EditingTaking a good film and making it great

Editing

Editing is taking many different cuts and turning them into a finished productEditing also allows the director to correct mistakes made in the filming process

Continuity

Back in the day, shots were done in one long takeNow, directors do several takes and often do not film the scene in orderLong takes are called “cutting to continuity”

Cutting to Continuity example

Eurotriphttp://youtu.be/lKEXMQVrA1I

Continuity

Good editing ensures the film makes sense from scene to sceneHow the scenes play together must have some semblance of orderSome viewers dislike movies like Pulp Fiction, which has several interconnected stories being told out of order

Jump cut

Jump cuts move the action in terms of space and time and can be confusing to the audienceDirectors will use establishing or reestablishing shots to help the audience make the transition

Jump Cut example

Erin Brockovichhttp://youtu.be/5EuBZHEmRE4

Classical Cutting

Classical cutting involves editing for dramatic intensity and emotional emphasis rather than physical reasons

Classical cutting makes good use of close-ups for psychological reasons

By splitting action among a series quick shots, it keeps the audience’s attention and allows the director to place emphasis on specific elements

Master Shot

Master shots are long-range, wide angle shotsThey are also called sequence shots because they show the overall sequence of how the action takes place

Master shots

Some directors love master shots, some hate them. It allows the director a lot of flexibility, but also allows a meddling producer the ability to drastically change a scene

Classical CuttingClassical cutting is designed to be invisible... to not call attention to itselfClassical cutting uses several conventions of cutting:

Eyeline matchMatching action

180 degree rule

The 180 degree rule is not used by everyone, but is still used todayThe 180 degree rule incorporates classical cutting

180 Degree Rule

Storyboarding

Storyboarding creates the shots and the action before the director even gets on setHitchcock, in particular, was very good at storyboarding