Year One Units

Unit 1: Pre-Production Techniques for the Creative Media Industries

Unit 2: Communication Skills for Creative Media Production

Unit 3: Research Techniques for Creative Media Industries

Unit 16: Film and Video Editing Techniques

Unit 30: Advertisement Production for Television

TASK 1 – DEVELOPMENTS IN EDITING

Unit 16: Assignment Brief 1

AS1: Task 1: Editing in Early Cinema

Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison ran a film laboratory where the Kinetographic Camera and the Kinetoscope were invented.

He developed the 35mm film strip that came to be the industry standard.

He also eventually developed the projector to play it!

The Lumiere Brothers

Edison worked with the Lumiere Brothers and produced short films that were one long, static, locked-down shot.

Motion in the shot was all that was necessary to amuse an audience, so the first films simply showed activity such as traffic moving on a city street

This can be seen in the film Sortie d’usine (1895) by the Lumiere brothers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agx3qOOONQo

G.A. Smith

Initially, there was no story and no editing. Each film ran as long as there was film in the camera

An example of which is The Miller and the Sweep by G.A. Smith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZFo8XXLoM

G.A. Smith

In 1899 later G. A Smith made The Kiss in the Tunnel

This film is said to mark the beginnings of narrative editing (creating a story)

Smith "felt that some extra spice was called for” in the then popular “phantom ride” genre.

He took advantage of the brief onset of darkness as they went into tunnel to splice (cut and then stick two pieces of film together) in the shot of the couple. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91jwTCcXW2Y

George Méliès

George Méliès was a magician who had seen the films made by the Lumiere brothers.

Méliès saw at once the possibilities of a novelty more than just motion its self

He acquired a camera, built a studio, wrote scripts, designed sets and soon he discovered and exploited the basic camera tricks we know so well today.

George Méliès – In Camera Editing

It is rumoured that he discovered the art of stop motion purely by accident when a camera of his broke down for a brief second.

In 1896 he made The Vanishing Lady using a technique know as in-camera editing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7-x93QagJU&list=PLVNB2YrZQu3hIRyMkCpiU7cR5fx-llve_

George Méliès

Sadly it never occurred to him to move the camera for close-ups or long shots and so his work was soon overlooked.

The commercial growth of the industry forced him out of business in 1913, and he died in poverty.

Elements of his life are depicted in the recent film Hugo.

Porter & Edison

Edwin S. Porter worked as an electrician before joining the film laboratory of Thomas Alva Edison in the late 1890s.

He and Edison worked together to make longer more interesting films.

Edwin S. Porter

Porter made the breakthrough film Life of an American Fireman in 1903. The film was among the first that had a plot, action, and even a close up of a hand pulling a fire alarm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4C0gJ7BnLc

Edwin S. Porter

Porter discovered important aspects of motion picture language: that the screen image does not need to show a complete person from head to toe

That splicing together two shots creates in the viewer's mind a contextual relationship.

These were the key discoveries that made all narrative motion pictures and television possible

The Great Train Robbery

Porter's (then) ground-breaking film, The Great Train Robbery (1903) is an excellent example of how early films began to resemble the types of films we see today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc7wWOmEGGY#t=607

Charles Pathe

In the film The Horse that Bolted (1907) Charles Pathe introduces the first example of a technique known as parallel editing - cutting between two storylines:

The horse The delivery man https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsH9GbqxnNk

D.W. Griffith

U.S. film director D.W. Griffith was one of the early supporters of the power of editing.

He made use of cross-cutting to show parallel action in different locations.

Griffith's he was one of the first of the early directors to use editing techniques in the production of “feature” length films.

D.W. Griffith

His most controversial film and the one his best remembered for was The Birth of A Nation (1915)

D.W. GriffithClip: The Birth of A Nation

In Summary

Thomas Edison developed the equipment need to develop moving pictures.

The Lumiere Brothers pioneered the art of moving film.

George Melies was one of the first to use “in-camera” editing.

G.A. Smith pioneered the technique of using shots from different locations and developed filming making from single shot films.

Porter, Pathe and Griffith developed the art of story telling through editing. They made popular the art of “splicing” individual shots together in order to make longer more dramatic films.

AS1: Task 2/3: In Camera EditingDevelopments in Editing

In Camera Editing

In camera editing is a technique of video production, in which the camera operator shoots the shots in the exact order that they will be viewed in.

It was a technique used a great deal in the early days of film making before “splicing” (the art of cutting/reconnecting film strip) became easier.

The film is “edited” by simply switching on and off the camera.

One of the most famous in-camera editors was George Melies (who we’ve already learned about)

Exercise One: In Camera Editing

Your task is to produce a one minute long sequence that you will edit “in camera”.

The sequence should be set in a school and have two characters. Your sequence can include dialogue or can be a silent.

Your first task is to storyboard the sequence. You will work in a small group for the entire of this task.

Assign the following roles:

Director Camera Operator 2 x Actors

In Camera Editing

Why did editors move on from “in-camera”? The process takes immense amounts of

planning so that the shots that are filmed are the ones that will be viewed in directly that order.

There is no cutting out and editing scenes later on. When the very last scene is filmed by the camera operator, the production is completely finished.

Example of In Camera Editing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPJ2t2ypTHg

AS1: Task 4: From Analogue to Digital Editing

Analogue Editing

Analogue editing is the cutting together of pieces of celluloid film

Analogue Editing

Traditionally films are made up images printed on to acetate negatives.

These are then “spliced” together to form a reel of film.

These are then feed through a projector at a constant speed of 24 frames a second which makes the pictures appear to be moving.

This is known as analogue

The Moviola

A Moviola was invented in 1924 by Iwan Serrurier.

It was the first device that allowed a film editor to view film while editing.

It was the first machine used for feature length motion picture editing

Video Editing

Before digital technologies became available magnetic tapes were used to store information – these are known as video tapes

Video editing is the process of editing segments of these tapes using a device that mechanically puts pieces of video tape together.

The film has to be edited in the correct order. This is called linear editing.

Digital Editing

Digital media is a form of electronic media where data are stored in digital (as opposed to analogue) form.

Digital editing is the use of computers to order and manipulate this digital data.

There are many different editing programs such as: Adobe Premier, Avid, Final Cut Pro

Digital Editing

Digital film making uses bits and bytes (strings of 1s and 0s) to record, transmit and reply images, instead of chemicals on film.

The whole process is electronic so there is no printing or “splicing” involved.

Digital Editing soon over took Video Editing as it is much quicker and therefore cheaper.

The biggest pro is that you can edit digitally in any order.

Non-linear Editing

Editing in any order is called non-linear editing.

You can edit a sequence from the end of the film before you have started editing the first scene.

The process uses electronic files so it makes it as easy as cutting and pasting text in a word document

Pros and Cons

Pros Cons

Traditional Methods (Splicing or Video Editing)

Digital Editing

Objective: To understand the different meanings of the term “Montage”.

AS 1: Task 4: Montage

Starter Question: What is a montage?

Methods of Montage

The term Montage has a slightly different meaning when referred to in the following three contexts:

French film Hollywood cinema Early Soviet filmmaking

The French Montage

In French film practice, "montage" simply has its literal French meaning –Assembly

Therefore, in French Film the term simply identifies the process of editing.

Hollywood Style Montage

Example – Rocky http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZKhpbfR-LE&list=PLF77AD948682A1B69

Why might a Hollywood film maker choose to include a Montage?

Soviet Montage

In early Soviet filmmaking in the 1920s, "montage“ had a different meaning.

Film makers started juxtaposing shots to create new meaning that did not exist in either shot alone. *juxtaposing – placing two

deliberately contrasting images next to each other.

Where did the idea come from?

Lev Kuleshov (a young Soviet film maker) did an experiment in around 1920

He took an old film clip of a head shot of a noted Russian actor and inter-cut the shot with different images.

Kuleshov Experiment

First Image Second Image

Kuleshov Experiment

First Image Third Image

Kuleshov Experiment

First Image Fourth Image

The Kuleshov Experiment

Why did we think this same man was feeling different emotions?

Modern Times (Chaplin) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksoq50iYzc8

What do we know about sheep?

What does the shot of the sheep at the start of “Modern Times” tell us about the workers?

Strike! (Eisenstein)

Strike! (Eisenstein)

Clip: Strike Sergei Eisenstein 1925)

At first the two scenes seem unrelated.

The butcher in working in a slaughter house The striking workers being pursued by

Russian troops

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWiDciPuSW4

Summary

French Montage: Simply meaning to edit

Hollywood Montage: Used to condense a long narrative sequence into short

compact sequence. E.g. Weeks of training condensed into two minutes.

Soviet Montage: Used to reveal a hidden, deeper meaning. E.g. A shots

of a butcher slaughtering cattle used to suggest the Russian troops were mistreating the striking workers.

Practical Task

To demonstrate your understanding of Montage theory you are going to film and edit a short montages.

Storyboard a short montage about a school day.

Either in the style of Soviet Montage or

Hollywood Montage.

Task Six: Creating a Montage To demonstrate your understanding of Montage theory

you are going to film and edit a short montages. Your montages should be no longer than one minute.

One must be in the style of Soviet cinema and one must be in the style of Hollywood cinema

For this exercise you will produce the following pre-production documents:

Storyboard

You will work in a small group if no more than four for the entire of this task.

AS1: Task 7: Understanding Continuity Editing

Continuity Editing

“Continuity Editing” is what became known as the popular 'classical Hollywood' style of editing.

IT was developed by early European and American directors, in particular D.W. Griffith in his films such as The Birth of a Nation.

The classical style ensures temporal (time)and spatial (space) continuity as a way of advancing narrative, using such techniques as the 180 degree rule, Match on Action, and Shot, Reverse Shot.

Continuity Editing

Why is continuity editing important? It helps retain a sense of realistic

chronology and generates the feeling that time is moving forward.

It doesn’t mean you can’t use a flashbacks or flash forwards, as long as the narrative will still be seen to be progressing forward in an expected or realistic way.

Continuity Editing

KEY CONTINUTIY TECHNIQUES Eye-line match This technique links two shots together. We see a character looking at something off

screen and then we cut to a shot of what they are looking at.

This allows the audience to experience an event in the film just as the character is experiencing it.

Eye-line Match

Match on Action

Match-on-Action This technique links two shots together. We see a character start an action in one

shot, the camera then cuts to a different angle and we see the character finish the action in the second shot.

This technique ensures that the action seems like one natural and realistic movement even when the actor may have really performed it twice.

Match on action

Shot, Reverse

Shot, Reverse Shot This technique links two shots together. The first shot reveals one character and

then the second shot reveals the second character.

This allows the audience to connect the two characters and realise that they are interacting with each other.

Shot, Reverse Shot

The 180 Degree Rule The180° rule is a basic guideline that

states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other.

If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line.

180 Degree Rule

180 Degree Rule

When filming the camera should always stay on one side of the imaginary line.

If you cross the line characters will appear to swap positions on the screen.

Task 8: - Using Continuity Editing Techniques

You are going to film a short sequence that demonstrates your understanding of the key conventions of continuity editing. You will work in a small group for the entire of this task. Assign the following roles:

·         Director·         Camera Operator·         2 x Actors

Your sequence must take place in school and have two characters.  It must demonstrate the following conventions:

Match on ActionEye-line  MatchShot, Reverse Shot180 degree rule

AS1: Task 9: Non - Continuity Editing

French New Wave

Non-Continuity Editing is a style of film making that was made popular throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

Filmmakers such as Jean Luc Godard and François Truffaut pushed the limits of editing techniques and created a new style called “French New Wave”

French New Wave films used a carefree editing style and did not conform to the traditional editing etiquette of Hollywood films.

French New Wave editing often drew attention to itself by its lack of continuity, its self-reflexive nature (reminding the audience that they were watching a film)

They often used material not often related to any narrative which kept the audience surprised and intrigued.

À Bout de Souffle (Breathless)

The gap in action (when Seberg picked up the mirror) is emphasised by the use of a jump cut.

Used to: startle the viewer draw attention to something Clip – A Bout de Souffle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KUVwKp6MDI

Jump Cut

Continuity

Jump Cut

Breaking the 180 Degree Rule They also ignored the 180 Degree Rule. Lots of modern film makers still use this

technique when they want to create a startling effect.

If you cross or break the line characters will appear to swap positions on the screen – often used to convey something is going wrong, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN6TPtaBKwk

Breaking the 180 Degree Rule

Watch the scene from The Hunger Games (@ 34mins) where the 180° rule is deliberately broken.

Notice how the bed has moved from left to right!

AS1: Task 10: Understanding Pace

Speed of Editing

In a film each scene may last a matter of seconds, or it could continue for minutes but the length of each sequence establishes the pace of the film moving the action along.

The speed of editing will help to determine the mood of what is taking place on screen

Speed of Editing – Creating Pace If the audience is to feel anxiety and

suspense the editing will be quick – the scenes/shots changing frequently. For example in an action sequence.

The Bourne Ultimatum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLt7lXDCHQ0

Speed of Editing – Creating Pace If a relaxed mood is desired, the scenes

last longer and change less frequently. For example in a romantic comedy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9JTfU7YtGQ

The Notebook

Speed of Editing

Nevertheless a film need not have any editing. The film Russian Ark was filmed in one take using a steadicam and a digital camera. This required split-second timing and organisation.

Speed of Editing

A trailer for a film needs to pack in detail from throughout the film. Therefore the editing will be very fast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhODs_xGOBY

Speed of Editing

View the extract from Psycho where Marion (Janet Leigh) has checked into the Bates Motel and is about to take a shower…

1. Watch the sequence again and count the number of edits a) before the attack b) during the attack

2. How does the speed of editing match the action?

3. Why do you think that the scene contains so many edits? What do you actually see?

Speed of Editing

Scenes at the beginning of a film - as it begins to tell its story – must be long enough for us to be able to understand where we are and what is going on. It is also slow to introduce the main character(s).

As the film progresses scenes may become shorter as the editing cuts between telling two or more storylines at the same time

Speed of Editing

For example - compare the pace in the opening sequence of Casino Royale

Try to gauge the average length of shot in each sequence

Cross Cutting

To cross-cut is to edit together two sequences that the audience need to know are connected in some way.

Something is happening at the same time in different locations.

A character reliving a memory

Developing Drama

Cross cutting can be used to very effectively develop a sense of drama.

The death of Casey in the opening of scene of Scream is made more dramatic by the cross cutting to her parents approaching and almost making it home in time to save her.

Task 11: Creating Pace with Cross Cutting

Editing is vital in creating a sense of pace within a sequence. You task is to film and edit a short sequence in which two characters are approaching each it other from different locations.

You will work in a small group for the entire of this task. Assign the following roles:·         Director·         Camera Operator·         2 x Actors

You must use the pace of the editing to make it clear to the audience they are about to meet. The pace of editing should be slower and the start when they are far apart and the pace should increase as they get closer together. 

Task 12: Transitions and Effects

Style of Editing

The movement from one shot to the next is called a transition.

Different transitions suggest different ideas to the audience.

It is therefore really important to choose the right one!

Straight Cut

A straight cut is the most common and “invisible” form of transition.

One shot moves instantaneously to the next without attracting the audience’s attention.

Straight cuts help to retain reality.

They are used in continuity editing as they do not break the viewers suspension of disbelief.

Dissolves

A dissolve fades one shot off the screen while another shot is fading in. The audience will be able to see both shots at the mid-point of the dissolve. It suggests that the shots are connected in some way. It might be two characters, places or objects.

It might suggest that some time has passed between the two shots.

Fades

A fade is a bit like a dissolve but instead of dissolving one shot into another.

A fade is a gradual darkening or lightening of an image until the screen becomes black or white.

A fade indicates the start or end of a particular section of time within the narrative.http://youtu.be/umINbAf846Q

Wipes

A wipe is quite an unusual transition. It is when one image is pushed off the screen by

another. Images can be pushed in any direction but it is

more common for the image to be pushed off the left-hand side. This movement is more consistent with the sense of time moving forward.

A wipe signals to the audience that they are being shown different locations that are experiencing the same time. A visual equivalent of saying “meanwhile…”

Wipes

For example Used extensively in the Star Wars films

Graphic Match

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4

A graphic match is a very specialised type of transition.

It is not something an editor adds between two shots but more a decision about which two shots to put next to each other.

A graphic match is created when two shots similar in shape are placed next to each other.

The graphic match tells the audience that there is a very important link between whatever it is they are seeing in the two shots.

Graphic Match

Psycho – matches the circular image of the plug hole with the next image of Marion’s eye.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4

Manipulation of Diegetic Time and Space

Editing “effects” are a really important part of film making.

They allow a film maker to very effectively manipulate of diegetic time and space. For example:

To show that a time period has changed in a flashback/forward

To show a location is different To show that time is moving

quicker or slower than normal

Manipulation of Diegetic Time and Space

An effect can be something really simple such as using a colour filter.

Or it could be altering the saturation of an image to either enhance the colour or remove it.

Making an image black and white is often used for flashbacks.

Magic Mike

Memento

Manipulation of Diegetic Time and Space

There are many different effects that can be added in the post production stage (editing).

One common technique is alter the speed of the footage

A films which uses this technique is The Time Machine

The time traveller enters the time machine and the environment changes as he travels through time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0qR7BiIWJE

Manipulation of Diegetic Time and Space

A more modern version of this effect is seen in the third of the Harry Potter films. The sequence using layering and altering the speed of the image.

Harry Potter Time Turner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV5H6ySaI6s

Task 13: Manipulating Time and Space

You task is to demonstrate how editing can be used to manipulate time and space.

You are going to film and edit a short sequence that includes either a memory or a flashback and use post-production (editing) techniques to make clear to the audience that the time and space in the sequence has changed.

You can use any transitions or effects.