EDITING

AS Media Studies

What do you look for when editing?

Order of shots / shot choices

Continuity

Transitions

Shot duration

Pace and Rhythm

Order of the shots

The meaning of the whole scene can change depending on the order of the shots

Putting 2 shots together creates a connection

Order of the shots can reveal who motivates the edit – gets the most screen time (which characters are important)

Continuity

Establishing shot – establishes the location

180 degree rule – ensures that same space is described in each shot

Shot / reverse shot – linking action

Eyeline match – character sees something, next shot shows what he sees

Match on action – continuation of same movement in different shots

Transitions

The process of cutting one shot to another usually involves a simple straight cut. However transitions are available:

o Fade to black

o Dissolve / Cross Fade

o Wipe

Transitions can:

Imply a passage of time

Change of location

Emphasize a connection (actor dreaming…dissolve)

Shot Duration/Pace & Rhythm

Duration explains the narrative context (emergency or ease)

Short duration: action and urgency

Long duration: slower pace and conveys intensity and intimacy (you can focus more on facial expressions and mise-en-scene that way)

Some editing terms

Parallel editing: This is an editing technique where two or more

shots, set in different places, alternate, these are usually simultaneous, and the actions are linked in some way.

Split screen: it is the visible division of the screen, traditionally in

half, but also in several simultaneous images happening at the same time.

Jump cut: A jump cut is when a single shot has an interruption. The

interruption is either the background changes instantly while the figure in the shot remains the same, or that the figure changes instantly while the background remains the same.