Editing

Every single type of film will have a type of editing.  The style in which the editing is done will enhance the film in a certain way that the editor of the film will want to convey to the audience.  Continuity editing is the concept that the film is edited in a way that the characters within the shot can interact without the audience itself getting confused.  Every film has a type of editing and with each type of editing their are rules that must be applied to these editing shots.

The first rule of continuity editing is the 180 degree rule.  The camera can be set up in any direction within 180 degrees, if the camera breaks the invisible line the scene itself might become to complex or out of whack for the audience itself.  With the 180 degree you can see from character to character without getting confused within a conversation.  The scene will flow very well and the conversation will look seamless.  The point of this type of editing is for the audience not to be aware of the cuts from character to character.

Cross cutting is another type of editing that is very popular in film today.  The shots will show move from one event to another event seamlessly, making it look like the events are happening simultaneously.    Theses types of shots are usually used to create suspense, the shots will eventually shorten which helps create the suspense within the shot itself.  In certain scenes you see each character until they will eventually come to meet within the same place.

In many films their will be a montage which will incorporate many different aspects of the film, this will tie them into a short section of the film which will have short clips but elapse over a period of time.  The time that elapses can be anywhere from a few minutes, to even up to a couple of months or even years.  In this clip shows you a montage from the movie Goodfellas.  In this clip you see the gangsters take part in many illegal activities but it will also elapse over different periods of time.

Another type of editing technique is a Jump Cut.  Within a jump cut the scene will look very choppy and almost to the point where the video itself looks like a mistake.  Many directors will avoid the jump cut because it looks sloppy and will sometimes confuse the viewer or make the viewer have less interest in the film because of this shot but when used effectively the jump cut can be a very effective shot.  In this french film the Jump cut was used to perfection to display the conversation that is happening between the couple within the car.

 

As you can see there are many different ways that a director can use editing to further his films.  But if editing is done the wrong the film itself may become in jeopardy and look very unprofessional.  Personally my favorite of these types of editing is montage, it can give you so much detail and depth into the background of the film and indulge you deeper into the film.  There are many types of editing we have just only grazed the surface of editing, but when you watch a movie thoroughly it will amaze you to see the types of editing portrayed and how it contributes to the film. 

References

Editing. (n.d.). Yale University. Retrieved December 5, 2011, from classes.yale.edu/film-analysis/htmfiles/editing.htm

Moura, G. (n.d.). Types of Transition | Editing. Elements of Cinema | A Student's Guide to the Fundamentals of Filmmaking. Retrieved December 5, 2011, from http://www.elementsofcinema.com/editing/types-of-transition.html