Editing

Editing

Editing is the process of looking at all the footage shot during the making of a film or TV program and placing it in the desired order and joining it together.

There are two key areas to concentrate on with editing :

1. The speed of editing (how long each shot lasts for)
2. Style of editing (how each shot is joined to the next)

The Speed of Editing

In a film, on shot could last either a matter of seconds or even minutes but the length of each shot is really important as it establishes the pace of the film moving the action along.

The speed of editing helps to determine the mood of what is taking place on screen.

If the director would like the audience to feel a matter of suspense of anxiety then the speed of editing will be quick and snappy, meaning the scenes and shots will frequently be changing in action. This is usually used in action films.

However. if the desired mood is relaxed then the scenes will last a lot long and change a lot less frequently, which is usually shown in a romantic comedy.

The Style of Editing

This is when in a film how the shots are linked together. The movement from one shot to the next is called a transition. 

Straight Cut

• This is the most common and "invisible" form of transition.
• It is when one shot moves instantaneously to the next without attracting the audiences attention. 
• Straight cuts usually help to retain reality. They tend to not break the viewers suspension of disbelief.

Dissolves

• This is when one shot is faded off of the screen whilst another shot is being faded in.
• The audience will then be able to see both shots on the screen at the mid-point of the dissolve.
• This is usually used to show a connection between two characters, places or objects.

Fades

• A gradual darkening or lightening of an image until it becomes fully black or white.
• One shot will fade until only a black or white screen can be seen.
• This is used to indicate the ending of a particular section of time within the narrative.
• It is also used to show the passing of time.

Wipes

• This is when one image is pushed off the screen by another image.
• Images can be pushed either left or right.
• It is more common for the image to be pushed off the left hand side as the movement is more consistent with the sense of time moving forward.
• This is usually used to signal a movement between different locations that are experiencing the same time.

Jump Cuts

• A jump cut is where the audiences attention is brought into focus with something very suddenly.
• This happens by breaking the continuity editing.
• This is known as discontinuity.
• It appears as if a section of the sequence has been removed.

Graphic Match

• This is when shots are placed in a certain order to create a smooth visual transfer from one frame to the next.
• When to consecutive shots are matched in terms of the way they look, this is what a graphic match is.