E.D history of editing

Before the use of cutting film, films would have just been continuous without any editing. Thanks to the introduction of cutting films started to develop and make films easier viewing. A good example of a feature that had to be done in one shot is 'A Trip to the Moon' by Georges Meilies and in the feature you see the full length of each scene but for each new scene you see the cut from scene to scene. In camera editing at the time, film directors or film maker had to shoot the sequences or scenes perfectly leaving no room for error when it came to using the shot.
One of the most iconic film-makers/editors Edwin S. Porter is known for not just experimenting with linear narrative but he was also one of the firsts to try telling stories from multiple shots instead of filming from a stationary position. In his film the 'Life of an American Fireman' Edwin Porter shows the firemen of America rescuing a woman from inside the house we see the outside shots of the woman's house burning and we also see the inside shot of the woman's house as the firemen are trying to rescue her. Also Edwin Porter would purposely jump cut shots to show his audience the continuous action in his feature.

E.D creating pace

When creating pace its usually a slow build up to a big scene. Scenes like this usually start with a chase scene or running scene then the big climax happens after the big chase. Pace is usually created using music or slow camera movement. It keeps the film even and makes sure the audience doesn't feel like they missed anything when it gets to the end. It help to make sure everything that the audience need to know is included and that it doesn't get confusing or become pointless because the story gets lost. It’s used to speed up or slow down a film in certain parts for example if there is a romance scene or it’s a romance film usually they will slow it down so the audience can connect and understand and feel part of the characters relationship. In Disney films the pace starts of slow we get to know the characters and connect with them, but then there is always a sad part where the pace speeds up because it’s getting more emotional and its building up to the big happy ending. Action films are the main genre for creating pace in though, it’s usually always fast paced it’s shown through short fast cuts from one to another. Drama films use slower pace this is for the audience to understand the scene; they use longer shots in scenes.



In this scene from the hunger games the shots are all fast paced this is a tense scene. At the start we see a long shot of Katniss in the tree then as soon as she sees the fire and starts running the shots are seconds apart which is a perfect example for fast paced editing. Its key to this scene because it builds tension for the audience and puts them on edge as soon as she jumps from the tree.

E.D Combining Shots into Sequences

This is getting loads of shots together that relate and get put together to explain something, whether it’s a present shot and then a flashback they relate and are put into a sequence of shots. If shots aren’t put into a sequence then it can get confusing and the story becomes confusing and mixed up and the audience can’t relate or connect to anything. Combining specific shots into a sequence is done to help create a smooth flowing scene. Once all the individual shots have been corrected such as colour correcting so that they all match, they are able to be successfully edited together to merge one scene. 
By picking the right shots the editor is able to help the audience understand where the sympathy needs to be given. I believe this technique have been successfully used in the 2008 film Changeling starring Angelina Jolie; the narrative of this film is based upon a grief stricken mother who takes upon the LAPD when they stubbornly try to pass of an obvious impostor as her missing child. The audience are aware that this impostor isn't her child and the camera shots and editing techniques fully allow the audience to gain sympathy for Jolie.

A film is just lots of shots combined together to create a final edit and make it look how the film is intended. Majority of films are shot with the camera still however others like for example Cloverfiled is shot with a hand held camera style the shots are still put together in a smooth sequence but the shots are visibly shaky because of the movement of the camera. These kind of films I would imagine are harder to cut together to avoid less shake and jerk than is needed for the audience to still be interested and be able to watch it.


This scene from Cloverfiled shows exactly how the shots are hard to combine because it has to look like the camera is just cutting out or being turned off because it’s meant to be the people just filming continuously. So in this scene when the camera blacks out this is good editing because it looks as if the camera is breaking up and the image is being distorted. There is a lot of close ups a zooms as well this is so we can see facial expressions and stress the point that the film is using hand held camera

E.D crearing motivation

This is important when editing and making a film because the story needs to have stability and the edit needs to influence and have effect on the audience. To create a motivation edit you need to make the continuity look smooth making sure nothing looks jumpy and the position for the shot must be the same each time unless the angle or anything is meant to be changed. This is a challenging job for editors to try and show through the editing what the director and production team wanted to show. It’s all about keeping the audience interested 'motivated' basically so they enjoy the film and don't notice the editing, if they do it could make them distracted and not enjoy the film. Editing together montages is a good way to create motivation because it can make audiences get a feel about someone in a quicker amount of time so this can make them feel like they understand more because you’re letting them know little things that important. Lots of cuts in a certain scene will create motivation too, not all the time but if there is a conversation going on then maybe one person’s face to a mid-shot and a long shot of where they are back to their faces again rather than having one long shot. Cutting from one scene to another or one character to another will persuade how the audience feel they will react positively or negatively to the film. For example the clip below from the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 shows characters all concentrating on Harry Potter which persuades the audience to feel scared and anxious for the safety of Harry Potter.


It is also important to cut at the correct time to enable the narrative of the story progress and develop further. DW Griffith introduced narrative and it is very heavily used in the Harry Potters films because of the complex story and plots. It is also important to choose the correct pace of the cut depending of the genre of the film and also particular characters. For example; a romantic comedy genre film the audience are made to feel sympathy and emotion for the main character so the cuts of this character will be slow so that the audience are able to learn more about them.

E.D Relationship to genre

When editing a film, they use all different techniques to illustrate and make the genre clear. The genre of a film is important to show through first the trailer to target the right audience and get people wanting to see it and then carrying it on through the film making it stronger. The way films are edited make people’s emotions stronger and captures the audience to draw them in. Romance films are quite easy to edit to show the genre clear because of how editors can make characters seem real together and make the audience believe everything. It takes a good script director and editor to really make the audience feel a connection to the main characters in the film. A lot of mid-shots are used in romance films to show the body language of the characters towards each other and make us feel closer to know more connected. They also use close ups so we can see facial expressions and how the characters are feeling in a certain scene which in romance films its usually always happy and lustful. The notebook is a good example of old fashioned film love where things are always romantic or the complete opposite. The humour in Romance films is usually just shared between the characters it’s not specifically for the audience to laugh at more to ‘aww’ at. In this scene from the notebook we see the romance at its height then they argue and then they are back in love again. This genre is used to play with the viewer’s emotions. We see the close up and mid shot in this scene.



Romantic Comedies are a newer way of showing romance, we see a lot more funny scenes this is a typical part of the films. They meet fall in love something happens they break up go out with friends do something stupid and then get back together. There is usually a sad scene to make the audience feel emotion for the characters or a certain one too. They always end emotional weather there happy or sad; in the end it’s just as soppy as an old school proper romance just with a few more laughs. Because this is such a popular genre used and people usually know what’s going to happen at the end editors have to try and make it a bit different to keep people wanting to want to watch them. In this other clip of the last scene of a film called The Break Up we see the couple who have been on and off through this rom com and gone through a lot, see each other again after a long time and they say hi and walk away. This is a different ending to a film and leaves the viewer after the film to make up their mind on what they think happened, did they get back together or not? The scene shots a lot of close ups as we see how the characters look so happy after bumping into each other again. 

E.D Development of Drama

Drama is a genre that can turned into comedy, horror,thriller,action basically can be combined with all other genres to develop it. They are plot driven, this is what holds the film together because the audience want to know what happens next. Some dramas end of cliff hangers, this is a technique used to keep the audience guessing after the film. However most dramas round up at the end but use a lot of suspense and try to make the audience think. Alfred Hitchcock’s type of editing is good for dramas because he was known as the master of suspense. One quote from Hitchcock was 'always make the audience suffer as much as possible'. Now dramas are back on screens in films and TV series much more this quote is used again when editors are putting shots together. It’s a big selling point if people are excited to know what happens. Trailers give enough for people to want to watch the films, they are a big part of films and so is the editing for them. This is what gets the audience interested. In most trailers for drama genre the type of suspense to be expected in the film is shown through the trailer so the audience know style and techniques are coming. In drama there is a lot that can be developed; life, settings,characters,plot.. Editors can do all this by the way they cut shots or spend longer on suspense than the climax. The way the editors manipulate footage together can determine the intensity of the clip, also using different camera shots from the same clips can benefit a film and develop the drama. For editors to do a good job on a drama one of the main things they have to remember is to develop realistic characters this is because most films aim to tell an honest human story.

E.D Storytelling

This is the main purpose of a film I think because the audience has to be able to understand and follow a film by using some kind of story sequence. Storytelling gives the film motives, a reason for doing something. The main motive is to entertain, that's what the audience want to see. Some movies have a motive but go of track and the film gets confused so when editing, editors have to make sure everything makes sense in every edit. When storytelling in obvious in a film it’s usually because there is a clear message in the film, this is to enlighten the audience and learn something from this film however small or stupid it is. Engaging the audience is a key point because in the end they are your real critics. It appeals to all audiences even though when you think of the word story you think of children, a plot can be told in so many ways, and it’s all up to the editor how things are shown and implied to the audience. For example reality TV shows are all edited to how the editor wants the audience to see it. Each films motive is aimed at different audiences. A famous editor called Alfred Hitchcock used his skill in editing to create suspense in most of his films. This will engage the viewer; Hitchcock’s films were horror/thriller based which is harder to show a good story in but good editors can use the technique in whatever genre.

E.D Providing and Withholding Information

This where the editors try and make the narrative more dramatic by giving information or taking away information by showing its true. I have seen this use in a lot of crime films where they lead the audience to believe that someone is the murderer and then take information away or give you information that proves it could not be this person so this keeps the audience thinking right until the final conclusion hen everything is revealed. Some programmes give you the information you need and so only the audience and the person know who is responsible, whereas others show the crime or scene and then the audience along with other characters have to learn together what actually happened. When we are giving bits of information through the film it engages the audience because they feel part of the film and like they are part of it working out exactly what happened. Most editors use the withholding information technique rather than providing because then the climax. A lot of drama and TV drama editors use this.
In this clip from the Time Travellers Wife we see the little boy in the car time travel for the first time in the film in the first scene. This is giving the audience the information that he can time travel before anyone else knows in he film. His mother doesn't know what’s happening to him only his older self and we know, so this is an example of providing information.

In this scene from sorority row we see Claire one of the characters die, this scene shows the editor withholding information because the audience still doesn't know who the murderer is and there is only a few girls left to kill. Each girl is ticked off and killed and we don't find out who the murderer is until the a few scenes before the end.

E.D motivated

This where in the film we see the main character or a location and we hear sound before we see what were meant to be looking at. It’s used a lot in horror where a sound is made and then another and we finally see what the sound is and where it coming from. It makes the audience feel tense and scare to know what happens next, it’s a big build up to then finally viewers get to see the object of terror. This technique is used to fully effect the audience in a particular way but there are loads of things to look at when using this technique; audience motivation, film motivation, story motivation and physical motivation are a few at what editors look at. Editors have to think about how they want the audience to feel motivated positively or negatively and what the overall effect is. If you was using this technique things to think about are why is this cut being made and to make sure you look at the characters motivation, these are key tools. Shots are carefully chosen to push the story along and the make the audience believe. It’s a build up to finally seeing what the character sees to make viewers more engrossed in the film. DW Griffith used motivation in his films when he used flashbacks, when he used this form it would usually reveal something the audience missed so we see the whole film them we find out what happened this is motivated editing.

E.D Parallel

This is where the editor’s wants to show two different scenes of action but connect them and make them relate in some way. The editors cut and focus on parallel features. It can be the simplest association but the viewers should pick up on it. I think this is a good technique to use in a drama film because usually the story is about more than one person maybe victims or victim and accused. Its shows separate lives but similarities between what they do every day even though the locations are complete different. Two scenes could be linked by something as simple as a ball, maybe a big football match for someone and then a parallel scene to a child playing with a ball, same scenarios with the link of the ball but completely different lives and situations. A link could be even less than though. It’s a good thing if you’re showing multiple people in a film like different couples or family's. It creates an association in the viewer’s mind. Also known as cross cutting, parallel editing became very well-known through Edwin Porter in his movie 'The Great Train Robbery' in 1903. In this early film it was used to simply show what happens in two different places but not much else. He just discovered it but didn't use it to its full potential so others built on it. DW Griffith was known for using parallel editing using it he moved it on further to create suspense in his films. He shows how he develops this type of editing in his film 'In The Lonedale Operator' in 1911. It shows the three relevant parties in the film using the technique.



This is one of the famous occurrences where parallel editing is used. It adds interest to a boring scene to make it exciting and suspense full.

E.D Seamless

This type of editing is used more now a days because of the technology we have to do a good job of it. It’s used in most films so that the viewing is smooth and viewers become involved in the film and don't notice individual cuts. Editors use this to help enhance all emotions, and emotional moments. It’s the most common way to join clips together. To do this kind of editing editors can use transitions like fading or the Circe so you can see the editing but it’s so smooth and goes with the film you don't actually notice it. Usually editors don't use transitions in single shots though; they try to use simple cuts to create the effect of seamless time. It’s used in almost every film to make the audience less aware they're watching a film. George Lucas was most famous for making the Star Wars Saga, in his films he used seamless editing by using lots of transitions. If you was to watch them back knowing he used them then you would look for them, but watching the films you can’t tell and it keeps the viewers involved. George Lucas made a lot of films and the style in the same in most of them, this is because it worked and the transitions were so quick and onto the next scene sometimes it worked better than just using a simple cuts.



This scene from birth of a nation by DW Griffith shows how even before proper editing was introduced you can still make a film look seamless. Even though the clips cut to different scenes in different locations when watching this clip I didn't notice the cuts easily because of the action.

E.D Montage

This is where a whole load of shots are put together into a short sequence which is called a montage. It’s to speed up time rather than having to show and explain everything bit by bit. It can skip through a whole year in just a few minutes by showing snippets of what goes on so the audience can understand. They are not used to show emotion they don't make the audience feel much they just show them things they need to know. It is creating a film inside a film but a much shorter one; it gives the element of time. I think film makers use this technique so they can spend more time on more important scenes that need to be shown in more detail, but other scenes still need to be in the film so this is why it’s made much shorter in the form of montage. I think it looks good in films if it’s done right and not too much is crammed in at once. However it can go wrong and completely confuse the audience or be used too much that the audience don't feel a connection to the characters. In many ways a trailer for a film is a montage, because it shows scenes sometimes the best ones and helps people decided whether to watch it or not. It’s the plot of the film put into a few minutes to give you a taste of what you could be watching. However in the film you see everything. Montage was influenced by a famous editor called Edwin Porter, he made it possible for different shots to all be put together and look related in a film, therefore letting the audience deduce their own meaning on the shots. A Russian film maker Einstein worked to make porters principal further, he thought that using this technique would produce a better response from the audience. He called his version of porters' theory 'the intellectual montage'. Porter says his way gives the audience direct emotions, unlike Einstein’s. 

E.D cross cutting

This is where the audience gets to see two scenes together which are in the same time sequence but just cut from different scene to scene. They use this technique to build tension by showing the sequence from both sides of the characters story at the same time. For example if it was a seen with a killer and the police it would cut to the police then cut to the killer then back to the police, while it’s the same time for both characters. Usually scene like this are used to then come together in the end to a bit climax. This works very well if the shots are smooth and all link and come together at the end. It’s a good thing editors use to make the audience tense and excited; it can be used in all types of situations. Cross cutting can be used in so many things not just films, lots of examples I’ve seen are music videos where it’s at the same part of the song but it cuts to different locations or outfits or scenes. It’s an important part in editing for the film to work and look professional; the audience shouldn't be able to notice things that are wrong. Editors want to make everything in this film seem real to the viewers

E.D Continuity

Continuity is an unbroken consistent piece of film, something with no disruption. Carrying on making sure things stay the same like; props, stunts, costumes. An example of continuity would be a war film, showing a firm break of pre-war and post war making sure the things in each are kept the same without confusion. They use it in films so that the film doesn't have to stop because of something changing, it can just carry on. Famous Alfred Hitchcock used to build suspense in all his films because they were of the horror genre, this would involve continuity. When the scene reached the climax it will need to look the same; all the characters, props and positions will need to all look the same for the shot to look believable at all times for the audience otherwise it will look set up. DW Griffith another famous editor used a lot of flashbacks and used them well. Flashbacks are important to films and to the audience because usually they reveal something the audience missed or something important they need to know. Continuity is important so that the audience don't get confused and everything is kept as it should be so everything in the flashback makes sense and relates.

E.D 180 degree rule

In films this rule is always kept except for a certain few that push the boundaries and cross the line for effect in a scene. The rule is to keep people on the same side of the screen all the time, for example if two people are in a shot that when they are filmed the next shot isn't them switched round in each other places. However film makers break this rule sometimes to give the effect that the two characters are the same person, or to show they have the same problem or feelings. When it’s broken it’s called crossing the line and the new shot is called reverse angle. The rule means that the characters keep the same left right relationship to each other. I think it’s a good rule to keep because otherwise it will confuse the audience when the characters switch places. In the early films created by the Lumiere brothers just the miracle of moving images mattered, but as other people experimented with film they looked deeper into how they could change things, edit them. However the Lumiere Company were the first to start editing. This then led to many years of others trying the editing, then film makers breaking rules in filming and editors having to make it look right and work for the viewers. The 180 degree can be broken and doesn’t always look right in films so this is where the editors make it look best as they can so the audience won’t notice the switch.