Unit 16: Assignment Brief 1 Task Three – Editing Key Conventions

     There are many different conventions of editing used effectively within media; clips are cleverly put together in different ways to portray different things. In the following paragraphs, I will explain what these key conventions are. 

Montage

      First of all, I will explain what the term montage means; a montage is when many different clips are edited together at a fast pace. The clips are put together in a way to show the viewer a long process being taken out in a matter of minutes. A famous example of where this has been used many times is the Rocky films. In all 7 films, there will undoubtedly be a scene where Rocky has to train to become more powerful than before. This process, in real life, would have taken up a long period of time although the clips are montaged together to show this process quickly. The pace of this editing also reflects the actions within the clips as they usually show very chaotic, powerful moves. Below is a montage scene from Rocky I, which lasts around 2 and a half minutes. At the beginning of the clip, as the music is slow, Rocky is seen to be jogging slowly which mimics the music. As the music then crescendos, his routine gets more intense and the editing cuts more frequently. Another film, which purposely copies the montage scene of Rocky, is the film ''Team America''.

Continuity
      Continuity is when footage is consistent throughout, including persons, plot, objects etc. Each shot flows together without noticeable dramatic changes. It would not be a logical sequence if a man, for example, was wearing a red shirt and then it cut to the following shot and he was wearing a blue shirt. Sometimes in film, though, this does accidentally happen as they record some parts of a film in advance. There have been continuity errors within film although some are more obvious than others. The top video below is a sequence showing good continuity, with each shot flowing and being logical. The video below that is a video that I created with continuity errors on purpose, showing some obvious and not obvious errors; although the shots flow into each other, there is not really a logical order/sense to the scene.

Speed of Editing
      The speed of editing within a film can create a different feel which can be used to the film's advantage. When shots are put together quickly, cutting from one shot to the next, it usually shows a fast pace action happening such as a fight. If the shots are on for a long duration then the scene tends to be calm and not much is happening, possibly a talking scene. The scene below, from ''The Bourne Ultimatum'', shows a chase scene with many different shots/angle being used to show how fast paced this would have been in real life. It engages the audience. When editing goes from slow to fast paced, it can effectively show a change and take the audience by surprise. An example would be from the film ''The Good, the Bad & the Ugly'' in which there is a stand off which is slow paced, to there being a shootout which is fast paced. Films do not always need any cuts at all though, which is shown within the film ''Russian Ark''. It has all been filmed in one shot with no editing at all. Another action sequence that is very famous that uses various shots and fast paced editing is within the film ''Psycho'' in the famous shower scene.

Jump-cutting

      This is a type of cut which shows two shots of an object taken from different positions; this then causes the object within a scene to jump to another position in an illogical manor. A famous clip in which jump cutting is associated with is this car scene from À bout de souffle; it shows a woman having a conversation seated in a car although, as she is conversing, the background keeps cutting to different areas. This is done to give a sense of the length of this journey, although the speech between clips is flowing making it continuous. The jump-cut is used here to draw attention to the way in which the film has been constructed, and so it does as it has become an iconic scene for jump-cutting. 

Parallel Editing

      Parallel editing is where two or more scenes are alternated to give the illusion as though they are simultaneous when, in fact, they are happening at different times/places. It makes it seem as though two shots are in the same place although it soon becomes clear that the subjects are not together as they are thought to, but are apart. An example of parallel editing is in this scene from 'The Silence of the Lambs'. It shows a man in his basement with a gun, and then another shot showing policing about the raid a house. The bell at the front door rings, as does the one in the mans basement, which makes it seem as though they are about to go into his house. He then goes to the door and there is a woman standing there, at the same time we go to the other shot showing the police storming an empty house.

 

Keeping Interest
      Within the opening of films, they have been known to open with dramatic titles so that the audience will stay engaged and will feel interested within the film. A good example of this would be within the opening of the Spider-Man films which show webs and his clothing straight away. This engages the audience as they are all their to see spider-man make his appearance. Giving the audience a sneak preview of what spider-man will look like throughout the film at the beginning helps everyone feel engaged and suspense as to when they get to see him fully and engaging in action. Within the trailer for ''The Man in the Iron Mask'' (1998), the transitions fade through black through every shot which also lets the audience know that it will be a dark film and will include death and action. 

Lev Kuleshov - Montage
     Several Soviet film makers, such as Lev Kuleshov and Vsevolod Pudovkin, had a view that film making should rely heavily upon editing. The Kuleshov effect, named after Lev Kuleshov, is a way in which editing is used to tell several different stories with one repetitive shot of a expressionless man and several other shots of subjects. The man stared into space, with the following shot alternating between subjects such as a plate of soup, a girl in a coffin, and a woman on a chair. This film was shown to audiences who then believed that each expression on the man's face was different when looking at different subjects, even though he had the same expression in each shot. This experiment shows just how effective the editing of clips can be within the film world and how this can be used to tell a story. 

Graphic Match
     A graphic match is when two shots link together showing a similarity in positioning or shape. An example of  this would be in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Psycho''. In the shower scene, the drain from the shower is matched with the eye of the lady as it zooms in and then zooms back out. The shape of the drain is matched with the shape of the eye. Another famous example of a graphic match is within the film ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' where an ape is seen to throw a bone up into the air, which then turns into a space shuttle floating around. There are also graphic matches in many other famous films such as ''Schindler's list'', ''War of the Worlds'', and ''Raiders of the Lost Ark''. 

180 Degree Rule

      The one hundred and eighty degree rule is a basic guideline referring to the positioning of two or more people/objects within a scene. There is an imaginary line running along the floor to the character, which you cannot pass as this would be breaking the rule; you should stay on one side of this 180 degree line as the character will stay on the same side of the screen. If you cross this line, the character will be on the other side of the screen, confusing the audience as the background will completely change. If you cross the line it is known as ''crossing the line'' or ''breaking the 180 degree rule''. Below is an image showing, in basic, how this rule works. If the camera is on the left/right, it should not pass the line on the axis. If it does, it will cause the characters to switch places, causing confusion.

Transitions

      Transitions are the way in which clips are overlaid at the editing process; these range from simple fades to contrast cuts. Transitions are used so that the clips do not just come one after the other, with no breaks in between. Having transitions helps the viewer justify when a scene ends/begins. Too many transitions, though, can make a film look amateurish as it looks as though a child has selected all different transitions they can try. Most of the time transitions will be carefully selected to convey a certain mood or tone. A few transitions I will explain are fade in/out, wipe, contrast cut, dissolve, and straight cut. Firstly, fade in/out transitions usually come from, or go to, block colours such as black or grey. They are used to signify the beginning or end of a sequence. The wipe transition is when the previous shot is removed from the screen with the new shot 'wiping' it out of the way; it overlaps the previous shot, coming in from one direction all the way across. A contrast cut is when two shots juxtapose to show contrasting ideas; an example of this would be a bird flying gracefully in the sky and then a shot of a fire destroying a home. A dissolve is when one shot merges into another in a way that fades them together, overlaying both. Finally, a straight cut is where one shot abruptly ends and then another promptly starts. Some examples can be seen below.

(dissolves, fades, straight cuts used)

(wipes)


Soviet Montage
          The Soviet Montage theory is cinema that relies heavily upon the editing process. One of the most famous Soviet filmmakers, Sergei Eisenstein, put forward various views about the idea of montage. He explained his idea around two or more images being edited together that can create a third ''thing'' to give the scene a different meaning. To demonstrate a way in which Eisenstein uses the power of montage is within ''Strike'' and the 1925 film ''Battleship Potemkin'' (shown below). The montage allowed Eisenstein to stretch out time of the battle happening on the stairs, making it seem as though the fight lasted several minutes.

Editing Rhythm

      The editing rhythm is the duration of which the shot remains on screen. A different pace of editing can show different things within  a film. Shots can be shown for a short amount of time to give the sense of it being very dramatic and fast paced. This is because the shots are seen so fast that you have to try and take it all in within seconds, making it seem as though the actions are taking place very fast. If shots are shown on screen for a long period of time, then it can enhance the fact that it seems as though it is realistic as you can not speed up time in real life or skip to a different action that fast. Also, a long flow of a clip gives the sense of a narrative, making it easier for a viewer to follow the story along. The below video shows a woman playing tennis, in which the shots are on screen for very little time to give it that fast pace. This is done so that it mimics the actions of her playing tennis, as this is also a fast paced, action sport. If she was, however, playing something like bowls, then the shots would be on screen for a longer period of time as it is not as exhilarating. 

Matching Shots
     Other types of continuity editing techniques include eye-line match and match on action. An eye-line match is when an actor is looking at something in the distance which isn't shown on screen; this is then placed next to the shot showing the object which they are looking at. Match on action is when an actor is seen to begin taking out an action and then the shot changes to see them continuing this action. This covers up the cut and makes the action seem fluid and keeps the continuity within the scene. The clip below shows both types of shot within the scene, keeping the film continuous and logical.