Chapter 6: Editing Flashcards
Editing
in filmmaking, the task of selecting and joining camera takes
in the finished film, the set of techniques that governs the relations among shots
Cut
provides an instantaneous change from one shot to another
Fade-Out
gradually darkens the end of a shot back to back
Fade-In
lightens a shot from black
Dissolve
briefly superimposes the end of shot A and the beginning of shot B
Wipe
shot B replaces shot A using a boundary line moving across the screen
What are the four basic areas of choice and control that editing offers the filmmaker?
(relations between shot A and shot B)
1. graphic
2. rhythmic
3. spatial
4. temporal
What are the graphical relations between shot A and B?
- the shots display patterns of light and dark, line and shape, volumes and depths, movement and stasis
- pictorial constrasts can be powerful in guiding our attention
Graphic Match
shapes, colors, overall composition, or movement in shot A may be picked up in the composition of shot B
What are the rhythmic relations between shot A and shot B?
the filmmaler can adjust the lenghts of any shot in relations to the shots around it
the patterning of shot lenghts contibutes considerably to what we intitively recognize as a film’s rhythm
Flash-Frame
a single frame that is completely clear between two shots
may mark transitions between segments or signal flashbacks or subjective sequences
What are the spatial relations between shot A and shot B?
editing permits the filmmaker to juxtapose any two points in space and suggest some kind of relationship between them
Kuleshov Effect
refers to cutting together portions of a space in a way that promotes the spectator to assume a spatial whole that isn’t shown onscreen
Constructive Editing
the filmmaker has decided to withhold an establishing shot
Analytical Editing
breaks an establishing shot into closer views
What are the temporal relations between shot A and B?
editing can control the time of action presented in the film
Flashbacks
present one or more shots out of their presumed story order
Flashforward
the editing moves from the present to a future event and then returns to the present
Elliptical Editing
presents an action in such a way that it consumes less time on the screen than it does in the story
Continuity Editing
uses a variety of classic film editing techniques to blend multiple camera shots — some taken at different times or even different locations — into a seamless, consistent narrative
Ellipsis
the narrative device of omitting a portion of the sequence of events, allowing the reader to fill in the narrative gaps
devices like dissolves, fades, and wipes conventionally signal an ellipsis in the action, and you can create one using a cutaway or insert
Overlapping Editing
if the action from the end of one shot is partly repeated at the beginning of the next
prolongs the action, stretching it out past its story duration
Aspects of continuity editing
- graphic qualities are roughly continuous from shot to shot
- the rhythm of the cutting is adjusted to the scale of the shots
180 degree system
the filmmaker will plan, stage, shoot, and edit the shots so as to maintain the axis of action from shot to shot
What are the functions of the 180 degree system?
- ensures that relative positions in the frame remain consistent
- ensures consistent eyelines
- ensures consistent screen direction
- clearly delineates space
the viewer should always know there the characters are in relation to one another and to the setting- and to know where they are with respect to the story action
Establishing Shot
a shot, usually involving a distant framing, that shows the spatial relations among the important figures, objects, and setting in a scene
Shot/Reverse Shot
two or more shots edited together that alternate characters, typically in a conversation situation
Eyeline Match
occurs when shot A presents someone looking at something offscreen and shot B shows us what is being looked at- in neither shot are the both the looker and the object present
Reestablishing Shot
a return to a view of an entire space after a series of closer shots following the establishing shot
Match-On Action
carrying a single movement across a cut
Cheat Cut
the power of the axis of action and the eyelines it can create is so great that the filmmaker may be able to eliminate an establishing shot, thus relying on the Kuleshov effect
POV Cutting
gives us an eyeline match that presents something as seen by the person looking- the shot is more or less optically subjective
Crosscutting
the plot alternates shots of story events in one place with shots of another event elsewhere
What are the functions of crosscutting?
- intriduces some spatial discontinuity by shuttling us from place to place
- by giving us unrestricted knowledge of a situation, it can clarify conflict and build tension
- by supplying unrestricted knowledge, crosscutting can highlight parallels, even if the charcaters are unaware of them
What is the order and frequency that continuity editing typically presents the story events?
1-2-3 (chronological sequence)
often presents only once what happens once in the story (one-for-one frequency)
Continuous Duration
plot time and screen time equaling story time
Elided Duration
story time being greater than plot time and screen time
Temporal Continuity
ensures that a film seems to flow continuously in time
- the narrative progression of the scene has no gaps
- diegetic sound
- match on action between shots 5 and 6
Montage Sequence
brief portions of a process, informative titles, stereotypes images, newsreel footage, newspaper headlines, and the like can be joined by dissolves and music to create a quick, regular rhythm and to compress a lenghty series of action into a few moments
Single-Frame Film
each shot is only one frame long
Jump Cut
when you cut together two shots of the same subject if the shots differ only slightly in angle or composition, there will be a noticeable jump on the screen
the result looks as if some frames have been cut out of a single shot
Nondiegetic Insert
the filmmaker cuts from the scene to a metaphorical or symbolic shot that doesn’t belong to the space and time of the narrative
