Lecture 10.

Editing Theory Part 1.

Editing is very important.
VERY.VERY.

It makes or break a movie.
So what is Editing?

"Editing is the act of completing the pacing and narrative structure of a film and its soundtrack by cutting and splicing the shots together to make a final, comprehensible story.Editing is important because it allows the director to film out of order, to make multiple takes of each shot, and it allows for aesthetic decisions to be made after filming is complete. The editor has tremendous control over the basic continuity and message of the production"

There are 3 types of editing: Continuity, Acceleration and Cause and Effect editing.

Continuity -
To preserve the fluidity of an event without showing the entire scene .Continuity cutting shortens time showing only the necessary events in a scene. An event can be contracted or expanded attention can be focused and meanings made, depending on the number of shots- the shot not the scene is the basic unit of film construction. Each new scene usually starts with an establishing shot to show that we have moved logically from the previous scene.

Acceleration -
Showing the audience something that naturally we want to figure out, a wedding, a funeral…etc at the start, then working the series of events from the start which ultimately lead to the beginning scene. This is relevant in shows such as CSI and almost any crime related piece.

Cause and Effect -
Sometimes we can assume the cause of the effect because a scenario is obvious, for example, someone crying, or being happy etc. However, this is again another example of the cause and effect method being implored on a different wavelength; editors have the power to change perceptions of their audience. They may be crying with happiness, instead of being sad.



I just saw the movie Dreamgirls a few days ago and I realised the movie used every editing element.