Davina Okoronkwo
The common conventions, techniques and purpose of film editing: when and why it was developed.
In this essay, I will be writing about and exploring different editing techniques and the variety of convections used in different videos. Additionally, I will also be analysing the skills the videographer used and the reasoning and subliminal messaging behind the videos. I will be investigating why videos started being edited and the impact it had on other videographers and the world, and be using films to show this. During the essay I will also be comparing how these skills and editing and have changed during different time eras, e.g the first film edited in 1903 called ‘Life of an American Firemen’ to the current films of today such as Whiplash made in 2014 which one an award for best achievement in film editing. The dissolve is a very popular type of editing technique. The dissolve technique is where one clip seems to slowly disappear or fade into the additional clip. The dissolve was one of the earliest transitions to be formed. It has evolved from the many years it was used. It was mainly used for putting multiple shots together now it can be for various other things in film and videography. A good example of this is, first film to be edited titled, Life of an American Fireman filmed in 1903. It was shot by Edwin S Porter, and was a short film with no sound. In the first scene, we see a fade. A fire chief is on his desk, and later falls asleep. The chief has dosed off and his dream is then projected to the wall. The wall shoes a mother putting a child to bed, suggesting that he has dreams or cares about his family. He wakes up nervous and in a panic and before the audience can jump to conclusions it dissolves to the additional scene. In the second scene the same technique was used of fading and dissolving into the next scene. However, before this was carried out, there is also a close up shot of a New York fire alarm box. It also shows how the videographer thought about other perspectives and views the audience may be attracted to when filming. Not only was the dissolve a very good editing technique, it also became a way for film makers to to express to their audience a deeper message and connect scenes in a creative manner. Additionally, it is a swift and painless way to move through scenes effectively. Furthermore, it can also signal an alternation of Scenery and seasons, e.g. someone can go to work it can fade then they’ll be back at home suggesting they have finished work. The life of an American Fireman shows the beginning of editing including the dissolve, however, in recent films are a lot cleaner and more professional than the 1903 piece. A good example of this is, Metropolis in 1927. It not only shows the dissolve but shows it whilst using SFX. The main difference between the two pieces is that in the Metropolis the dissolves is a lot more professional and swift whereas The life of an American fireman is the first edited film,
Davina Okoronkwo so will not be as good. Also in Metropolis in ‘Maria’s Dance’ scene when cutting and dissolving the clips tell a clear story to the audience and allows them to interpret it and their own ways. Although the films are only 24 years a part there are such huge difference between both film quality and editing techniques. It shows the audience how film was starting to evolve and how different videographers can manipulate editing to attract viewers and tell a story. However other editing techniques such as, wipes, fades, jump cuts, long takes overthrew the dissolve and became very popular in the world of film. This is as techniques like this allowed filmmakers to manipulate films and do a lot more with their telling of stories, such as longer takes, which build more character, create unique piece that attract and leave the audience in awe. Following this, wipes are very effective way of editing. A wipe is an editing technique in which a shot takes over another by moving from one direction of a frame to another. The technique is very much opposite to the dissolving and focuses on itself. Wipes are also generally more dynamic than dissolves as it allows the audience to focus on one thing, because one shot pushes the additional shot out of the scene. Famous film examples would be Star Wars. Star Wars films are full many eye-grabbing wipes. The filmmaker, George Lucas, did this intentionally throughout all Star Wars films. This is as he purposely wanted to focus and attention on certain things to draw engages the audience’s attention in a subtle way. A good scene that shows this is, a scene where someone is dragging a man in pain and then it wipes to a different person walking. All the attention and light goes from the person from the floor to the person walking. The filmmaker purposely does this to subtly change whom the focus from one to another. Additionally, when the person is walking the camera follows him. It is a way for the filmmaker can allow people in the film to build their character and show their personality to the audience. It shows the film from the perspective of the character that the videographer chooses. In episode, IV- A new hope (Star Wars), there is another wipe edit used to relate back to other sci-fi movies. In older science fiction movies and series on TV, the wipe was majorly used to impersonate the movement of boxes or books from a popular comic or even simply turning a page from the book. This is as, science fiction has a lot of relation to comic books and cartoons and some films where even based from comics originally then adapted into movies. By George Lucas using so many wipes throughout Star Wars its suggests that he wanted to convey his personal love to comics and how they influenced him to make films. It shows his love for Sci Fi and he wanted the audience to not only notice that but also see different characters and different perspectives in all his films, which the wipe does perfectly. The wipe is still a popular technique. The ‘invisible wipe’ is partially to blame for the popularity of the editing technique. Instead of an imposed line used wipes, the invisible wipe uses a tool or object or another things on screen to do the wipe. This is very creative, unique way to perform wipes, and many filmmakers use it in modern day. Just like this technique is very sneaky way of editing, so is the cutaway technique.
Davina Okoronkwo In the cutaway, the filmmaker is changing from the action to an alternative thing, it later goes back to the first action. Cutaways are a great way to make boring shots or uninteresting scenes a lot more effective and continue to draw the attention of the audience. This includes scenes such as driving to a destination, or waiting for a bus etc. Without editing techniques like the cutaway these shots wold drag on and loose the audience’s interest. To fully understand the cutaway you have to be familiar with continuity editing. Continuity editing, allows you to keep the seamless flow of action without it being seen. Additionally, remember it’s required to always alternate the size and angle in a scene. This then means they cut together naturally. Maintaining continuity is highly important. Many problems are likely to happen if not smooth. The cutaway can be a way to highlight details or even important scenes, giving the scene a meaning. An example of this is, A the cutaway shot of a watch. It leads the audience to assume she is waiting for something, or is late etc., or many other infinite assumptions. Following this, the additional shot will help explain why the person is looking at the clock or what the clock even symbolises. It allows the audience to not just watch but also create ideas on what will happen next within the film. This not only builds creativity but means the viewer will be highly interested and want to continuing watching the film. Cutaways are a brilliant technique for creating tension within scenes. It automatically raises stakes. The audience will have no problem coming to the appropriate conclusions or assumptions. Cutaways are used in both films and TV shows, as a lot of editing methods are just used for popular films but are not regularly explored in regular TV shows, such as TV comedy Family Guy. Following this, there is a scene in family guy that shows this perfectly. They are having a conversation about something and then it cuts to a scene of people arguing, then back to them talking. Not only does draw more attention, and make it more interesting, but in the scene the other clip explains what they were previously conversing about, giving the audience a sense of understanding. Following this, there is other editing techniques that are in place so the audience can maintain a good understanding of the film. One of the main techniques is, the 180-degree rule. In films, the 180 degree is a popular technique used. It is a guideline that refers to the relationship between the characters and objects in a scene. The rules being followed is a necessity for the film to flow seamlessly and make sense together. For example, if you are observing a scene from off the side, you can still see the whole scene regardless. If you watch both characters one will be on the left, and one will be on the right, this is usually how conversations in films go. The 180-degree rule consists of there being a line of action or axis line, in which the camera has to stay on. The axis of action is an invisible line that happens to be between two characters. The 180-degree rule tells us that one person should always be facing camera left and the other should always be facing camera right. This allows the shots to work to perfectly and seamlessly because the camera will be on the same side as the characters. Additionally, this means when shots are edited and pieced together, the audience will understand that they are looking at each other clearly. This is due to them being in the exact same direction.
Davina Okoronkwo Nevertheless, like all rules the 180-degree rule can and should be broken depending on the reason. The 180 degree is in place so the audience understand the film, and are not puzzled by it, thus if someone breaks the rule, they intend on these emotions to happen to the person. For an example, certain film genres might want to distort the audience’s views or make them feel confused or perplexed depending on what the film is about. Following this in themes such as horror films of course the filmmaker is going to want the audience to feel confused, scared and like it’s an illusion as that’s the whole purpose of the film. We get to see the film in the perspective that the videographer wants us to see. Another technique that lets us follow the perspective of a person is called a Long take. A Long take is a camera shot that has a lengthy duration and is not edited together, meaning that it is all one piece. Additionally, it contains a significant amount of movement to get everything into a shot without it being edited. Long takes can be very effective to understand a specific character in the film, or their personal perspective. This is as; the camera can follow a specific person. This will show their body language, facial expressions, but also their personal relationships with other characters and if they have any chemistry between them etc. This is good, as the audience can understand characters, and what is happening within the play without it hasn’t it to be narrated or stated in the videography. Many popular and successful films use this technique; a good example of this would be from Child of Men, 2006. It shows an area in war, being bombed and many people trying to escape and people grieving and feeling distraught. It is all filmed in a single shot even though it has so much happening and different people in and out of the shot. In conclusion, all these types of editing are used in modern film today. Although some are more popular than others and some have been replaced, like the dissolve, to more valued techniques each one is effective within filmmaking. Within the essay we see how editing has changed for the better and became more creative since the very first edited film, The life of an American Fireman. It shows how editing has been transformed and involved from the 19 th to the 21st century, and will only continue to improve in the future. Biblography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjFHqohaHYU http://www.filmsite.org/filmterms12.html http://tubularinsights.com/match-cut/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ym7-QW_GWo
Davina Okoronkwo
Davina Okoronkwo