character and thus become scared or maybe they will see a loving side. The entire vibe of the film changes depending on the shot arrangement.
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HISTORY OF FILMMAKING
SERGEI EISENSTEINAs the film industry has shaped and changed over all the decades it has been around, the stylistic choices have become more mainstream. However, these 'mainstream' techniques have come from influential filmmakers such as Hitchcock, Sergei Eisenstein and Walter Murch. Who due to their niche film making techniques have shaped the typical way of filmmaking and have allowed filmmaking to progress of where it is today. I want to research further into influential editors who have brought new techniques into film making and drawn more impact from filmmaking.
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SERGEI EISENSTEIN HAD FIVE STYLES OF EDITING:
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Sergei Eisenstein was an Russian film director and theorist who’s work includes films such as: ‘Potemkin’, ‘Alexander Nevsky’ and ‘Ivan the Terrible’. Eisenstein is regarded as one of the early pioneers for early cinema. Eisenstein was titled as the ‘father of montage’ due to his ideas of editing could be used to convey more then the narrative within a story. The time in which Eisenstein produced his films had a barrier due to it being the age of early cinema and getting to grips with the camera. Also, Eisenstein’s work has a propagandist nature to his work due to him making the films
Harvard Reference: Jean Mitry . (N/A). Sergey Eisenstein . Available: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sergey-Eisenstein. Last accessed 22nd September 2018. |
METRIC
Metric is the style of editing which manipulates how long the shot is to create a sense of pace and overall cause an emotional response. For example, you can achieve a completely different vibe and feel within the shot depending how you cut the shots. Like if there were two videos of the same length, yet one was cut with lots of fast cuts which gives the impression time is going quickly and thus creates tension. Where as if the other video had a slower pace, it will make the duration to seem longer and more relaxed. An example of this would be Eisenstein’s film ‘October’. As you can see from this video clip the shots are cut into a mix of many short duration shots this gives the whole video a frantic vibe and makes the video quick pace and tense. This will effect the audience watching the video, the audience will feel on edge and gripped into watching the film. The cuts can illustrate what's happening on screen and intensify it and this is what it does to the audience. Almost, makes them feel like they are in the film. |
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RHYTHMICS
This type of editing is when the pace of the editing conflicts with the pace of the scene. For example, you could have a scene where a crowd are all panicking but the editing could be really slow and have a really long pace to it. This could highlight what is going on in each particular scene. On the opposite side of the scale you could have a slow sequence (in terms of the scene) but the editing could appear to be faster and have a shorter duration. This can be also shown in Eisenstein’s classic ‘Battleship Potemkin’. The long duration shots of the crowd (editing) juxtaposes with the franticness of the situation as people run away in fear. This allows us as an audience to dwell on the people's emotional state and really understand the distraught on screen. This gives the audience an disturbing effect as the situation on screen doesn't match up with the audience, this may cause the audience to pay more attention and fully take in the film. |
TONAL
This editing is defined by the emotional tone within the scene and then this effects the editing. A scene within the film which has a happy tone will have loads of quick cuts to reinforce the happiness and the upbeat style. Whereas a dad moment would have longer shots with cuts that coincide with the slower rhythm. For example in the film ‘The Green Mile’ where John Coffey is getting executed shows tonal editing. Even thought there is not much music the length of the shots really heightens the sad tone as the gentle giant John is about to be executed for a crime he did not commit. This scene from 'The Green Mile' connotes emotions of sadness and the long duration shots allow the audience to feel the emotions of the audience. The emotions within the scene are almost heightened, the audience can feel the extremities of these emotions and can become closer to the characters and storyline within the film. |
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OVER-TONAL
Over-Tonal is a combination of metric, tonal and rhythmic montages in order to draw the audience in and provoke and emotion from them. INTELLECTUAL An intellectual montage us a combination of shots which are created with a purpose of creating a visual metaphor. This is where Eisenstein got his creative flare within his films. This following clip is an example of this practice, it follows the forms of government that oppress the popular in some form or another. This can be used effectively to illustrate important messages within films, the audience will be drawn into the film and really listen to everything being aid and the message as its very gripping and enticing. Harvard Reference: Sean Maguire . (2012). Early history of Editing techniques. Available: https://seanmaguireblog.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/early-history-of-editing-techniques/. Last accessed 21st September 2018. |
WALTER MURCH
Walter Murch is a film editor who has been editing Hollywood films since starting on Francis Ford Coppola’s film ‘The Rain People’ (1969). From there he has gone on to edit some of the best edited films for example ‘The Godfather: Part II’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’ which arguably are some of the best edits in film history. Walter has seen many changes throughout film history and has experience the transition between mechanical editing and digital, he was the first filmmaker awarded an academy award for editing on a digital system (Avid). One thing Walter Murch is well known for is his invention of the ‘Rule of Six’ which he addresses in his book ‘In the blink of an eye’, I have read this book to grow my knowledge surrounding the rule of six. Murch made a list of six things in order of importance to showcase what makes a good cut.
Harvard Reference: Walter Murch (1992). In The Blink Of An Eye . 2nd ed. Los Angeles : Silman-James Press. p17-20. Eye Trace
Eye trace is about being aware where you want the audience to look and cut accordingly. Match the movement from either side of the screen to the other, or for matching the frame, or for a transition. By guiding the audience to what to look at you are in fact engaging them with what is important within the scene. The audience will understand the film and the hidden messages within it. Two Dimensional Place of Screen The cut should follow the axis (180 degree line). This will ensure the action continues along the same path and should keep continuity. For example a car leaving the left side of frame, would enter again via the right. Three dimensional space This rule should always be used, unless its purposely broken for an impact. Breaking the 18 degree line works really well if you want your audience feeling confused, or to disorientate them. Harvard Reference: Nicole Boyd. (2014). Walter Murch and the ‘Rule of Six’ – Film Editing. Available: https://videoandfilmmaker.com/wp/index.php/tutorials/film-editing-walter-murchs-rule-6/. Last accessed 19th September 2018. |
RULE OF SIX
This is me going into more detail of the importance of each rule and how they can be used to achieve a good cut.
Emotion Emotion is all about how the shots affects the audience emotionally and if the shot is relevant to the emotion and vibe being felt within the scene. The shot should accumulate an emotion that works and fits well and makes the moment feel good, rather than the opposite. If the cut is distracting the audience from the emotion of the story then it doesn’t work, Murch believes that emotion ‘is the thing that you should preserve at all costs’. The emotion within films is what allows the audience to have that connection with the film. This effects the audience enjoyment of the film and how much they buy into the characters and storyline. Walter Murch: ‘How do you want the audience to feel? If they are feeling what you want them to feel all the way through the film, you’ve done about as much as you can ever do.’ Story Story is all about the cuts encouraging an advancement and development of story line. If the edit doesn’t move the story forward in a meaningful way, then it is not important enough for the storyline. If the edit is irrelevant and it isn’t essential to the storyline then it need to go. The audience want to engage in a film where everything within it is meaningful. It's pointless watching something which doesn't drive the plot onwards as people might get bored and no longer engage as thoroughly with the film. Rhythm Rhythm is more in terms with music and the timing of the shots and cuts within the film. If the shots don’t make rhythmic sense, then they are pointless within the film. If the rhythm is off the edit will look sloppy and ‘jarring’ to the audience watching it. You want the shots to flow well, as the audience will see the edit as seamless and easier to watch. Walter Murch: ‘It occurs at a moment that is rhythmically interesting and ‘right’ All these three rules (Emotion, Story and Rhythm) all go hand and hand together. If one of them is working for example Emotion, then both story and rhythm should work as well. These three rules are more important then the other three, hence why they have a higher percentage. FILMS EDITED BY WALTER MURCH
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THELMA SCHOONMAKER
LIST OF AWARDS WON
- America Cinema Editors: Best Edited feature film 1981 (Raging Bull)
- BAFTA Film Award: Best Editing 1982 (Raging Bull) - BAFTA Film Award: Best Editing 1991 (Goodfellas) - Below the Line Award: Editing 1992 (Gotham) - Hollywood Film Award: 2000 - American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie: Best Edited Feature Film 2003 (Gangs of New York) - Satellite Awards: Best Film Editing 2002 (Gangs of New York) - American Cinema Editors ACE Eddie: Best Edited Feature Film 2005 (The Aviator) - She has won three Oscars and also has been nominated for another four Oscars. Harvard Reference: N/A. (2018). Thelma Schoonmaker Awards . Available: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0774817/awards. Last accessed 20th september 2018. This is a clip from the film 'Departed' showing how the bright lights can be used as a transition between shots.
This an example of the stop and look around.
This is an example of slowing the footage down in order to make a bigger impact. This is Raging Bull and is one of the most famous films Thelma Schoonmacker edited.
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Thelma Schoonmaker is arguably one of the most famous female editors in film history. She is most famous for being Martin Scorsese long time editor for many of his films including the critically acclaimed film ‘Raging Bull’. Which is well known for its invisible and seamless editing within it. Thelma Schoonmaker has gone to edit twenty of Scorsese’s films. This highlights the importance between the relationship between director and editor and how they should work closely together in order to achieve the vision of the film. This is different from previous years, the beginning of filmmaking history, when editing was seen as inferior to directing and was a tedious task given to women. Thelma Schoonmaker says she still does not like to think of editing as an invisible art because ‘we like to slap the audience in the face sometimes with a cut that really is not invisible’.
Harvard Reference: Tara Karajica. (N/A). Thelma Schoonmaker: Editing is a misunderstood art. Available: https://www.screendaily.com/venice/thelma-schoonmaker-editing-is-a-misunderstood-art/5076955.article. Last accessed 20th Septmeber 2018. Ever since Martin Scorsese’s feature ‘The knocking at my Door’ in 1967, the most defining relationship grew in cinematic history between himself and Thelma Schoonmacker. They met in New York city and have collaborated on films ever, Scorsese’s in said that he would not achieve the amount of success from his films if he didn’t have Schoonmacker there. These are some defining things Thelma Schoonmacker does within her editing in order for the film to be a success.
Present Thelma goes to set from the first day of shooting to the very last. She will sit with the script supervisor and the continuity lady and watches every take being done. This means when she comes to editing she will already know where all the important footage is located and how to assemble it together without having to watch a full two hours’ worth of footage that she may or may not use in the final edit. A good example of this is in ‘Kind of Comedy’ in the house invasion scene, Jerry Lewis revealed post-shooting that Robert De Niro aggravated him with anti-Semitic language. Schoonmaker knew where to edit and cut within the footage in order to get the best reaction. This is perfect as Thelma knows what takes are the best which allows her editing to bring the film to life and make it the best it could possibly be. Thus, meaning the audience will enjoy the quality of film more as the edit is well thought through. Object within a Shot Thelma Schoonmacker also uses objects within shots as a could way to create rhythm and a seamless edit. For example this technique is used in several of Schoonmacker’s films such as The Departed, Raging Bull, Casino and The Aviator. Schoonmacker uses blinding lights and cuts with the light bulb to create a transition from one shot to another. With The Departed muzzle flashes and audio cues such as a door slamming which then becomes a front door opening. This creates a pace within the film and thus draws the audience in further. This is a more engaging way to transition from scene to scene, the audience will be more enticed as the transition is visually pleasing. Thus, meaning the audience will watch the film more thoroughly and avidly. Stop and Look around One of Scorsese’s favourite techniques to have within his films is a freeze frames, this is when one of the characters come to a realisation internally through narration, or for an image that captures an object or character. An example of this is in the film ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ where Jordan Belfort’s wife asks: ‘Why don’t rich people invest in these businesses?’ and the cutaway to Belfort is a freeze frame, where the narration simply states: ‘Because they’re too smart’. This helps the storyline to come across better on screen from the introduction of characters to information. This ensures the audience follows the film easily as they can understand information in an engaging format. A Conversation is not a tennis match Within films there will be scenes where a conversation happens between two characters or so. They usually have a three-angle set-up with a two-shot and two ½ shots or close ups. Scorsese’s does this well and Thelma Schoonmacker edits the scene to show the reaction of the person who isn’t talking. This overall deepens the visual-audio stimuli within the film. This will intensify the audiences understanding of the characters as they can great a grip of what that character is like and make a judgement on them. This makes the film more understandable and allows the audience to get behind the protagonist. Speed things up when it helps the story In Scorsese’s films he has Thelma Schoonmacker to edit them to have slow-motion within them. This is quite noticeable in Casino, when Joe Pesci’s Nicky stabs the bar guy in the throat, this is done in both actual speed of the frame, and the cuts, Thelma exaggerated the motion in time. Thelma also slows down scenes as well, for example in Raging Bull when the guys are hitting each other in the boxing match. This reinforces the hits being taken. This is done to reinforce the moment being shown and illustrate to the audience that this moment is important. This will allow the audience to understand fully what the key aspects and messages the film is trying to convey. Harvard Reference: Byron Smith. (2014). 15 Lessons You Can Learn From Thelma Schoonmaker About Film Editing 01 August 2014 | Features, Other Lists | by Byron Smith . Available: http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2014/15-lessons-you-can-learn-from-thelma-schoonmaker-about-film-editing/. Last accessed 21st September 2018. |
D.W. GRIFFITH
D.W. Griffith (David Wark) grew up with his father’s romantic war stories and melodramatic nineteenth- century literature which went on to shape his films. Griffith in 1897 went to pursue an acting and writing for theatre career, which both went to eventually fail. He then went to act in the new motion picture for Edwin S. Porter at the Edison Company. He then went on to direct over four hundred and fifty short films, experimenting with the story-telling techniques he would later perfect in his film The Birth of a Nation (1915). His success came with ‘The Birth of a Nation’ even though it’s contents were highly racist. ‘Birth of a Nation’ was seen as the first US blockbuster and has been lauded for its pioneering storytelling forms, this film has greatly influenced movie making history due to its pioneering storytelling forms. All of these films were innovative with its narrative structure.
Harvard Reference: Biography.com Editors. (April 27, 2017). D.W. Griffith Biography. Available: https://www.biography.com/people/dw-griffith-9321016. Last accessed 21st september 2018. When researching the development of film throughout film history it has been very easy to look at the narrative as the way in which films have developed. However, indivual artists who viewed films to express themselves have changed film making for a whole. D.W. Griffith transformed primitive to its classical mode of editing and filmmaking. He was the first person to recognise the power of the motion-picture medium as it could be persuasive and powerful over an audience. Griffith made 450 films in the time of his career and used techniques which were already in use but he simply refined them.
Harvard Reference: N/A. (2018). The silent years, 1910–27. Available: https://www.britannica.com/art/history-of-the-motion-picture/The-silent-years-1910-27#ref507977. Last accessed 21st September 2018 This is the first part of three part documentary explaining the whole of D.W. Griffith's life from his birth place, his career, what he did for the film industry and his death. I thought it was a very interesting way of getting all the information across in an engaging way for example interviews with people who knew D.W. Griffith personally.
EXAMPLE'S OF D.W. GRIFFITH'S WORK
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D.W. Griffith was a pioneer in the film industry and was even titled ‘father of film’ by Lilian Gish. This is due to his revolutionary moviemaking skills that have evolved up to that time- light, continuity, editing and acting. It is important to remember that D.W. Griffith didn’t invent these film techniques but was a pioneer for them, he used these techniques and other filmmaker saw what he did with them and development it on further. These are some of the innovation D.W. Griffith was responsible for:
Classical Cutting Classical cutting which is also referred to as continuity editing is a style of editing that is characterised by the sequence of shots by a scene’s dramatic and emotional emphasis that we see in all our films in today society. An example of this would be in the film ‘the Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ in the scene the three main characters are preparing to shoot one another, to heighten the tension within the scene, the camera cuts between all three of the characters. This editing will cause the audience watching to feel on edge and gripped to the film. Close-up D.W. Griffith was one of the first people to use a close up shot within his films but for psychological reasons and emotional impact. Like Walter Murch says the most important part of a shot is the emotion behind it and if having a close-up shot achieves this then it should be used within the film. The audience can really see the emotion on each characters faces, in as sense they know what they are thinking. This will allow the audience to empathise with them. This emotional connection will cause the audience to feel more involved and engaged to the film. Parallel Editing Parallel editing is when multiple scene are taking place all at once (In films continuity) but in different locations, this technique is used to heighten the tension within the scene and create an emotional reaction form the audience watching the scene. An example of this would be in D.W. Griffiths film ‘A Birth of a Nation’ this is when the black Union soldiers are raiding a house and there are some women and children hiding in the basement of the house. And the Confederate army know the raid is going on and are going to save them. The scene cuts to the different locations with people to reinforce the tension and allow the audience to anticipate the safety of the women and her children. Eisenstein and the soviet montage The montage is a serious of shots which aren’t related at all which are all put together in a sequence, this is juxtaposition, this is when the film maker could make an illusion that time was going by quickly as well as other effects such as visual metaphors which manipulate the audiences’ emotions. An example of this would be the famous Rocky film montage. Eisenstein is a famous Russian film maker who is the most influential film makers in history. He was famous for his innovative editing which helped in creating stories. - Metric - Rhythmic - Tonal - Over-Tonal - Intellectual I will go into more detail about this in the Sergei Eisenstein section of this research, considering these were the techniques he create. Harvard Reference: sean maguire. (2012). Early history of Editing techniques. Available: https://seanmaguireblog.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/early-history-of-editing-techniques/. Last accessed 21st september 2018. |
ALFRED HITCHCOCK
Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘shower scene’ from his critically acclaimed film Psycho was one of the first occasions where we saw the Hitchcock montage. This scene had 78 camera setups and 52 cuts which took a total of 7 days out of 30-day filming schedule for just this one scene. Hitchcock created the montage by placing together many short duration shots of the women being stabbed within the shower without even seeing the knife go into the women’s body, just implying it. The cameras shots are carefully cut to ensure no nudity is shown on screen. However, many people after seeing the film when it first came out said they saw a naked woman and said they had seen her stabbed. Yet, this was untrue as Hitchcock implied this using the Hitchcock montage. The Hitchcock montage differs from the ‘Rocky Montage’ which is now more current in mainstream film, which is a training montage which shows time passing by. This scene is very well put together and many high professionals such as Del Toro and Walter Murch have spoken highly about this scene.
Harvard Reference: Peter Bradshaw. (2017). 78/52 review – Hitchcock's Psycho shower scene gets an expert autopsy 3 / 5 stars 3 out of 5 stars. . Available: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/oct/13/7852-review-hitchcock-psycho-shower-scene. Last accessed 23rd September 2018. PSYCHO
‘Psycho’ is the most well-known film from all of Hitchcock’s cohort of films. The film is unique in the sense that it was one of Alfred Hitchcock’s lowest budget films and it was shot more like an episode of a TV show compared to his other work for example Vertigo. And Hitchcock’s film has one of the most unsuspected murders of Marion Crane. Marion Crane gets murdered in the infamous shower scene even though she is set up as the protagonist who is on the run for stealing $40,000. Her character gets murdered less than halfway through the film which makes the film more disturbing. An important point in which Hitchcock has shown is that the murder took 45 seconds (on screen) however the clean up takes considerably longer. The facts that the main character is killed in the first half of the film suggests to the audience that nobody is safe. This makes everything within the film more meaningful as the audience are left wondering who will be next or if something horrific will happen. This all adds to the suspense that drives the films.
Harvard Reference: Justin Morrow . (2016). 'Every Cut a Weapon': Martin Scorsese on the Editing of 'Psycho. Available: https://nofilmschool.com/2016/02/every-cut-weapon-martin-scorsese-editing-psycho. Last accessed 23rd September 2018. |
Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most or even 'the' most influential directors or pioneers in film history. He has single handily shaped the entire film industry through his craft. He is known by many as the 'master of suspense' due to his revolutionary films. Hitchcock had a disciplined life style with a father who was very tough on him, punished him by having him sit in a prison cell at a local prison. However, this is said to of causes a fear for enclosed spaces and wrongful imprisonment, which would later be seen in many of his films. Hitchcock managed to be influential in every medium of film making but he brought a new knowledge and understanding of montage editing and the construction of films.
Harvard Reference: Michael Barson . (2018). Sir Alfred Hitchcock. Available: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-Hitchcock. Last accessed 2018. TECHNIQUES IN WHICH HITCHCOCK USES:
Pure Cinema
Hitchcock preferred to tell a story visually rather then through dialogue this is due to him believing emotional and moods were created better this way. He also didn’t think it was necessary for the characters to speak about a specific topic when he could just show it. All this highlights Hitchcock’s appreciation for early soviet filmmakers such as: Sergei Eisenstein, Lev Kuleshov, Dziga Vertov and Vsevolod Pudovkin, due to the way he constructed his films visually. The Soviet Montage theory which was developed by these Soviet filmmakers said that editing is what gives a film meaning, not the narrative. This meant that then rather then using dialogue to tell a story you should use editing and visuals instead. This will effect how the audience watches and appreciates his films. Its so much eaiser for people to be shown something rather then be told, this means that people will clearly understand the film and whats happening. It also makes the films more visually pleasing to the audience and gripping. For example, in Psycho Hitchcock suggests that the women is people stabbed and murdered through his shots not by telling it and this is scene is one of the most famous scenes in cinema. Suspense Hitchcock isn’t titled ‘The Master of Suspense’ for nothing. All of his films have suspense within them, in order to keep the audience on edge and drawn into his film. Hitchcock achieves suspense by creating an anticipation from the audience, he wants the audience to wait for something bad to happen and to understand that it will happen they just have to sit there and wait for it. He does achieve this in his editing by having long duration shots within a scene to build the tension and atmosphere. Hitchcock once said, ‘There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation for it’. The best way of doing so is letting the audience in on something the protagonist doesn’t know, this means they accountable for the characters. Thus, meaning the audience are left on edge. Chance Hitchcock does allow a circumstance of chance to occur for this character. Something in which they must take. This usually happens near the beginning of the film which makes sense because Hitchcock’s characters are usually destined to fail, so it makes sense for his character death be due to a circumstance of chance. However, this does mean that nothing else within the film is left up to chance, everything else that occurs within the films are motivated. This adds to thee drive and anticipation within his films which causes the audience to be enticed in. Harvard Reference: V Renee. (2017). 3 Cinematic Techniques Alfred Hitchcock Used to Make His Films Stand Out. Available: https://nofilmschool.com/2017/07/3-cinematic-techniques-hitchcock-uses-make-his-films-stand-out. Last accessed 23rd September 2018 |
PAUL MACHLISS AND JONATHAN AMOS
The 2017 motion picture directed by Edgar Wright and edited by Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos has achieved many awards, including a BAFTA, for the editing within the film. This film is revolutionary as it has created a whole new style of editing and filmmaking which differs from previous pioneers. 'Baby Driver' has shaped how films will be edited in the future. Due to 'Baby Driver' having music playing continuously and for narrative reasons the music is very important within the film, the edit for the film has to be cut to the beat and edited to the action within the scene. The editors for this motion picture have worked alongside each other numerous times, and Paul Machliss has had on and off work with the director Edgar Wright in films such as 'Scott Pilgrim against the world', therefore these editors and director have a mutual understanding of each other and the vision needed for this movie.
Harvard Reference: N/A. (2018). Baby Driver . Available: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3890160/. Last accessed 23rd September 2018. |
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INTERVIEW WITH THE EDITORS OF BABY DRIVER
This is an interview with the editors of the motion picture 'Baby Driver'. They said that the success of the film and the edit all came from the process they took in editing the film. For example. within the film it has a lot of music playing and a lot of scene of live action. This meant in order to get the music to sync up and work well with the live action, and to be able to edit to the action/beat, the editors edited the film whilst they were filming it. Paul Machliss had a trolley with all his equipment on and edited the film literally 'in the front line' where they were shooting the film. This meant they could get a rough edit of what the sequences would look like and report back if the shots worked well with the music or not. This meant that they could reshoot straight away and no time/ money was lost. This is very unique to editing we have seen in the past, where the editor edits the footage together after the shooting is over. It almost shows the shots can't be good if they aren't edited correctly. We are now seeing a closer link between editors and directors working together to achieve together the vison of the film.
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DEVELOPMENT IN FILM TECHNOLOGY
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This is a video discussing the development of technology. It shows the beginning of editing and the journey it has come on, leading up to modern film editing. To begin with editing had via using the cranking of the camera, when the filmmaker wanted a cut within the footage they would stop cranking the camera and then when they wanted a new shot to begin they would again crank the camera. However, this caused an over exposure with the beginning of the footage within the camera as the film had been exposed for a long time. Then someone came up with the smart idea to cut out that moment of high exposure by cutting the film reel using a razor, and then sticking the footage to the next shot using glue. This made the film reel become edited footage.
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Before modern editing became current editing was achieved by cutting a piece of film and taping together the shots you wanted within the sequence. This form of editing was known as linear or destructive editing, it was called this because the work was irreversible as the editors would have to physically rip the film. In 1920 a form of technology was created in which allowed the editors to watch the film as they edited, thus making their job easier, this form of equipment was called the ‘moviola’ and due to its efficiency it made editing more accurate and less time consuming for those editing the footage together. Then again technology advanced once again in 1970s in which was the ‘Steenbeck and the Kem’ which was new editing machinery which could be moved either forwards and backward, this meant that you could view the cuts and edits within the film. Then in the 1990s digital editing was born this was when digital editing software was created. It all started with Avid software, which was used by editors. However, now many competitors to Avid have been created for example Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid and Final Cut Pro. The good thing about linear and non-linear editing is now an editor can decide which way they prefer in editing their films and edit accordingly. Linear editing isn’t as popular to do now due to be a lot more expensive and taking longer, however saying that some prefer editing in a linear way for example Christopher Nolan. This niche market allows those who can do linear editing to in fact stand out.
Harvard Reference: Crash Course Editors (2017). The Editor: Crash Course Film Production. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esaoNeQI8oc. Last accessed 24th September 2018 |
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Due to the invention of video tape recording and lighter weight cameras this soon helped in the displacement of 8mm film as this was the primary way in which videos were captured. Editing video tapes were done physically, however this meant that good results were hard to find. By 1989 an advance occurred for editing on videotapes as Avid Technology introduced a digital non-linear editing system. This meant that for the first time vidoes could be edited on disks rather then physically editing a video tape or film. However at this time the conversion between analogue video to digital video was expensive due to the software, computer and the plug-in printed circuit board. Yet, it allowed high end production houses to edit their films easier.
The first film to be ever edited on the new Avid system was the 1994 ‘Let’s Kill All the Lawyers’. And then after that in 1995 the first Oscar was given for editing on the Avid System, this film was ‘The English Patient’. However after this many other software company saw Avid’s success and created their own editing sotware. In 1991 Apple introduced the Macintosh Quandra 900, this compute was very fast (25MHz) a great processor and huge capacity. Then 2 months later Appe introduced QuickTime software, initially in a postage-stamp sixed frame but later in full screen at 25 frames per second. It could do basic editing such as cropping, this was used with the Quandra 900 with a circuit board and VideoSpigot to achieve basic editing. As well as this in December 1991, Adobe released a professional digital non-linear program (Adobe Premiere), editing could be done in a non-destructive format using special effects, titling and transitions. It’s editing tools were more extensive then QuickTime. In 1992 Avid changed their editing system to make it clearly the province high-end production house. Editing software companies fought back and forth to be the leading editing software, even Apple introduced Final Cut Pro in 1999 and in 2005 created iMovie. Harvard Reference: N/A . (N/A). Apple Computers & Digital Video Editing . Available: https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/articles/2834. Last accessed 26th September 2018. |
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FILMS WITH GREAT EDITING IN
APOCALYPSE NOW
'Apocalypse Now' is the Francis Ford Coppola film which was released in 1972 and was edited by Walter Murch. The film is set in the time of the Vietnam War and is about Captain Willard being sent on a dangerous mission in Cambodia to assassinate renegade Colonel who has set himself up as God amongst a local tribe. The film has been critically acclaimed for the editing within it. The editing was done in a linear fashion, using film to edit on. Which appeared difficult for Walter Murch in the initially stages.
Harvard Reference: N/A. (2018). Apocalypse Now . Available: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078788/. Last accessed 26th September 2018. |
This is an interview held with Walter Murch, he discusses the difficulty of editing using linear techniques, old editing on film. Especially, considering the technique used the most in the film was the use of a dissolve shot. This is when there are multiple shots all overlaying each other. In modern day filmmaking doing a dissolve is a lot more simplistic then what it was like in this time. He had three screens to look at each shot and for him to come up with a decision if all the shots would work cohesively together. As well as this Walter Murch had also added in his theories he has created, for example 'The Rule of Sixth'. He did this in order to get the 'perfect' selection of shots within the sequence. Focusing on the emotion and the moving of the storyline. Walter Murch did this extremely well as he wanted the film to have an emotional effect on the audience and really make them feel something, we see very little in war films. Everything edited was done for emotion, this was to allow the audience to empathise with the characters and their situation and really feel connected with the film. As that connection from the audience would drive the movie on to becoming a success.One thing in which Apocalypse Now succeeded in, in which many war films don't, its battle scenes were repeated shots of the character fighting each other or explosions. For example, there was narrative moments like when the car tries to get away in the final scene when they are at war. This little bit of narrative gives the audience the impression that loads is all happening at once. It also was segments where characters would speak to one another amongst battle which allowed the audience to have emotion in the scene. The mix between tense dramatic elements and calm and haunting parts really made the battle seem appear realistic and well thought out. As an audience we get a taste of what war is really like, the cutting between different scene illustrates the chaos and the dialogue scene showcase roar emotion. All of this gives a real idea of the horrors from war and allows the audience to feel a part of it.
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These are screenshot of all the shots used in the opening sequence of the film 'Apocalypse Now'. However, saying this the edit makes you believe that the opening is one continuous shot due to the shots dissolving into each other. In the beginning the sequence is black and you can hear the distance sound of helicopter, then at 0:05 you see the first shot of a jungle and here the slight music of 'the end' by doors playing. At 0:45 green/yellow gas flies in the air, napalm, referencing to the audience that something bad is going to happen. This quickly grabs the audience attention they feel sucked into a world of war and in some way feel apart of all the drama. This ensures the audience are engaged as they feel as if they are there in the time of the Vietnam War. Many of those watching this film would of lived through the events of the Vietnam War, they would have that emotional attachment to the film and empathise with the destruction displayed on screen.
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And then at 1:03 when the singer of the song says the first line 'this is the end' an explosion of fire occurs in the jungle. Walter Murch has edited the explosion to the line of the song on purpose, to illustrate this is the end and the apocalypse is starting now. From the very beginning the audience can see this isn't a happy film, its a film of loss and destruction. The opening line in way is a summary of the film and tells the audience what the film entails. This will entice the audience to continue to watch. Then at 1:32 the image of the jungle dissolves and has an overlaying image of a man lying down. These shots show to the audience the link between the fire in the jungle and the man. These two things are drawn together, this is foreshadowing the entire film. Walter does this to show the man hasn't escaped his nightmares and he is living them always. This is done so the audience can understand to a level what the main character has been through and his emotional scarring up until this point. The audience can have a quick overview on this character and feel empathetic twards him. We have seen what the man has gone through and the struggles within his life, this roar scene really introduces the core of Apocalypse Now.
WHIPLASH
Whiplash is a film in which is directed by Damien Chazelle and edited by Tom Cross. This 2014 film is about a young promising drummer who enrols into a music school to improve his drumming, the instructor who is in charge will push him and won’t stop until he reaches his full potential. Whiplash has gone onto winning many awards, most noticeably an Oscar (two other Oscars in other areas) and BAFTA for it’s editing done by Tom Cross. Filmed in only nineteen day, ‘Whiplash’ has been very successful with its editing, there is a lot of cutting to the beat and rhythmic shots used due to the music and drumming used within the film.
Harvard Reference: N/A . (2018). Whiplash . Available: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582802/. Last accessed 25th September 2018. |
The Rhythm of Editing from Mindframes on Vimeo. Tom Cross also used Walter Murch's 'Rule of Sixth' in order to make the scenes better and have more meaning with them. As the number one rule of these said rule is having emotion within a scene. He achieved this by using 'The Rule of Three' to heighten the emotion within the scene. For example in the date scene in Whiplash Tom Cross edited in the traditional style between shots to show the emotions for the character. At 0:01-0:06 a long shot is used to illustrates the awkwardness of the first date, however when the two characters begin to get to know each other a medium shot is used. This is showing the first rule of sixth and the emotion the characters are feeling. However, at 1:19 a 'lean forward' moment is shown as the shot changes to a close up, in which we haven't seen before. Tom cross has purposefully edited this in to tell the audience to pay attention at this point and that the characters are starting to really like each other. This heightens the emotion we are feeling in the scene and we can tell these characters are starting to like each other. Rule of three is used as the close up shot is sandwiched between two medium shots, this shows that something bad happens within their conversation, differing views on schools, thus the close up returns back to the medium shot illustrating they are not liking each other as much now as they were earlier. Baiscally, the change in the pattern of shots, changing to a close up, informs the audience that something really important and key is happening at this point within the scene. The change allows that moment to be more engaging visually and thus means you watch and listen more. The audience will be able to feel the emotion of differing views and anger almost on screen. This makes the audience more invested the conversation and to watch further to see how it progresses. And to progress this emotional rollercoaster we are on, at 1:59 the shot is edited back to the first shot within this scene to show to the audience that these characters are back to square one and how awkward the conversation is.
I screenshotted every shot within the 1:11-1:18 section on this scene. This shows how frantic and chaotic the edit is, due to how many shots have been placed in such a small amount of time. Tom Cross, who edited Whiplash, before editing feature films actually edited music videos which gives him an advantage when editing music scenes such as this. He will know how to do it correctly in order to get the right impact from the shot. The shot is constantly changing position and duration, all to fit together with the music which makes the edit look stronger and powerful. This makes every shot more meaningful and shows to the audience that Andrew (the protagonist) is finally standing up for himself and is filled with power and determination. This is a monumental scene, in which the whole film is leading up to. The audience will finally get their 'Redemption scene' as their rooting for Andrew to take control of his life and stand up for himself is fulfilled.
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This analyse video of the editing in 'Whiplash' is very helpful in gaining an understanding of the film. Tom Cross spoke about how Damien Chazelle wanted two styles of editing through out the film. One was traditional style of editing, which was used with scenes when Andrew was either with his girlfriend or father. This style of editing is seamless and compared to the chaotic style of editing used for the rest of the film it makes Andrew as a character seem less interested or focused on these aspects of his life. The parts that aren't drumming. This allows the audience to understand that his family life is pretty mundane and normal in comparison to the chaos in which he is playing the drums. This reinforcement on the hardship in the music school allows the audience to empathise for the main character. The other style of editing is usually used in the rehearsal scenes, the chaotic nature makes the scenes appear more raw and intense. Tom Cross said the director Damien Chazelle wanted the style to be similar to the fight scene in 'Raging Bull' which is edited by Thelma Schoonmacker. He achieved this by editing many short duration shots of the band and Andre playing the drums, all these shots together made the scene very intense which would relate to what is actually happening in the film at that point. The overall impact of this editing style makes the audience feel on edge as the harshness of the music teacher is reinforced through the 'to the beat edit'. This makes the music teachers character appear more threatening and scary. Thus meaning the audience feel bad for the protagonist and worry for his well being. The audience are taken on the protagonist journey and thus will root for him to come out on top.
Harvard Reference: MindFrame . (2015). The Rhythm of Editing. Available: https://vimeo.com/123629758. Last accessed 25th September 2018. The second video titled 'Whiplash Amazing Final Performance' is a scene from Whiplash when the band are playing together, like Tom Cross said the scene is very chaotic with the shots being all very short duration and lots of them. This is to reinforce to the audience how intense going to this music school is and thus make them angry towards the situation and how badly our protagonist is being treated. The audience will root for the protagonist as they empathise with his situation. As well as this the shots are cut to the beat, so they are in time rhythmically to what Andrew is playing. Due to this being last final performance and Andrew is going against Fletcher, to reinforce that he is playing everything amazingly well all these shots are cut perfectly with the music. One specific moment in this sequence in which I think is done really well is from 1:11-1:18 the music builds up into a crescendo as Andrew plays a drum roll. These shots are very frantic and cut to the beat in which he plays the drums. It makes the scene appear more powerful, which relates to the character development of Andrew standing up for himself against Fletcher and gaining that power back. This allows the audience to see the that character development and no longer feel inclined to pity Andrew.
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BABY DRIVER
'Baby Driver' is the Edgar Wright directed film which came to cinemas in June 2017. The film is a musical thriller about a getaway driver involved in many heists to pay off his debt. The film was edited by Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos, in which won an BAFTA and the Critics Choice award for its editing, it also received an Oscar nomination for its editing. 'Baby Driver' has caused a new beginning of film editing which is all down to Edgar Wright's extortionary team and vison for making of the film.
Harvard Reference: N/A . (2018). Baby Driver . Available: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3890160/. Last accessed 25th September 2018. |
Machliss has discussed how challenging and difficult editing ‘Baby Driver’ was. This is in comparisons from the range of films and TV shows in which he has edited for. He has worked alongside Edgar Wright in many occasions working on films such as: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The World’s End and Spaced. Paul Machliss edited baby driver, a film about a getaway driver with tinnitus, due to the character having tinnitus he listening to music constantly. Thus meaning that music is constantly playing throughout the film. This means a lot of the action unfolds due to musical ques and is timed perfectly with the music. This makes the film more engaging to the audience as the cuts within the edit have a lot of power to them due to being in time with the beat. The film is a choregraphed musical style, however the editing goes to the beat Edgar Wright had the vision that the film didn’t wait for audio cues, the action would naturally fall to the beat, ‘Not make it feel like a musical where everything is heavily choreographed. We didn’t want you to notice that someone puts a bottle down on a chair. It may happen to be on the beat, but we don’t want you to think we are waiting for that moment’. This way the edit isn't too much in your face and doesn't take away or isn't distracting to the audience watching the film. It adds to impact making every thing more powerful.
Production and post-production were a blur as the film was shot and edited at the same time. When Machliss worked with Wright in previous films such as Scott Pilgrim and then The World’s End all the action sequences were shot with Machliss editing them as they went along to see if all the shots worked. When discussing the making of Baby Driver, Wright just asked Machliss to be there every day for shooting, considering what they wanted the film to look like with the music and the many chase sequences. On set for Baby Driver Edgar would shout cut after a scene finished and then ask Machliss how it looked. Machliss may have replied the shot need to be longer or whatever, but if not, they could carry on filming. This meant that they new they got the shot or that they wouldn’t have missed a tick when it came to actually edit the film together. Machliss had an editing cart with all his equipment on to edit the film, Machliss had a copy of the storyboard with his editing equipment to make sure the shots didn’t slightly run over and not fit with the music anymore. This ensured that the film was exactly what they visioned and more, the audience would feel the drama and purpose within each shot and thus would feel on edge watching the chase scenes. This would overall make the scenes more engaging to watch as they synced to the music perfectly. Harvard Reference: Michael Maher. (2017). How Editor Paul Machliss Cut Baby Driver in Real Time on Location. Available: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/editing-and-sound-baby-driver/. Last accessed 25th September 2018. |
These are images taken of Paul Machliss editing 'Baby Driver' live on set. The keyboard is the keyboard in which he used for editing the film. He has now framed the keyboard and put it in his home titled 'Baby Driver'.
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This is the opening sequence for 'Baby Driver' and you can tell that Paul Machliss used cutting on action and cutting to the beat within this sequence. For example, in the first thirty seconds of the opening sequence when the music begins to play and you hear the guitar noise going 'dun dun', the edit cuts to each character within the car. We as the audience have been told nothing audibly about who these people are and what they are doing. However, the edit introduces the audience to each character and allows us to understand them as a team and that something big is going to happen. Already as an audience we are drawn into the scene as we can anticipate from the music the characters and the overall vibe that something is going down. Within the scene when the music slows down so does the editing and duration of the shots which makes the whole thing visually and audibly satisfying. As an audience from the early stages we can tell we can rely on the soundtrack to foreshadow what's happening. The music tells the audience when to relax and when to not. The music has power over us. This build an underlying tension for the opening sequence and sets the entire film up full of energy and anticipation.
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SEQUENCE: 2:07- 2:36
This is a analysis of the opening sequence of 'Baby Driver' from 2:07 to 2:36. At 2:07 the main character, Baby, says 'Thank you very much...' and mimes the words of the song, the camera slowly zooms in to Baby. The editing as this point is slow and controlled as the shots have a long duration and flow into one another. The audience understand that Baby is in control of the situation, like he is the car, which suggest this isn't the first heist this character has been on. The audience can now understand what kind of person this boy is and feel confident in his ability to be a good get away driver. At 2:16 Baby says the line 'the most groovy' he moves his head sharply to the right side of the frame which cuts to the next shot of a zoom into a security alarm. The pace of the edit changes to become faster and full with more energy. The audience will now understand the car chase will begin. They will feel the tension from the scene as they wait for the criminals to get back to the car in one piece.
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In a way its weird as the audience will align with the criminals as they are experiencing the criminals journey and them getting away. Ina way the audience are rooting for the criminals to get away and escape the police. This is cutting to the action, the motion of moving follows from each shot and the security alarm shot is cut at the exact time it says 'bellbottom'. The next series of shot, are in a montage form of quick cuts to the beat. It goes with the song and every time the line 'bellbottom' comes up the edit changes shot. This builds up adrenalin as the criminals rush to the getaway in a dramatic form. The music and the edit reinforce the drama and sets up the whole scene ready for the car chase. As the audience we feel pumped and filed with adrenalin to watch the car chase to play out.
Harvard Reference: N/A. (2017). BABY DRIVER - 6-Minute Opening Clip. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=344&v=6XMuUVw7TOM. Last accessed 25th September 2018.
Harvard Reference: N/A. (2017). BABY DRIVER - 6-Minute Opening Clip. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=344&v=6XMuUVw7TOM. Last accessed 25th September 2018.
SPECIALISM SKILLS
The Kuleshov Effect
I will be doing the Kuleshov effect for one of my techniques within my specialism. I have chosen this as I believe that the way in which the shots have been edited and associated together effects the outcome and overall impact of the film. I want to illustrate this ground-breaking technique within my documentary and create my own example of it. I think is technique is key in achieving different emotional reactions from the audience. As the placement of different shots will spark different forms of emotion and completely changes the vibe and meaning of a film.
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The Hitchcock Montage
I am studying the Hitchcock montage, this is due to Hitchcock being revolutionary with this editing technique. This technique made the film ‘Psycho’ a phenonium. When people watched the scene for the first time they were petrified due to Hitchcock’s genius montage making it out to look like the character was being stabbed within the shower. I think the power of his edit is revolutionary and I really want to incorporate this in my documentary and try to experiment with editing techniques. The audience is shocked from the Hitchcock montage as they think they have watched an actual stabbing. However, it's just a matter of suggesting to the audience an idea.
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Parallel Editing
I also want to investigate parallel editing. For me personally parallel editing became big with Francis Ford Coppola’s film ‘The Godfather’. The parallel edit was used to build tension, as members of the mafia got killed it made you tense as you awaited the next person. From there parallel editing has been in used in many films of all genres for example in Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission Impossible’ etc. I want to try out this technique and make my own content using it. The parallel edit can conger up many emotions from the audience, yet tension and anticipation being the most common as the scene usually build tension as they are leading up to a significant moment.
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VIDEO'S OF SIGNIFICANCE
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