Style Of Editing

What is Style of Editing?

Style of Editing is the way in which two different shots are linked together. Style of editing is the transition from one shot to another. There are different types of transitions and these are:

1. The Straight Cut    -This is the most common type of transition in which the shots are linked together instantly. These shots are used to create the sense of realism. Even though the video above is an example of "Shot Reverse Shot", I find it to be a good example of the straight cut as straight cuts are used lots in this scene.

1. Dissolve - This transition is used when one scene fades out while one scene fades in. This transition is used to create fluidity within the shots. When a dissolve transition is used, there is a time where you can see both scenes at the same. The transition can be used to show a passing of time or to link two characters, objects or places.

 

 1. Fade - This transition is used to show a longer passing of time. This transition is also used lots to show the end of films/tv shows. A transition is only considered to be a fade when you can see a clear black or white screen as seen in the video above.

 

Speed Of Editing

Speed of Editing

The speed of editing can have a great impact on the mood that a film is trying to present. For example, if each shot is 3+seconds long, this is done to show character development and for the audience can learn about the characters and their ways of life. We learn about the characters characteristics and their personalities. On the other hand, if there are shots which are a second or maybe even less, they would be used to show fast paced action scenes as it shows the struggle of the characters that would be fighting. It is designed to give the audience the “on the edge of your seat” experience as everything is happening so quickly and the audience have to take it all in very quickly. 

Casino Royale Example

This scene starts off with a few long shots of the building which is designed to build the mood. These shots are pretty long in length and build the mood pretty well. The audience can tell that it is dark and that something doesn’t seem right. We also get shots of Bond which are edited slowly. This is designed so the audience can learn as much about Bond as possible. The audience do learn that he is a very calm and organized spy. He always seems to know what he is doing. Later on in this video, we see a flashback of Bond and a man fighting inside a bathroom. This scene is edited really fast because it shows fast paced action and shows the struggle of both characters. It is designed to put the audience on the edge of their seat and make them wonder about what is going to happen next. We can also tell that Bond can be very violent when needed and knows how to protect himself from potential attacks.

 

Russian Ark Example

 

This video is a trailer to the film “Russian Ark”. The extraordinary thing about this film is that it was shot using one steady camera using only one take. The film lasted 96 minutes and was filmed in one go using no editing at all. The whole film was shot displaying 33 rooms of the museum, which where all filled with over 2,000 actors and 3 orchestras. While this is a very good achievement to film an entire film in one go, the lack of editing in this film is a downfall as the mood stays the same throughout the film and nothing really makes it that amazing. Due to the lack of editing, some people would find this to be boring because of the lack of action.

Continuity Editing

In Class, we have recently learned about Continuity Editing and the different types of editing that are used in film making.


Shot Reverse Shot



This video shows an example of a shot reverse shot. This type of continuity editing is usually used when people are having conversations. This editing uses the same two over the shoulder shots and are used to show when people are speaking and are alternately changed depending on who is speaking. For example, in the video above, when the woman is speaking, the camera is placed over the shoulder of the man. When the man is speaking, the camera is placed over the shoulder of the woman.


Eyeline Match





This video shows an example of an eyeline match. An eyeline match is when you see one shot of a character where you see they are looking at something, and then in the next shot, you get to see what they are looking at. For example, in the video we see that the woman is looking at something and the next shot is a shot of the people in the white suits which prove that, that was what she was looking at.


Graphic Match





A graphic match is two shots which provide a transition from one object to another. For this to work, the two objects must be similar in size, shape and colour. In the example video above, the graphic match is when the bone transitions into the spaceship as they are the similar shape. This graphic match shows the passing of time.


Match on action




Match on action shot is when there are two shots and we see a character perform the same task in both shots but from different examples. For example, in the video above, we see the people running into the building with the camera on the outside. The next shot shows the people running into the building but this time with the camera inside the building.



180 Degree Rule




The 180 degree rule is a rule in which once a shot has been made, the positioning of the characters within the scene should not change. For example, in the above scene, the woman is on the left and the man is on the right. Throughout the whole scene, this relationship must be the same as the camera isn't allowed to "cross the line". If the rule was broken, the man and woman would swap sides which would cause confusing for the viewers.

Mise-en-Scene

Mise-en-scene 

Mise-en-Scene is a simple French term which means in the scene or frame

There are 5 main elements to the Mise-en-Scene 

1. Settings and Props
2. Costume, Hair and Make Up
3. Facial expressions and Body language
4. Lighting and Colour
5. Positioning of characters and objects within the frame.

These elements can often tell the audience what kind of personality a certain character has. It can also foreshadow future events. 

For example, in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, this scene here is a use of Mise-en-Scene. From this screenshot, we can see a use of foreshadowing on the character of Norman Bates. From the screenshot below, we can see that behind him, there is stuffed wild birds and pictures of naked women. This is a use of foreshadowing because later in the film we learn that Norman actually attacks Melanie while she is naked in the shower. This is foreshadowed as there is a naked woman in the screenshot below, and the birds on the wall look wild and are predators. This foreshadows and proves that Norman Bates is a sexual predator. The element of Mise-en-Scene that is used most effectively is the, positioning of characters and objects within the frame as the positioning of Norman and the props behind, prove that he is a sexual predator. 

In Mise-en-Scene, colour is split up into two different categories: Denotation and Connotation

Denotation - The literal description of an concept or object
Connotation - The description that we associate with a concept or object.

Colour is used specifically to create a specific mood.

For example, the colour red can be use to create certain moods. It could be used to create a mood of love and romance. People could associate this because a lot of things to do with love are usually red. For example, hearts, roses etc. On the other hand, the colour red could also create the mood of danger and violence. People could associate this because blood is red and people could think that there could be violence about to happen because there is usually blood when violence happens.

Birds

Birds 1963

 119 min  -  Horror | Thriller

 Director:

 Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

 Daphne Du Maurier (story), 

 Evan Hunter (screenplay)

 Stars:

 Rod Taylor, 

 Tippi Hedren 

 Suzanne Pleshette

         Birds is about a woman called Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) who travels to San Francisco to find a man called Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor). They start to develop a relationship. However, as time goes on, they start to notice a lot of weird things that are going on particularly to do with birds. It starts off with a seagull killing itself by crashing itself against a front door of which Melanie notices, and then at a childrens party the next day, a flock of seagulls attack the children. After that, the birds start to attack just about everyone and anyone. The seagulls begin to turn incredibly violent and start killing people in more numbers. 

         Birds is an archetypal thriller as it contains many aspects of what a thriller film should be. For example, in the film, there is a lot of suspense, excitement and tension through the film. The birds create the tension and suspense during the film as you never know who or when they are gonna attack and if they are going to kill anyone or not. Also, a common feature of Alfred Hitchcock's films, there is nowhere to hide, and this is apparent in Birds which also creates more suspense. Thrillers also keep the viewers on the edge of the seat about what it is about to happen next and Birds achieves this. The threat of this film is from nature (birds) and not human.  It is also a fast paced film as the birds attack really fast and fly down really fast as seen in this scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D15HPy4x73g&list=PL46FB178E8BEABAB8

         Also, in most films, the story ends with resourceful heroes who  thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains. This is not true in this case because there isn't really a hero as such and the villains (the birds) never go away. The "heroes"never thwart the plans of the birds. 

         Also, in Birds, Alfred Hitchcock uses the use of dramatic irony to build up the suspense and tension. In this scene, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydLJtKlVVZw&list=PL46FB178E8BEABAB8  Hitchcock uses dramatic irony. Dramatic Irony is when the audience knows something that the character does not know. In this scene, Melanie is having a cigarette while sitting down, and behind her, birds are flying and grouping together on a railing and Melanie is unaware of this. The viewers see that the birds are gaining in numbers while Melanie is unaware. This creates suspense as the audience know that something bad is going to happen while the character has no idea what is going on. Hitchcock also doesn't use the traditional "The End" slide to signify the end of the movie as he wants to give off the idea that there is no end to the terrifying terror that the birds provide.

         A Macguffin is a plot element is a storyline which is not the main storyline and often doesn't get finished and doesn't get a definite answer. Sometimes, the first storyline in a film is the Macguffin. For example, in Birds the Macguffin in the film is the first storyline. The storyline starts off with the audience wondering if Melanie and Mitch are going to get into a romantic relationship together, but that obviously isn't the main storyline of this film. By the time of the end of the film, the Macguffin storyline between Melanie and Mitch is left unanswered and just left alone.

          At the film's premiere date, as people made their way out of the theaters  Hitchcock had speakers which were put in trees, and he played birds noises out of them to give the audience quite a scare.

         Hitchcock says thrillers allow the audience, "to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like." He achieves this in this movie as nothing like this was ever seen before and the people who watched the film were genuinely terrified of it, so they was almost going through the same emotions as what the characters in the film were feeling.

Psycho

Psycho (1960)

Director:

 Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

 Joseph Stefano (screenplay)
 Robert Bloch (novel)

 Stars:

 Anthony Perkins
 Janet Leigh 
 Vera Miles 

         Psycho is a film based on a woman called Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) who is trusted by her employer to put $40,000 in a bank for her employer. Instead of doing this, she steals the money and drives out of the town and ends up at a disturbed motel which is run by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Marion's friends and family begin to get worried when she doesn't come home and so is her employer. Marion and Norman begin to get friendly of where they speak about where she's going and his life. Norman tells Marion that his mother is mentally ill, and that he has to take care of her in their house which is right next to the motel. He becomes angry when she suggests that she should be put into care. Norman convinces Marion to return the stolen money the next day. However, as Marion is taking a shower later that night, she is brutally stabbed to death. Norman discovers the body, wraps it in the shower curtain and dumps the body and all her belongings in the swamp along with her car. This includes the stolen money. A detective named Arbogast goes to the motel to investigate, but he is also killed when he goes inside Norman's house. However, before then, Arbogast states that Normans mother died years ago along with her lover in a murder-suicide. Norman then carries his "mother" into the cellar of the house. Marion's boyfriend and sister Sam and Lila also investigate the motel and house. Lila finds her way into the house, when Norman enters so Lila hides in the cellar. In the cellar, she finds a desiccated corpse where is the body of Mrs Bates. She screams, and at the same time, Norman runs in wearing a wig and wielding a huge knife getting ready to kill Lila. Sam then runs in, and unwields Norman and saves Lila. Norman is revealed as the murderer all along. A psychiatrist reveals that Norman killed his mother and her lover years ago, and he later developed a split personality to erase the memory. He is able to function as Norman, or his mother, who dominates him. The film ends with Marion's car being pulled up from the swamp. This time, the threat is from a deranged mad man.

         The macguffin in this film is the stolen $40,000. The audience would originally think that the whole film would revolve around the money, so when she is murdered, it's a big shock in the film. This makes the audience think that anything could happen in this film.

        This film has the features of a thriller as it keeps the audience on suspense, builds the tension and keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. For example, when Arbogast enters Norman's house, the audience knows that the murderer is in the house somewhere and that he/she could strike at anytime. This keeps the audience on edge and builds the suspense and tension. Thrillers are also fall of fast paced action which this film also has. One example of this, is the shower scene where Marion gets stabbed to death. She gets stabbed repeatedly times and the music makes it seem really fast paced.

         

         This film does end with resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains. This is evident as Sam is the hero, who thwarts the plans of Norman who is the villain. Sam stops Norman from killing Lila and makes sure that Norman is locked away. 

         One reason why this film is so highly regarded is the way it was made. In this film, Hitchcock wanted to avoid cliche stereotypes of villains being just evil and bad, and heroes being always good. To avoid this, he made the character of Norman have this charming personality about him, so that people wouldn't suspect that he was the murderer. As the film was made in 1960, storylines like this weren't heard of, and that is why it was so popular. So when the audience find out that Norman is actually the murderer all along, it is a massive surprise to them. A first time viewer would be surprised of Marion's early death as she seems like, she would be the main character. Another reason why it is so highly regarded, is that there was no advance screenings and no one was allowed to enter the cinema if they was late. Hitchcock done this because he wanted the audience to understand the full storyline so the shock at the end is high. 

         “A thriller is a villain driven plot, whereby he presents obstacles the hero must overcome.” This is kind of true, because the hero does overcome the villain but Sam didn't have to overcome obstacles to do so.

Hitchcock said thrillers allow the audience, "to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like”. He has succeeded to do this in this film as when the film was released, people started having phobias of going in the shower because of the shower scene. They all feared that, that might happen to them. 

North by NorthWest

Analysing the trailer: 

This trailer is effective in appealing to the audience because there is a lot of fast paced action throughout. It gives a good amount of information without giving away essential spoilers. There are also some comedy moments in the trailer too. Also in the trailer, Alfred Hitchcock and the main actors/actresses are spoken about a lot which would draw more attention to this film as they was very well known at the time and would there attract more people to be able to view their film. The ending of the trailer makes people want to see this film as it ends on a cliffhanger as Eva Marie Saint is left handing from Mount Rushmoore and this makes people want to watch the film because they will want to know what is going to happen to her.

“Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action,”

 Find examples of this in ‘North by North West’.

A good technique of a thriller is the use of fast paced, frequent action. North by Northwest is a good example of this. This happens because Cary Grant falls in love with a woman that he met on a train, but the film takes a dramatic turn when Eva Marie Saint covers for Cary Grant by faking his death. They almost fall off Mount Rushmoore while trying to get away.

Another good use of fast paced, frequent action is when the scene where Cary Grant is in the desert. He is seen to be waiting for a man to come by but he doesn’t turn up and that it was just a set up by the FBI. Then the crop duster comes and this is when the frequent action happens as it is seen to be shooting at Cary and the audience are left on the edge of their seats wondering if he will survive or not. The use of no sound works well here as it makes the audience focus on the scene more as there are no distractions.

“Resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains.”

Is this true of  ‘North by North West’?

This is a true statement in North by North West as Cary Grant is seen as the resourceful hero. This happens when he fakes his death so that the police won’t chase him anymore. We find out that he is the resourceful hero because the gun that is used to kill him is actually a fake and he is actually alive.

 “Devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliff-hangers are used extensively.”

These specific devices are used well in North-by-North West. For example, the red herring is used in this film when Eva Marie Saint is actually working against the villains rather than for them as the audience would think that she is working for the villains throughout the film. A cliffhanger is used  when Eva Marie Saint is seen to be hanging from Mount Rushmoore which leaves the audience to worry about what is going to happen. In the 'Auction Scene' James Mason's character is seem being very obsessed over Eva Marie Saint as he holds her neck in a very forceful manner. The over the shoulder shot looking down at Eva shows her to be very vulnerable and small

In the scene at the auction, a man named James Mason holds Eva Marie Saint’s neck back a lot very forcefully. This creates suspense because the audience feel the worst for Eva Marie as James Mason is seen to be very obsessed with her with worries the audience.

The Crop Duster Scene

In this particular scene, we see some strange irony when the unexpected happens. When Cary Grant is waiting for the man to appear, he is actually set up by the FBI. This is an important scene in the film and the use of no sound is used well by Alfred Hitchcock.

"A thriller is a villain driven plot, whereby he presents obstacles the hero must overcome.”

This is a true statement about this film. This is because all throughout the film, the villains are always trying to kill Cary Grant which is the villain driven plot. The MacGuffin is used well in this film as a microfilm is what the villains are after and they are willing to sacrifice anything and everything to get this microfilm which is the villain driven plot. It causes drama as we see the desperation of the villains to be able to get this microfilm which makes the film more interesting as we the villains making every attempt possible to get the microfilm.

 Has he succeeded in this film? Where? When? Hitchcock said thrillers allow the audience, "to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like”

I think that Hitchcock succeeded with the “put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it’s like”. This is because the audience often feel like they are in Cary Grants shoes when he is in the life or death situations. This is effective as it makes the audience be able to connect more with Cary to actually be able to have the same feelings as Cary. The use of the thriller conventions make the audience feel for Cary and make them wonder what it is like to be in Cary’s shoes when he is in danger. This is what keeps the audience interested.