Development:
Following the action – when there is movement or action in a scene, the
camera would move to keep the action in the shot so that the audience can understand what
is happening. The cameraman may choose to use a handheld camera to capture the
action more accurately. This would also make it easier to 'follow the action'.
In-camera editing – a video production without the safety net,
which requires a large amount of precision. It refers to the shooting of the
film with each scene shot in order at the length that it will appear in the
finished film. Therefore you will have a completed film as soon as you are
done shooting the scenes.
Jump-cutting – an abrupt transition from one shot to another shot
of the same thing but with different framing that draws attention to the edit.
It creates the effect of discontinuity and can confuse the audience. It will
distract the audience from the story and that part of the production will have failed
because of the mistake. A cutaway can be used to smooth a jump-cut.
Manipulation of
diegetic time and space – the
manipulation of diegetic time and space is an editing technique used to portray
a story showing different time or age periods. This can be used to show the
passage of a person's life or certain points in their life with flashbacks and
dreams. It can also be used to portray the environment that the story is set
in, so it could be futuristic or it could be set at some point in the past. An example of a futuristic environment is The Hunger Games. Panem is a picture of the dying world based on past events. The Lovely Bones is an example of flashbacks and dreams and we see the main character as being 'dead' in limbo.
Principles:
Source: http://www.slideshare.net/tijoum/the-180-degree-rule
- accessed on 17/10/2012
180 degree rule – the idea of keeping the camera in the position of a
180 degree field to maintain continuity. The main point is that the
camera should stay on the same side of an imaginary line which is at right
angles to the camera's viewpoint in the establishing shot. For example, a scene
showing two people conversing could have a man on the right hand side and a
woman on the left hand side. This is the establishing shot and means that the
next shot cannot have the man on the left hand side and the woman on the right
hand side as it breaks the rule and the idea of continuity.
Continuity – a style of editing that requires the director to
try to make the film a reality. This means trying to recreate what the world
around us is and trying to make it easier for the audience to understand the
action that is happening on screen. Within this style of editing there are many
terms or ways of implementing the style. These effects can be used independently
of each other to create desired effects. From the root word continue,
continuing what came before. It is the typical editing style of most films and
TV shows. Its primary purpose is the clarification of events, designed to tell
a story clearly and coherently. The goal is to create a smooth flow from shot
to shot. It is 'invisible' it does not call attention to itself or remind the viewer
that they are watching a film. The audience construct a 'mental map' based on
what they see and hear. Continuity editing helps the audience to maintain this
'mental map'.
Motivated – motivated edits are when shots are cut because of
sound or so that the audience can see a conversation between people; the camera
angles will be changed and shots will be cut short and edited together so that
the scene will show a clear conversation alternating between the people having
the conversation; so we can see who is talking/who is listening and their
reactions. The editor has to use the footage to make decisions on how to edit
the shots together so that it makes sense. An example is the conversation between Gandalf an Frodo from Lord of the Rings when Gandalf arrives in Hobbiton.
Source: dave.net.au
- accessed on 26/09/2012
Source: film110.pbworks.com
- accessed on 26/09/2012
Parallel Editing - an editing technique that allows two or more
simultaneous sets of action to unfold within a film sequence. USES: creates
tension; can show multiple points of view and can create dramatic irony when
the characters are unaware of events unfolding away from the main action. One
of the most important effects of the parallel edit (but not a necessary one) is
that of simultaneousness, suggesting that two events occur at the same time. By
employing this sequence of alternating focus, the filmmaker is able to place
subjects in relation to one another, allowing complex and subtle relationships
to establish themselves way of cinematic proximity. Kenneth Dancyger notes,
"(this technique) links stories and supports the narrative." In the film Inception, the director uses parallel editing to show the same characters in different locations at the same time, this is possible as the time zones in each 'level' of the dreams are different.
Seamless - a seamless edit is a process which involves
having no visual, audio or narrative mistakes; a smooth edit which results in
the audience being so engrossed in the action that they do not notice the
transition between shots. Achieving this means creating a successful
film.
Storytelling:
Source: Suite101.com -
accessed on 26/09/2012
Providing and
withholding information and engaging the viewer - the most important element when plotting a
story for screen, is working out how to engage the audience. Many filmmakers
can make the mistake of thinking that the information they give the
audience is what will engage the audience, but in fact the opposite is true.
The first rule of engaging the audience is this: viewers are engaged by the
things that the they are not told, not by what they are told.
Creating pace - slow motion allows a break in the action to keep
the audience interested. The shot length creates a pace; long shots = slow
pace; short shots = quick pace. The type of music that is used also creates a
pace and tells the audience how to feel. Slow music slows down the pace and
allows the audience to relax and take a break from the action. A faster beat
speeds up the pace and gets the audience excited.
Shot selection - or camera angle. The location of the camera and what can be seen with it.
Techniques:
Crosscutting – (also called split-screen) is a film editing
technique where two scenes are intercut to establish continuity.
Cutaways – the use of B Roll footage to fix a jump cut which
could distract the audience from following the action. It is the editors job to
hide these mistakes from the audience as it breaks the seamless edit.
Montage – by definition, a montage is “a single pictorial
composition made by juxtaposing, placing side by side, or superimposing,
placing or laying one thing over another so that both are still evident, many
pictures of designs.” In filmmaking, a montage is an editing technique where
the shots are put together in a fast-paced way that conveys a lot of
information in a fairly short period of time. And example of this is a
scene from The Karate Kid.
Multiple points of
view – a scene shot from the
point of view of more than one subject. It is an important means of structuring
narrative discourse and is powerful for audience manipulation. An example is the film Vantage Point where the assassination of the American President is told from several different viewpoints.
http://ebooks.cambridge.org/chapter.jsf?bid=CBO9780511497735&cid=CBO9780511497735A011
- accessed on 17/10/2012
Point of view shot – a shot given from a character's point of view
to include the audience and make them feel like they are a part of the story.
This can give a sense of the character’s opinion on things, given by what they
look at.
Shot variation – a variation of different types of shots that
include:
Extreme close up - this is used to emphasise the small details in film, the subject fills the screen and is obviously the main focus of the shot.
Close up - a shot taken at close range. It draws attention to the subject and gives significance to the subject. It is a detailed view of the subject where they are larger than the frame.
Medium close up - a shot halfway between a close up and a medium shot. The framing usually includes the subject from the waist to the top of their head.
Medium shot - a shot framing the subject usually from the waist up.
Medium long shot - a shot framing the subject from the hip upwards and usually includes part of their surroundings.
Long shot - taken at a large distance from the subject, usually includes their whole body in the frame.
Extreme long shot - a shot taken at a very large distance from the subject. It will include their whole body in the frame and usually allows the audience to them in action with their surroundings.
Shot-reverse-shot - turning the camera around to show the thing and what that thing is looking at. It is the camera spinning 180 degrees to show the relationship between those things. This extends the understanding for the audience and it shows opposite views.
Transitions:
skyworksmarketing.com/using-transitions-in-video-editing/
Cut - the most common transition is the 'cut'. This
is the visual transition created when one shot is instantly replaced by another. It is used to change from one shot to the next shot and allows the story to progress with effluence. Cuts are the best
way to keep the action or momentum moving along at a good pace. There is a scene in the film Stardust which cuts from a shot of someone throwing something into the air to another person catching something that they had thrown into the air. This is a fairly dramatic change but the similar elements create a smooth and creative cut.
Source: zimmer.csufresno.edu/~candace/basics/editing3.htm - accessed on 27/09/2012
Dissolve – an editing technique, which shows one clip
dissolving/fading into the next until it becomes full screen. Purposes: it
enhances emotions, softens the changes between shots, accentuates the rhythm of
the pacing, enhances the artistry of the action and smoothens jump cuts.
Fade - the most common transitions are fade-up from
black and fade to black. Fading in from a single colour, such as black conveys
a sense of 'beginning' and fading from the shot to black conveys a sense of 'ending' and these are obviously used at the end of films.
(Fades can be used with other colours too).
Wipe - this is a transition between shots that uses
movement on the screen. The most common wipes include changing the image with a
movement from right to left, left to right, up and down and diagonally. Effects
wipes can include spins and flips. Purposes: it shows an
obvious change between scenes or graphics. It adds energy and action, and can
increase the pacing.
Technology:
Video - the technology used to capture images in
motion. It works with magnetism based on electronics. There are three formats
which use analogue and digital: Phase Alternating Lines (PAL) with dimensions
of 720hx576v, National Television System Committee (NTSC) with dimensions of
720hx480v and Sequentiel Couleur a Memoire (secam).
Source: Short Films -
Nathan Parker.
Analogue – This system used to be the predominant way that
video was recorded and played back; digital has now surpassed it. There are
still many formats that use analogue and offer high quality.
The colours blend as a
magnetic signal and give a continuous representation of the film. It has an
electronic signal that constantly moves between + and -. There are infinite
changes between the signals that the system is recording; sub- dividable within
the signal.
The major drawbacks are
that each time the footage is played back, or a transfer is made, degradation
and loss of information is more likely to occur.
Digital – Digital video takes an image and then cuts it up
into a grid to give pixels; each box in the grid has a colour value. The
camera takes measurements at 1920/1080 for each colour.
Digital cannot create new
pixels, only make them bigger which results in lower quality with HD as a
limiting size factor. 2k, 4k, 5k are the numbers of pixels wide available.
Digital video stores image
and sound information by sampling frequencies, then transforms this information
into numbers known as bits and bytes which create binary codes. This method of
information storage is very stable and allows transfers to be made quickly,
with little or no loss of quality.
Film – Film is part of analogue systems. It records an
image through the use of layers of light sensitive grains, which react to
record colour and contrast. It is, basically, a strip of plastic coated on one
side with a light-sensitive emulsion. When correctly exposed to a light source,
the silver halides in the emulsion react to form an image which can be revealed
through further chemical processing; developing. A positive print can be made
from the negative/ the negative can be transferred to a digital format. The
exception to this is reversal stock that creates a positive image at the
developing stage; however, reversal stock is not commonly used in filmmaking.
Red, Green and Blue are all captured at the same time, captured as one image.
Colours continually blend through image. Film is made out of celluloid and is
coated in photo reactive chemicals. It is 35mm wide and captures 24 frames per
second. It is a time consuming and very expensive process.
