Editing Techniques in Films

 Shot/Reverse Shot

This editing techniques is used in many cases in dialogue. It is used to edit two shots together that alternate the characters, this allows the audience to suggest that the characters are facing opposite each other whilst having a conversation. The technique isn't always used to shoot footage of the characters talking, in many cases it can be used to show the reaction/emotion of a character to something to other character may be saying to them. In The Hunger Games the use of shot/reverse shot is used to show characters talking, when a character says something emotional instead of watching them say something emotional we watch as Katniss reacts to the information, the use of a close up allows us to see the emotion on her face, this makes the audience identify with the character as they are able to feel sad for her.

180° Rule

This rule sets an imaginary axis, by keeping the camera on one side of the imaginary axis, characters or objects within the scene remain on the correct side in relation to the space around them. This is done in order to keep the setup orderly and easy for an audience to follow without feeling disoriented. When the camera jumps over the invisible line this is called "breaking the line" and can cause confusion for an audience as it can be hard to follow what is going on as it will look as if the characters or objects have switched sides.

30° Rule

This rule states that the camera should move at least 30° to avoid jarring transitions from shot to shot. This rules helps filmmakers create continuity between different shots in a large sequence. 

Cut In

This is simple editing technique used to cut to shots reflecting the emotions of the character usually you would cut to a close up in order to focus the audience on the subjects face in order for them to decode the desired message the audience is trying to mediate.

Crosscutting / Parallel

Cross cutting is a technique used in film to reveal actions happening at the same time. In a cross-cut the camera will cut from one action to another which the audience interprets as simultaneous action in different locations. This technique can make a scene seem more intense, one scene on its own may not hold much important however, when combined with a variety of different shots showing actions can make the scene more interesting and engaging to a viewer. Cross cutting has many purposes, when used in one scene to quickly cut between objects it makes it seem more dramatic for example in the film the Untouchables, the stroller falls down the stairs in a dramatic fight scene, the shot of the stroller falling is intertwined with the action of the fight scene adding tension to the scene as the audience understands this is all happening at once. Another way crosscutting can be used is to tell parallel story lines happening at the same time, it is very commonly used in action movies to further the plot quickly whilst creating a tense atmosphere. This technique is also used in Inception, we are able to see the dream state the character is in as well as real life where the character is asleep in the van as the crew tries to get away. The use of parallel editing in this scenes allows us to keep all shots in the correct order chronologically upholding continuity and it also allows us to see how things that happen in real life affect the character in his dream. 

Establishing Shot 

An establishing shot introduces new scenes to the viewer and tells them where the action is happening. Usually establishing shots are shot using drones and aerial footage as they are taken from high up in order to capture as much of the location as possible to set the scene. Establishing shots can tell you a lot about the film, for example they can reflect the genre of the movie and can suggest themes and messages that the movie may be portraying. It can also suggest the time period the movie is being set in as well as establishing an atmosphere. Overall, the purpose of an establishing shot is to provide context to the movie and grab the attention of the audience (Escobar). The establishing scenes in Harry Potter show beautiful, dream like scenes which reflects the magic of the locations and reflects the concept of the movie which is about magic and wizardry. 

Match on Action 

This technique is used to create continuity in which one shot cuts to another of the same action recorded from a different position. In the first shot the action will begin however, in the second shot the action will continue from a different viewpoint. The use of match on action shots gives the impression of a sense of continuity, it is like a "visual bridge" which draws the viewer's eye away from the cutting of scenes (Wilson). In this shot although the action is prolonged, we see the bag enter the machine and then once the characters have fought their way in we see the bag being picked up. The match on action in this shot suggests to the audience that the bag holds something important.

Temporal Overlap 

This is where an action is repeated from a different perspective, for example if someone was to turn a door handle in on shot, the next shot could be of the other side of the door where the doorknob is turning. This is used to make an action seem more powerful to show importance or to create suspense for an audience.

Kuleshov Effect

Lev Kuleshov made films in the early 1920s, he created a film theory which suggested that sole of cinema is in the edit, it is in the way that two shots interacts, he even argues that acting itself can be completely suborned by editing, it is not the actor that matters it is the cut. Kuleshov put together an editing exercise where an actor sits and stares at a camera which a blank expression, this shot is then inter cut with other images. The perception on the part of the audience is that the face takes on the implications of reaction. The meaning isn't created by each shot however, it is created by the juxtaposition of the two shots. For example if the first shot was placed before a shot of war footage this would suggest the blank expression suggests horror whereas it the first video was placed with a shot of a child it would suggest the theme of love and family. Alfred Hitchcock talks about the Kuleshov effect in the documentary "A Talk with Hitchcock", he uses one shot of himself smiling which he paired with a shot of a baby and a shot of a girl in a bikini. Both sequences have a different effect, the first suggests he is a sweet man that loves family, the second suggests he is a creepy old man (A Talk With Hitchcock, 1964). 

Eisenstein Montage

The prominent Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein suggested that there are five different types within his montage theory; Metric, Rhythmic, Tonal, Overtonal and Intellectual (Heckman). 

Metric Montage is where a film is cut per frame. This type of montage is inspired by the pacing of a musical score otherwise known as a meter. This is used to create a visual pace within the scene by cutting to the next shot after a finite number of frames no matter what is happening on screen.

Rhythmic Montage is were the shots share the same pace as the music therefore creating an engrossing continuity. In Rocky the use of rhythmic montage is used to reflect the efforts the fighter puts into training. 

Tonal Montage is where each shot builds upon each other to create a certain theme or atmosphere in the scene. In Part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows you see imagery of Snape using his wand and in the next shot you see Dumbledore falling to his death, in the background you hear the non-diegetic sound of slow sad music all these editing techniques build a melancholic atmosphere for the audience.

Overtonal Montage is the cumulation of metric, rhythmic, tonal. This is done to synthesize its affect on the audience for an even more abstract and confusing effect. This mixture of types of montage mixes pace, ideas and emotions to induce the desired effect from the audience (Burgess). 

Intellectual montage uses different images to create meaning or metaphors for the audience to decode. The Lev Kuleshov effect is closely related to this sort of montage as it reflects the same ideologies.

My Example of Editing Techniques in Use

References

Heckmann, C., 2020. Soviet Montage Theory (Online)

Available at : https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/soviet-montage-theory/

Burgess, A., 2011. Overtonal Montage (Online)

Available at : https://andrewburgess.wordpress.com/tag/overtonal-montage/ 

Escobar, N., Stoler, D.A., Jensen, V., Duchesnea, D., Establishing Shot in Film for Beginners (Online) Available at : https://www.adobe.com/uk/creativecloud/video/discover/establishing-shot.html 

Wilson, K., 2011. Match on Action (Online)

Available at : https://sites.google.com/a/colgate.edu/fmst-terminology/match-on-action 

Directed by Fletcher Markle, 1964. A Talk With Hitchcock (Documentary)