Styles of Editing

Styles of Editing

The movement from one shot to the next is called a transition.

In this post i will talk about the following transitions:

• Straight cut
• Dissolves
• Fades
• Wipes
• Jump Cut
• Graphic Match
• Eye-line Match
• Match on Action

Another thing I will mention in this post is the 180° rule as it is an important factor to consider while filming or editing.

Straight cut
Most common and an invisible form of transition, one shot moves instantly to the next without catching the audiences attention. The straight cuts help retain reality and do not break the viewers suspension of disbelief.

DissolvesIt fades one shot off the screen while another shot fades in. At the mid point of the dissolve you are able to see both shots on screen overlapping. It can help show a connection between two characters or places

FadesFade is when there is a gradual darkening or lightening of an image or scene, up until the screen becomes black (darkening) or white (lightening). One shot will fade until only a black or white screen can be seen. This transition can be used to indicate the end of a particular section of time within the narrative. It can also show the passing of time.  

WipesWipe is when one image is pushed off the screen by another. The images can be pushed left or right, although it is more common for the image to be pushed from the left hand side, as this movement is more consistent representing the time moving forward. It can be used to signal a movement between different locations that have events happening at the same time.

Jump CutA jump cut is where the audiences attention is redirected to focus on something very abruptly. It occurs by breaking the continuity of editing. This is also known as discontinuity. It appears as if a piece of the original sequence has been removed and it seems as if there is a few second jump.

Graphic MatchA graphic match is when the film maker can choose to place shots in a certain order 

Media Theorists

Media Theorists

There are many different theories about construction of the media, the three main ones that are narrative theories are: Todorov's theory "Todorov's Narrative Theory", Barthes theory "Enigma Code Theory" and Levi's theory "Strauss Binary Opposites Theory" These are the three theories that i will be focusing on in this blog post.

Barthes: Enigma Code theory

The enigma code theory consists of 5 different codes:

• The Hermeneutic Code (HER)
• The Enigma/ Proairetic Code (ACT)
• The Symbolic Code (SYM)
• The Cultural Code (REF)
• The Semantic Code (SEM)

The Hermeneutic Code (HER) is the way the story avoids being honest and instead of being straight forward rather drops clues to hint at the truth throughout the movie to create more mystery.

The Enigma/ Proairetic Code (ACT) is the way the tension is built up making the audience guessing what will happen next
 
The Symbolic Code (SYM)  
 is similar to the semantic code, but at a deeper level. This code organizes meanings into deeper and broader groups of meanings. 

The Cultural Code (REF) 
looks at the audiences wider cultural knowledge, morality and ideology

The Semantic Code (SEM) is what points to any element in a text that is ambiguous. This allows people to have different ideas about how the story will go.

Levi Strauss: Binary oppositesStrauss believed that when we think of something our brains also think of the opposite. These two things were called binary opposites. Most of the films consist of a positive (good) guy fighting the negative (bad) person, or the hero trying to ruin the bad plans of the villain. Any characters who are opposite can be called binary opposites. 

A few examples of binary opposites in films could be:

Harry Potter and Voldemort (Harry potter)
Frodo Baggins and Sauron (Lord Of The Rings)
Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader (Original Star Wars)
Gandalf and Saruman (Lord Of The Rings)

Todorov's Narrative Theory 1969

Todorov believed that all films follow the same narrative pattern, through 5 different stages.

Stage 1: A state of equilibrium

In this stage everything is as it should be. We are shown what the life of the characters was like before anything happened. Their day to day lifes usually free of problems and happy.

Stage 2: A disruption of that order by an event

In this stage the peace that we see in stage 1 is disrupted by something. There is more action introduced into the film and we are exposed to the problems that occur due to an event.

Stage 3: A recognition that the disorder has occured

In this stage the characters are made aware that the disruption happened and are forced to face the consequences of the event.

Stage 4: An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption

In this stage the main character attempts to confront whatever consequences he is being faced with caused by the disruption. He/she has to overcome the things that try to stop him/her from achieving the equilibrium once again.

Stage 5: A return or restoration of a new equilibrium

In this stage while we are in fact back to an equilibrium state and things go back to being fine, nothing is the same as it was in stage 1. There is always something different about the new found peace.


The male gaze theory 

This theory states that we see the movie through the eyes of a man. What I mean by this is that we see the women viewed as objects of male erotic desire. When we are presented with a woman, the camera follows the gaze of the man to reveal the attributes of her figure.

While most feminists are opposed to the cinema portraying women in this way and objectifying them, I don't see a big problem with it as it brings the majority of the audience what they want to see and more of men are likely to watch it. This is the point of the industry, you want to get as many people to watch the film.

The men are presented as more active and are usually the heroes while the women are more passive and are there to accompany the hero while he is on a mission. The audience is forced to identify with the male gaze, since this is the way the movie was recorded and we cant see it in any other way.

The cinema reflects the patriarchal society that we live in today. The films are filled with symbolism linked to phallocentrism. Phallous is a symbol of male power.

The Conventions Of a Thriller

                          The Conventions Of a Thriller

Thriller - Thrills - Fearful excitement

Thriller is a broad genre. Thrillers are fast pacing and there is frequent action.
There is always a hero and a villain but unlike in mystery a thriller is a villain driven plot and we know who the villain is from the start. The villain and the hero are binary opposites. The hero is always resourceful and he/she has to thwart the plans of more powerful and usually better equipped villain.

Thrillers use different devices to create an effect on the audience, such as: suspense, red herrings, cliff hangers etc.

Danger and violent confrontations are standard plot elements of a thriller.

 The climax of a mystery is when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others.

Sub Genre 
Thriller is a flexible genre  that includes various sometimes overlapping sub genres. They can vary from each other while still keeping the main structure.


                                  Action thriller: ex. The Bourne Ultimatum


This is an action thriller film because there is a lot of action involved while Bourne is being searched by CIA, due to the deputy director thinking Jason Bourne can still be dangerous to them and should be eliminated. There is lots of fast paced scenes of action that have fast editing in place to keep the audiences attention. This makes it an action thriller.

                                   Political thriller: ex. V for Vendetta

                                 
This is a political thriller film as the story is based on the Guy Fawkes story that is remembered on the 5th of november as bonfire night. V tries to overcome the government with the help of a girl, he fights for the freedom using terroristic tactics to fight the oppressive society.








                                           Crime thriller: ex. Breaking Bad

 
Breaking Bad is a series not a film, but it fits the thriller genre and it is on of my favourite shows of all time so i wanted to include it. It fits the crime thriller sub genre because the main story is that Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, cook and sell meth which is illegal. They work with criminals that distribute their product so that they can get as much money as possible from manufacturing meth-amphetamine.






                             
                                   Drama thriller:ex. The Silence Of The Lambs

                             
This is a drama thriller film because there are lots of dramatic scenes included and the plot of the movie is based around a psychopathic killer, who skins his victims. This means there are a lot of drastic and dramatic scenes.










                                   Medical thriller: ex Pathology


This is a medical thriller film because the action takes place in some sort of a hospital and the general plot is that a medical school graduate arrives at a pathology program, where he meets people that let him into their group. Later on he meets a doctor who shows him a secluded part of the hospital where they try to find a way to commit the perfect murder.

Techniques

Thrillers use various techniques. Some examples are:

• Red Herrings - These are used to to confuse the audience, so that they are more likely to question what they see. Also red herrings help create a more effective plot twist
• Suspense - The suspense is used through out the thriller film and is an important component that created the thrill. It is usually created by building up to action and using various things to slightly confuse the audience so they are less likely to figure out how it will end.
• Cliff Hangers - Sometimes at the end of a scene we are presented with an unresolved action that takes place. This is a technique used to keep people watching, since we are intrigued to find the answers to our questions regarding what has happened. 

Genre

                                          Genre

"Genre - a style or category of art, music, or literature."

There are various movie genres, directed at different types of people. The genres help people get an insight into what the movie may be about and it is important for the directors and the media to know what type of movies people enjoy watching because they can use that information to gain money from production of movies that suit the bigger audience.

Examples of genres :

Thriller - a genre for people who enjoy fearful excitement an example of a thriller would be the movie: North by Northwest by Alfred Hitchcock

Horror - a genre for people who enjoy being scared and feeling uneasy an example of a horror would be the movie The Exorcist directed by William Friedkin

Romantic Comedy - a genre usually for women who enjoy watching funny romantic relations between the main characters. An example of a romantic comedy would be the movie The Devil Wears Prada directed by David Frankel


Fiction/Fantasy - a genre for people who enjoy being distracted and taken away into a different world where anything can happen. An example of a fiction/fantasy would be the trillogy Lord Of The Rings directed by Peter Jackson