Advanced Editing Techniques

Continuity Editing  Continuity editing --The most common style of editing that ensures continuous time and space as a way of advancing stories, using such techniques as the 180 degree rule, establishing shot, and shot-reverse-shot setups.  Please try to restate this in your own words, think of a good example from movies or television that you have seen, or provide an explanation of why you think filmmakers would use this technique.

Montage Sequence  a series of short shots edited into a sequence to condense narrative. It is usually used to suggest the passage of time, and events may not occur in chronological order. In many cases, a song plays in the background to enhance the mood or reinforce the message being conveyed.  Please try to restate this in your own words, think of a good example from movies or television that you have seen, or provide an explanation of why you think filmmakers would use this technique.

Crosscutting  also called parallel editing, allows the director to show that events occurring in different spaces are happening at the same time. It can create suspense (think: cutting back and forth between an oncoming train and a car on the train tracks). It can also create associations between characters, themes, or plots.  Please try to restate this in your own words, think of a good example from movies or television that you have seen, or provide an explanation of why you think filmmakers would use this technique.

Flashback  a method of connecting shots designed to give the viewer important information about what has happened in the past. These are often conveyed through black and white, blurs, or other video filters.  Please try to restate this in your own words, think of a good example from movies or television that you have seen, or provide an explanation of why you think filmmakers would use this technique.

Flashforward  an editing technique in which the audience is taken ahead of the story’s present time. These are also often conveyed with video filters such as black and white, high saturation, blurs, haziness, etc.  Please try to restate this in your own words, think of a good example from movies or television that you have seen, or provide an explanation of why you think filmmakers would use this technique.

Eye-line Match  a series of shots, often 3, that normally begins with 1) a shot of a person looking at something, 2) a shot of whatever it was that the person was looking at from that person’s perspective, and 3) a return to the person to show his or her reaction to seeing that thing. It is important in editing because it can reveal what a character is thinking without using dialogue.  Restate…

The L-Cut  where the video cut does not occur coincidentally with the audio cut. This is often done to enhance the flow of the film (for example--a conversation between two people can feel like a tennis match without L cuts. L cuts allow the audience to see the reaction or aftermath of speaking rather than simply the act of speaking.) L cuts are also used to hide transitions between scenes.

Fade  this type of edit occurs when the image on- screen slowly fades away and the screen itself is entirely black (or some other color) for a noticeable period of time, and then a new image slowly fades in from that black screen. This often shows the passage of time.

Dissolve  similar to a fade, the image slowly begins to fade out, but instead of fading all the way to black, it is replaced by another image that is slowly fading in. This often shows the passage of time

Wipe  a gradual transition from one image to another. One image is replaced by another with the outline of a shape. A simple edge, an expanding circle, or the turning of a page are all examples. These are uncommon in professional

Pacing  the speed or tempo with which the movie seems to advance. Pace depends on several factors, such as: 1) the quickness of the action (scenes with rapid movement will generally seem fast paced compared to scenes with little action); 2) the length of shots and scenes and variety of camera angles; 3) camera position (action at a distance seems slower than events close to the camera);

Jumpcutting  though these are often “mistakes” made by amateur filmmakers, jumpcuts can be used in stylish ways to condense scenes. Jumpcutting is putting shots from the same angle and depth right next to each other when editing so that it looks like there is a piece missing or a “jump.” This technique often works best when it looks intentional and happens more than twice.

Short Take  – many directors or editors will use ‘short takes’ (or shots) for action sequences to capture the rapid pace of the scene: bullets flying, punches thrown, people running for cover, etc

Long Take  – when a shot lasts more than 20 to 30 seconds in contemporary films, it becomes noticeable to the audience and is usually reserved for creating a particular mood or tone.