Chapter 6: Film Editing

Question 1

Typical Hollywood film contains how many shots?

Answer 1

1000-2000 (3000 for action)

Question 2

The common join is called a what?

Answer 2

a cut

Question 3

cuts provide what?

Answer 3

instantaneous change from one shot to another

Question 4

fade-out and fade-in

Answer 4

fade-out: darkens the end of a shot to black
fade-in: lightens a shot from black

Question 5

briefly superimposes end of shot A and beginning of shot B

Answer 5

dissolve

Question 6

shot B replaces shot A using a boundary

Answer 6

wipe (i.e. Seven Samurai)

Question 7

Before digital editing, how were cuts made?

Answer 7

splicing two shots with cement or tape

Question 8

What editing does in Hitchcock’s “Birds”

Answer 8

give control over impact and timing… fasten our attention to certain characters e.g

Question 9

Dimensions of film editing

Answer 9

1. Graphic relations between shot A and B
2. Rhythmic relations between shot A and B
3. Spatial relations
4. Temporal relations

Question 10

Graphic dimension of editing

Answer 10

compare qualities of shots across… in a graphical sense

Question 11

graphic match

Answer 11

linking together shots through graphic similarities

Question 12

flash frames

Answer 12

when a moment of impact comes (say, someone about to be hit), immediately change shots

Question 13

manipulating space

Answer 13

if shell is fired, and before camera showed cannon… make assumptions

Question 14

Kuleshov Effect

Answer 14

editing makes viewers assume expressions change… cutting together portions of space to prompt spectator to assume spatial whole (that’s not seen)

Question 15

Temporal relations

Answer 15

filmmaker has control over editing

Question 16

Elliptical editing

Answer 16

action is presented such that it takes less time on screen that in actual story

Question 17

Three ways for ellipses

Answer 17

• start then cut to end
• start, then briefly hold empty frame, then empty frame at top
• cutaway/insert: after start, put another frame (of something else), then end

Question 18

overlapping editing

Answer 18

if end of one shot partially repeated at beginning of another

Question 19

continuity editing

Answer 19

aims to transmit narrative information smoothly over a series of shots,

… graphic qualities are roughly continuous
… adjust rhythm of the cutting to scale of shots (long shots are kept longer)

Question 20

180 degrees system

Answer 20

actions occur along a line or vector

Question 21

shot/reverse-shot

Answer 21

pattern showing both ends periodically

Question 22

eyeline match

Answer 22

shot A presents someone looking at something offscreen… shot B reveals what is being looked at

Question 23

cheat cut

Answer 23

when a continuity from shot A to B… position of figures don’t match

Question 24

crosscutting

Answer 24

alternates shots of story from one place to another… spatial discontinuity

Question 25

continuity editing

Answer 25

presents story in 1-2-3 order (most common violation is flashback)

Question 26

what montages do

Answer 26

compress time and events…

Question 27

360 degree system

Answer 27

seemingly violates classical continuity style… match on action while breaking line

Question 28

nondiegetic insert

Answer 28

a new shot that doesn’t belong to the space and time… symbolic or something