Continuity Editing

Continuity editing is import, it is used to help the viewer know whats going on and so it makes sense visually.
This technique has been around for over 100 years and is still important today. It is shown very throughout in V for Vendetta (a film version of a graphic novel by Alan Moore)

180 degree rule:

This scene from Ghostbusters where Egon Spengler explains about the energy in New York city and uses a twinkie as a metaphor.

This executes the 180 degree rule really well even when Peter Venkman comes down the stairs.









Here is the theory behind it.










Cross cutting:
Cross cutting is used to show two people in different places. It is used to build suspense and in fight scenes. Dragonball Z uses this a lot.

It is very good to show movement and to know exactly where the characters are. This prevents disorientation.








Psychical movement editing and setting changing:

This is used to show that an object/actor moves from place to place and so it makes sense visually.

In this scooby doo clip it is very poorly used with the same things on the wall which gives the effect that they're running round in circles. they pass mirror candle curtain in the same order over and over so it makes the viewer think that the background is moving not them.






This is an example of how it is used well. Notice how when toulio hits the ball it exits from the right side of the screen and appears in the left side. this is good continuity editing (This film is The Road To El Dorado)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_d6R4IvDuU

Film Editing vs Digital Editing

Working on 8mm film and editing:

You would use an 8mm Celluloid film. Unlike footage stored in SD cards this is footage you can psychically touch. After filming your footage the film is then placed on a reel.

The reels of film are then carefully analysed and proof checked. You would place the film on a Steenbeck on these turn tables. The gears and wheels are where the film is stretched out to be previewed on the screen.
On-top of the screen is the speaker for the audio. Cuts are made with a film slicer. A film slicer works really similar to a hole punch that you would use for paper. You feed the film through and position the part you wish to cut under the blade and press down. then you would stick the film to another piece of film so it looks like a cut.

Now we use digital footage with HD 1080P recording cameras and IMAX cameras. Most people use programs like Sony Vegas or Premier (Adobe) but some use simple ones like Microsoft Movie Maker.

Programs like this have a preview window where you can see what your footage looks like, A transitions view window, A timeline and a lot of options. This is much quicker and more creative for editing. You can also render your footage out in multiple formats.

In conclusion with he technology developments it is much more effective to use digital editing.

Unit 16 In Camera Editing

In Camera Editing:

What is In Camera Editing?

In-camera editing is the technique in filmmaking and video production of shooting shots in the exact sequence that they will be seen on the movie theatre screen or television program. This means planning in advance what shots will tell the desired story and then shooting only those shots in that order, as opposed to the usual filmmaking technique of shooting multiple takes out of sequence, then editing them into order to tell the story.

Why was it used?

It was primary used in the very early days of filming (black and white with heavy cameras) where you didn’t have Pcs or Macs to edit on.

Example:

The Lumiere brothers 1895

This was to show a scene of workers leaving their workplace with no story line

Then there was;

The Devil's Castle 1896

These are very early movies in which all editing was done in camera and used no editing software it was all done on a film strip that you used to get in old non-digital cameras

The Great Train Robbery 1903

Then people started using it in more modern films:

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope for example:

There looks like there are some cuts where it goes black but this is because when he made it you could only fit 10 minutes of film onto a film reel so he had to find a black background to film for when the clip stopped. This film wasn’t very well liked but Alfred was just experimenting as he liked to do.

Unit 16 Following the Action

Following the action:

What is Following the Action?

Following the Action" is when there are movement or an action scene; the camera would follow the event that is taking place.

It is used mostly in action scenes to build suspense.

Example:

Expendables 2 – I now pronounce you man and knife

This is from Expendables 2 where Jason Statham poses as a monk to fend off the enemy goons from a local village in this fight scene the camera follows the action

V for Vendetta – Final Fight

This is from V for Vendetta a film adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel this is the last scene in the film before the death of the main character.

A scene that uses a lot of shot variation: 

From The Matrix

Unit 16 Shot Variation

Shot Variation

close-up

A close up is a shot which fills up most of the frame to show specific detail e.g. facial expressions.

This scene from psycho shows the shower scene where she is dead on the floor and moves from an extreme close up to a close up shot

mid-shot, (or medium shot)

Mid shot (medium shot) is where the body is framed from the knees or waist to show specific body language.

Ghostbusters (1984)

The part where Venkman says “Come in Ray”

long shot

Long shot (full shot) is where the camera is at a long distance from the object/subject. The standing person is however fully visible.

Forrest Gump – Life is like a box of chocolates scene

Wide shot

Wide shot is where the camera places large areas of space within the frame. Extreme wide shots become ‘fisheye’ images.

  Ghostbusters – First Call at the Sedgewick hotel (1:11)

Ghostbusters 2 – Zapping Yanosh (0:53)

Two-shot

Two shot (American shot/Plan American) is where there are two people within the shot to show conversation or interaction with each other.

Ghostbusters – Ray and Winston talk about passages from the bible

The Dark Knight Rises – Bane Introduction (0:37)

Aerial shot

Aerial shot is where a shot is taken from a plane or helicopter to give a distant perspective.

Ghostbusters – Releasing the ghosts

The Shining – Intro

Unit 16 Manipulation Of Diegetic Time and Space

Manipulation of Diegetic Time and Space

There are 2 types of sound in film, diegetic and no diegetic

The main difference is what sound is in the frame and what sound is outside the film or the sound the characters can hear and what sound the characters cannot hear.

The diegetic sound holds the role of realism to make the scene feel realistic.

It is used usually to build tension or to make the scene more dramatic (realism)

Example:

Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace - 

This scene has a mix of diegetic and non-diegetic elements

The speech, movement sounds and sounds of pain when hit are all diegetic and natural to the scene where as “Duel Of The Fates” (the music) is not and this is non-diegetic

Lord of the rings: Fellowship of the ring - 

The increasing music in the scene is non-diegetic whereas the sword sounds and the Balrog groans are as well as the dialog between the characters Gandalf and Frodo

Unit 16 The History Of Editing

In Camera Editing:

What is In Camera Editing?

In-camera editing is the technique in film making and video production of shooting shots in the exact sequence that they will be seen on the movie theater screen or television program. This means planning in advance what shots will tell the desired story and then shooting only those shots in that order, as opposed to the usual film making technique of shooting multiple takes out of sequence, then editing them into order to tell the story.

Why was it used?

It was primary used in the very early days of filming (black and white with heavy cameras) where you didn’t have PC's or Macs to edit on.

Example:

The Lumiere brothers 1895

This was to show a scene of workers leaving their workplace with no story line

Then there was;

The Devil's Castle 1896

These are very early movies in which all editing was done in camera and used no editing software it was all done on a film strip that you used to get in old non-digital cameras

The Great Train Robbery 1903

Then people started using it in more modern films:

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope for example:

There looks like there are some cuts where it goes black but this is because when he made it you could only fit 10 minutes of film onto a film reel so he had to find a black background to film for when the clip stopped. This film wasn’t very well liked but Alfred was just experimenting as he liked to do.