Discontinuity Editing Flashcards
Jump Cut
an elliptical cut that appears to be an interruption of a single shot
either the figures seem to change instantly against a constant background, or the background changes instantly while the figures remain constant
Nondiegetic Insert
a shot or series of shots cut into a sequence, showing objects that are represented as being outside the world of the narrative
What is Soviet montage?
a collection of theories and practices advanced by Soviet filmmakers in the 1920s that stressed editing as the central element of film
montage as film term derived from the Soviet artistic practices that assembled images that relate to each other in some way to create a single work or part of a work of art
emphasis on editing as art; as a selection process
What are the aesthetic principles of Soviet montage?
editing was viewed to give an interpretation of reality rather than being a neutral transmitter of reality
emphasis on editing was to ensure that the spectator did not view a shot as an unmediated piece of the story world (constant presence of filmmaker as teller)
Soviet films from the 1920s contain more shots (600-2000 shots) compared to Hollywood films during the same period (500-1000 shots)
average shot length (ASL) for Soviet films were 2 to 4 seconds, compared to 5 to 6 second average shot length
as a result, editing intervened on the filmed material more frequently, and often for rhetorical purposes
contrasts with the principle of “invisible” continuity editing
character action are often broken into several shots, utilizing overlapping editing
figures of speech, like metaphor and simile, often expressed via editing
greater use of crosscutting, and across a broad range of locales
What is Kino-Eye as established by Dziga Vertov?
Soviet documentation and film theorist
developed the concept of “kino-eye”: film was able to capture what was inaccessible to the human eye by assembling film fragments and editing them together
What is the Kuleshov Effect?
an editing experiment conducted by Soviet filmmaker Lev Kuleshov
suggested that two shots in a sequence are more impactful than a single shot by itself
produces a cognitive effect that prompts the viewer to derive meaning from the interaction of two shots in sequence
What is the point of view editing structure?
Kuleshov effect revealed the cognitive basis of POV editing structure
point/glance shot: shot of a character looking, often offscreen
point/object shot: shot of the character or object that the character is looking at
prompts viewer to infer the subjective state of the character
What is spatial discontinuity in Eisenstein’s montage aesthetic?
placed emphasis upon creating spatial and temporal discontinuities
shots were not meant to create smooth continuity, but to collide
spatial discontinuity often derived from graphic discontinuities arising from linking shots
What is a dialectical montage?
the effect in montage when the juxtaposition of two shots that reflect some kind of conflict, has the potential to make an abstract concept tangible
What is overlapping editing?
a technique in editing where the second shot repeats part or all of the action from the previous shot, often resulting in temporal expansion
often used to underscore the significance of the action
discontinuity arise from the perception of repeated elements
contrasts sharply with the match on action
How can editing represent figures of speech?
Eisenstein believed editing can provide “symbolic pictorial expression”: figures of speech could be conveyed in film using images
What does polysemous mean?
can possess multiple meanings
What is the metric method of montage?
sequence is cut by frame
cutting to the next shot after a finite number of frames, no matter what happens on screen
What is the rhythmic method of montage?
matches the music
uses rhythm of music to match shot rhythm
What is the tonal method of montage?
setting the tone
two or more shots that support one another and build a theme
