| |||
|
Cutting and Editing key words: intercutting shot duration fade-out parallel editing juxtaposition fade-in parallel cutting cut wipe cross-cutting transition dissolve quick cutting transition shot cutaways fast cutting swish pan matched cut montages offscreen narration continuity editing mise en scиne voice-over jump cut Transition from one scene to the next is important. A cut makes the transition by connecting the last shot of one scene to the first shot of the next. Sometimes a transition is executed by a cut from a transition shot, such as a plane taking off or a building, to the first shot of the next scene. In a swish pan, the scene ends with the camera suddenly panning so fast that the image blurs. A cut to the next scene follows. Overlapping sound can help to smooth transitions by anticipating a scene''s visual beginning with its auditory beginning: a character may refer to the location of the next scene while a cut to it is made, and the conversation continues while the visual image of the new location comes into view. Offscreen narration, or voice-over, usually by a character, can help keep the film together and maintain our interest while communicating a story economically. Offscreen sounds, such as crowd noises, an echo, amplified heartbeats, or a scream may increase anticipation, suspense, or excitement, revealing a private emotional experience and raising our level of involvement in the characters'' dilemma. Other transitional devices include special effects like fades, wipes, and dissolves. In a fade-out, the image rapidly becomes black, and a fade-in of the next scene follows. In a wipe, one shot is covered up by another shot moving horizontally across the screen. In a dissolve, one shot fades out while the next fades in on top of it. Cutaways are common transitional devices. It might be a reaction cut, of one person listening to what another is saying or responding to what somebody is doing. Reaction cuts are popular in televised sports events, where the editor will cut to show the reaction of individuals, the crowd, or a player to such moments as a boundary in cricket or a match-winning netball shot. Cutaways can be used to link to what somebody is thinking, talking about, or seeing. Cutaways can compress time without losing continuity, and they can also be used to expand time in order to build tension or emphasise a dramatic moment. Instead of a cutaway, a matched cut may be used, where no part of the action is omitted, although the camera angle or distance may change. In continuity editing, a sequence is cut together to preserve the continuity of the action without showing the whole of the action. We don''t notice most cuts because of our expectations and familiarity with the conventions of editing. Accordingly, the action usually seems to blend smoothly from one shot to the next. When two shots are intentionally not matched, we have what is called a jump cut. We stay with the same subject, but there is a discontinuity of physical movement. The subject may seem to jump from one place to the next, or the same subject may remain on frame and the location will change. In this way, a lot of ground, time, and action can be covered economically at a swifter pace than when continuity is preserved, and a faster transition from one scene or sequence to the next can be achieved. But when a cut that should have been matched is not, the effect can be quite jarring and obtrusive. A compression of time which is too abrupt may confuse us. Intercutting cuts back and forth from one subject or event to the other. With this technique, the events appear to be happening at the same time. In parallel editing or parallel cutting, sometimes also called cross-cutting, the sequences or scenes are intercut so as to suggest that they are taking place at the same time. Parallel cutting might show shots of a villain being villainous intercut with shots of the hero or heroine coming to the rescue. Most chases use parallel editing, switching back and forth between pursuer and pursued. Phone conversations, too, are often parallel edited. Quick or fast cutting, based on short shots of only a few frames, gives the impression that action is happening at great speed, heightening the sense of action and excitement. Montages Quick cuts may be used to bring together events related in theme, but from different times and places. They sometimes involve different characters in what are sometimes called montages. Montages might flash images from a person''s memory or condense a history of someone''s life or the history of a war. Mise en Scиne Whereas montage essentially arranges time, mise en scиne arranges space. Literally translated, mise en scиne means "put in the scene". Originally the term referred to the physical production of a play - its sets, props, and the staging of a scene. Over time, mise en scиne has been adapted to describe filmic space - the manipulation of staging and action within a shot during filming as opposed to the manipulation of space afterwards in the editorial process. Mise en scиne refers to the various items contained in a film''s scene and how they are presented. For instance, the court martial scene in Breaker Morant is composed along vertical and horizontal lines - the men sitting at the table, the line around the wall, and the men who are standing all conform to a pattern, reinforcing the situation and meaning. Mise en scиne includes all the elements in a single shot of film, including the action, costumes, framing, camera placement, and lenses. Mise en scиne, with its deep focus, creates a richer space that closely mirrors the real world and engages the viewer deeply in the film''s image, textures, and ambiguities. It can therefore stop the flow of time and hold it in an eternal present tense, preserving not only the image of things but also the sense of their duration. |
