Editing can completely change the audience’s understanding of narrative and character. Charlie Brooker deconstructed the editing in the reality TV genre here:
Editing notes
Key terminology for editing:
- Transitions
- Continuity editing
- Montage
- Pace
- Juxtaposition
Continuity editing
Most editing of narrative film is continuity editing. This is when shots are placed logically so that one event follows on from the next. We, as the audience, automatically try to make sense of one shot joining the next one. For example, if we see an exterior shot of a school and the following shot is a classroom, we assume that the classroom is inside the school building we saw in the previous shot.
Transitions
- A straight cut is the most common method and the audience are so accustomed to seeing these that we rarely notice them when they occur.
- A fade out – the screen fades to black.
- A dissolve - one image blurs into the next.
- A wipe – one part of the screen wipes across the other.
- A jump cut – an unexpected edit where the audience’s attention is forced to focus on something very suddenly.
Pace
Generally, slow-paced cuts build tension while fast cuts suggest action and excitement.
Juxtaposition
The word juxtaposition literally means ‘the act of placing together side by side’.
In film, two shots may be placed together to create meaning for the audience. E.g. A shot of the hero may be followed by a shot of his love interest to link these in the audience’s mind. This may also take the form of an eyeline match where a character looks in a certain direction and the next shot cuts to whatever they are looking at.
Montage
A montage sequence involves shots being placed next to each other that do not necessarily convey a linear narrative. Instead, the shots tend to convey a message, provide an overall impression or shorten a story that takes place over a much longer period time. For example, a sequence that included consecutive shots of a school building, classrooms, students playing football and teachers in the staffroom may be aiming to give an overall impression of school life.
Editing: blog task
There are some truly fantastic clips for the Editing part of the Film & TV Language unit.
Your final analytical blog task is to find a film or television clip on YouTube that you feel has been edited in a distinctive way and write a 750 word analysis of the clip.
Use as much media language as you can - and remember to highlight it. Try and use the key words we've learned for editing if possible. You can also use any other aspects of film language that we have studied in your analyis - just like the in-class clips where we discuss how editing combines with cinematography, sound or mise-en-scene.
There is a wonderful example online of an editing analysis of The Godfather baptism scene (a clip which also appears as task 6 of the editing section in the Film and TV Language unit). This gives you an idea of how to write in-depth media analyses focusing on aspects of film language.
There is a wonderful example online of an editing analysis of The Godfather baptism scene (a clip which also appears as task 6 of the editing section in the Film and TV Language unit). This gives you an idea of how to write in-depth media analyses focusing on aspects of film language.
If you're not sure what clip to pick, you will find plenty of lists online if you search for 'great film editing sequences' or similar. One example that comes up when you do this is the shootout scene from Michael Mann's Heat (3mins - 6mins particularly, but it's all brilliant):
Complete this for homework - due date on Google Classroom.
