Film Editing Read online

  morph. A special effect where one object or image transforms into another, e.g. a man turns into a monster.

  Moviola. Upright film editing machine all but displaced by digital editing systems today.

  MPAA. Motion Picture Academy of Arts. The board that rates feature films, bestowing a G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17, or X rating and protects them against piracy.

  over the shoulder (O/S or OTS). A shot from the waist or chest up that includes the shoulder of one character while focusing on the other character.

  overhead (OH). Often filmed from a crane, an overhead shot looks down on the scene from above.

  overlap. A cut where picture and sound cut in at different times so that one overlaps (extends beyond) the other.

  pan. Shot where camera moves horizontally left to right or vice versa.

  parallel action. Editing two (or more) independent lines of action together — characters, settings, or subjects — that do not interact directly and are unaware of each other.

  point-of-view shot (POV). A variation of a reverse shot, a POV shot corresponds exactly to where a character is looking; it is what they’re seeing.

  postproduction. The final creation phase of a show during which all editing and finishing work take place. Also referred to as editing, editorial, or post. Postproduction is followed by the distribution and exhibition phases of the movie.

  postproduction house. Facility where the final cut of a show is reproduced in the digital format contractually required for airing on television or screening in theatres. Post houses also produce digital dailies and perform a myriad of other post production tasks. Frequently, they rent cutting rooms and screening rooms and provide free meals in an attempt to take care of their editing clients’ needs.

  POV. See point-of-view shot.

  preproduction. The preparatory phase of a show during which the script and money are finalized, talent (actors) and crew hired, locations and schedules locked, and sets, wardrobe, props, etc. created. Preproduction follows the development phase and precedes the production phase.

  production. The phase of a show during which the filming takes place on set or location. Also referred to as the “shooting” phase, “the shoot,” or “principal photography.” Production follows the preproduction phase and precedes the postproduction phase.

  raking shot. A tight form of a two-shot, usually (or other shot), that is filmed from the side and favors one character.

  reaction. A cut to a participant reacting to something that is happening.

  reverse. A cut to the opposite (reverse) angle. The cut can be from the front of a character to behind the character (or vice versa) or from a character (or characters) to the character (or characters) they’re facing.

  seamless editing. See invisible editing.

  screen direction. The direction where a character or object enters or exits a shot.

  short cut. A cut that has a brief duration — less than two seconds. shot. The footage filmed from camera start to camera stop.

  slo mo. Effect where the pace of the action is decreased from what occurred in reality in front of the camera. This retardation is accomplished during editing or, more traditionally, during filming by overcranking — running the film through the camera at a faster rate than it will be played back. Opposite of speed up.

  smash cut. Variation on a short cut. An unexpected, lightning-quick cut designed to deliberately jar the audience by zapping the action from one place/object/person/image to another.

  special effects house. Facility where effects are created and finalized.

  speed up. Effect where the pace of the action is increased from what occurred in reality in front of the camera. This acceleration is accomplished during editing or, more traditionally, during filming by undercranking — running the film through the camera at a slower rate than it will be played back. Opposite of slo mo.

  split screen. Dividing the screen into two or more parts with different shots in each division.

  still frame. See freeze frame.

  subliminal cut. A cut consisting of a few frames which zip by so fast that the viewer is only subliminally (subconsciously) aware of them.

  superimposition. Effect where two shots (or more) are held on top of each other full screen.

  take. A shot that starts (or ends) with a camera slate (clapstick).

  tilt. Shot where camera moves vertically up and down or down and up.

  tracking shot, a.k.a. dolly shot. Shot where camera follows the action (often a character) while mounted on a dolly that is pushed along a set of temporary tracks laid down on the ground.

  transition effect. Effect, such as a dissolve or wipe, which moves the action from one cut to another.

  white out. Effect where a shot cuts or dissolves to white. Often involves organic elements such as a light, a camera flashbulb, or steam.

  wide shot (WS). A shot framed wide that encompasses much if not all of the action.

  wipe. A transitional effect where the incoming shot replaces the outgoing shot by appearing to wipe (erase) it from the screen.

  FILMOGRAPHY: FILM AND EDITOR(S)

  * Babel – Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrone

  Brokeback Mountain – geraldine Peroni, Dylan Tichenor

  Cars – Ken Schretzmann

  Corpse Bride – Jonathan Lucas, Chris Lebenzon

  * * * ‡Crash – Hughes Winborne

  Fahrenheit 911 – Kurt Engfehr, Christopher Seward, T. Woody Richman

  * Finding Neverland – Matt Chesse

  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – Mick Audsley

  * * Hero – zhai Ru, Angie Lam

  Hot Fuzz – Chris Dickens

  * Into the Wild – Jay Cassidy

  Kill Bill Vol. 2 – Sally Menke

  Knocked Up – Brent White, Craig Alpert

  La Vie en Rose – Richard Marizy

  Lust, Caution – Tim Squyres

  Mamma Mia – Lesley Walker

  ‡‡Man on Wire – Jinx godfrey

  * Munich – Michael Kahn

  * ‡No Country for Old Men – Roderick Haynes

  Paprika – Takeshi Sayama

  Pan’s Labyrinth – Bernat Vilaplana

  Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest – Craig Wood, Stephen Rivkin

  Ratatouille – Darren Holmes

  Rope – William H. ziegler

  * * * ‡Slumdog Millionaire – Chris Dickens

  Spider-Man 2 – Bob Murawski

  * * * The Aviator – Thelma Schoonmaker

  * * * The Bourne Ultimatum – Christopher Rouse

  * The Constant Gardener – Claire Simpson

  The Da Vinci Code – Dan Hanley, Mike Hill

  * The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – Juliette Welfling

  * There Will Be Blood – Dylan Tichenor

  Underworld Evolution – Nicholas de Toth

  * United 93 – Clare Douglas, Richard Pearson, Christopher Rouse

  War of the Worlds – Michael Kahn

  * Nominated for Academy Award for Best Editing

  * * Nominated for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

  * * * Won Academy Award for Best Editing

  ‡ Won Academy Award for Best Picture

  ‡‡ Won Academy Award for Best Documentary

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  Abeel, Erica. indie WIRE Interview with The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Director Julian Schnabel, November 29, 2007.

  Apple, Wendy (director). The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Cinema Editing. Documentary on DVD available from Amazon, 2004.

  Bradford, Steven. “The Blue/Green Screen Page”, www.seanet.com/~bradford/blue_green_screen_visual_effects_1.html

  Browne, Steven E. Film – Video Concepts. Boston: Focal Press, 1992.

  Chandler, Daniel. “The ‘Grammar’ of Television and Film,” 1994, www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/gramtv.html “Devilish Perceptions,” Fear Magazine, Issue 24 (December 1990).

  Chandler, Gael. Cut by Cut: Editing Your Film or Video. St
udio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2004.

  Dancyger, Ken. The Technique of Film and Video Editing. History, Theory, and Practice. 3rd ed. Boston: Focal Press, 2002.

  Dmytryk, Edward. On Film Editing. An Introduction to the Art of Film Construction. Boston: Focal Press, 1984.

  Goldman, Mia. “Interview with Dede Allen Part 1,” The Motion Picture Editors Guild Magazine, Vol. 21, No. 4 (July/August 2000). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subliminal_message

  Lindgren, Ernest. The Art of the Film. New York: Macmillan, 1963.

  LoBrutto, Vincent. Selected Takes. Film Editors on Editing. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1991.

  Masterpiece Theatre website. Production Notes, The Forsyte Saga, Series 1. Fall 2002. www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/forsyte/index.html

  McGrath, Declan. Editing and Post-Production, Screencraft. Boston: Focal Press, 1998.

  Michele’s Blog, “Subliminal Persuasion: Getting the Story a Little Less Wrong,” http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/438

  Millar, Gavin and Karel Reisz. Technique of Film Editing. 2nd ed. Boston: Focal Press, 1995.

  Murch, Walter. In the Blink of an Eye, A Perspective on Film Editing. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press, 2001.

  Oldham, Gabriella. First Cut. Conversations with Film Editors. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1992.

  O’Steen, Bobbie. Cut to the Chase. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2002.

  Pepperman, Richard D. The Eye is Quicker: Film Editing: Making a Good Film Better. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2004.

  Rosenblum, Ralph and Robert Karen. When the Shooting Stops… the Cutting Begins. A Film Editor’s Story. New York: Da Capo Press, 1989 (1979).

  Tarkovsky, Andrei. Sculpting in Time. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. 1989.

  Thompson, Roy. Grammar of the Edit. Boston: Focal Press, 1993.

  Truffaut, François. Hitchcock. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1966.

  Van Sijll, Jennifer. Cinematic Storytelling The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2005.

  Vokey, J. R. and S. W. Allen. Psychological Sketches. 6th ed. Lethbridge, Alberta: Psyence Ink, 2002.

  INDEX

  180° rule. See crossing the line

  400 Blows, The, 134

  action match, 25, 39–42, 50–52

  angle match, 6, 21, 25, 30–32 Apocalypse Now, 21, 45

  audience, 3, 10, 25, 28, 58, 79, 108, 121, 131, 147, 152, 176

  affected by effects, 92, 97, 99, 105, 135

  crossing the line, 60–61, 63, 64

  emotional response, viii, 9, 23, 73, 108, 114–115, 117, 128, 138

  focal point, 39, 49–50, 51

  needing and receiving information, 5, 16, 99, 107, 112

  relating to character, 6, 60, 124, 134, 165

  relating to sound, 21, 45

  Aviator, The, 32, 38, 43, 52, 81, 104, 112–113, 124, 136, 148, 177

  Babel, 3, 29, 44, 53, 177

  bad cut, 65

  basic cut. See cut

  black frame, 46, 73, 79–80, 85, 90

  black out, 78

  Brokeback Mountain, 6, 15, 37, 85, 93, 177

  Bourne Ultimatum, The, 17, 22, 35, 79, 129, 154, 171, 177

  camera movement, 21, 42, 46, 52, 58, 62–63, 89

  Cars, 26, 28, 39, 42, 53, 71–72, 78, 91, 100, 158, 162, 178

  characters, 5, 54, 62, 94, 110, 134, 142, 148, 154, 170

  eyeline, 28–29

  interact, 30, 165

  match cut, 30, 32, 39, 43, 47

  react, 3, 11, 21–22

  state of mind, viii, 55, 81, 84, 122, 147, 158

  color correction, 37

  color match, 25, 37–38

  Constant Gardener, The, 30, 34, 55, 62, 155, 178

  continuity, 25, 34, 37, 48, 50–51, 54, 108

  Corpse Bride, 12, 34, 40, 95–96, 178

  coverage, 46

  Crash, 4, 30, 77, 138–139, 159, 165, 178

  cross cutting, 170–172

  crossing the line, 58–64

  cut, xii, 1–2. See also motivation for cut

  as compared to transition effect, 67–69

  cutaway, 15–20, 60–61, 63

  cutpoint, 24

  Da Vinci Code, The, 16, 20, 84, 178

  dialogue, 11, 14, 19, 21, 30, 50, 52, 107, 161

  director, 60, 62

  Burton, Tim, 95

  Coppola, Francis Ford, 45

  Friedkin, William, 128

  Hitchcock, Alfred, 46

  Lumet, Sidney, 124

  Moore, Michael, 10

  Penn, Sean, 123

  Schnabel, Julian, 131

  Truffaut, François, 46, 124

  dissolve, 69, 73, 75, 77, 80, 90, 108, 153

  Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The, 5, 14, 56, 80, 84, 131, 142, 164, 178

  documentary, 19, 136

  editor, xii, 19, 21, 25, 28, 65, 108, 117

  Chang, William, 54

  crossing the line, 60, 64

  Dmytryk, Edward, 49

  Hirsch, Paul, 133

  match cutting, 30, 46

  mismatches, 49, 50

  Murch, Walter, 21

  using effects, 67, 87, 97, 99, 103

  Winters, Ralph, 51

  effects, 67–106, 108, 133–146, 153

  English Patient, The, 21

  Exorcist, The, 128

  exposition, 148–152

  eyeline match, 28–30, 50, 52, 59

  fade in, 73–74

  fade out, 73

  Fahrenheit 911, 10, 18, 136, 161, 179

  film lab, 37, 87, 99, 144

  Finding Neverland, 4, 18, 33, 41, 60, 70, 73–74, 76, 89, 102, 170, 179

  flash cut, 124–127, 129

  flash frame, 79–80, 129

  flashback, 153–160

  flashforward, 158–160

  framing match, 21, 25, 32–33, 50

  freeze frame, 85, 134

  greenscreen, 97–98

  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 8, 30, 44, 77, 101–102, 142, 145, 179

  Hero, 51, 97, 108–110, 117, 140–141, 156–157, 174, 179

  Hot Fuzz, 50, 56, 130, 134, 137, 144, 151, 175, 179

  idea match, 43–44

  insert. See cutaway

  inset, 100

  Into the Wild, 38, 99–100, 103, 118, 123, 126–127, 134, 137, 143, 159, 163, 179

  invisible editing, viii, 25. See continuity

  jump cut, 54–57, 70

  keying. See matte

  Kill Bill: Vol. 2, 4, 6, 103, 115–116, 122, 135, 154, 179

  Knocked Up, 69, 150, 180

  La Vie en Rose, 160, 180

  lighting match, 21, 25, 37, 50, 53

  Lust, Caution, 63, 82, 93, 180

  Mamma Mia, 13, 137, 180

  Man on Wire, 45, 180

  match cuts, 25–48

  matte, 99–102, 108

  mismatch, 19, 49–53

  montage, 161–164

  motion match. See action match

  motivation for cut, 2, 21–22

  movement match. See action match

  Munich, 11, 28, 41, 51, 61, 83, 100, 168–169, 180

  music, 21–22, 50, 64, 107–108, 117, 119, 138, 150, 161, 164

  narration, 21, 77–78, 151, 161

  overlapping action, 108, 172–175

  No Country for Old Men, 16, 30, 32, 102, 116, 151, 181

  pacing, 39, 51, 105–132, 142

  Pan’s Labyrinth, 7, 34, 40, 42, 75–76, 88, 90, 119, 153, 181

  Paprika, 27, 55, 58–59, 82–83, 85, 92, 102, 111, 125, 134, 143, 181

  parallel action, 165–169

  Pawnbroker, The, 124

  Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, 2, 6, 9, 35, 56, 69, 137, 181

  point of view. See POV

  POV, 2, 5–8, 30, 46, 60, 119, 122

  Ratatouille, 8, 81–82, 101, 120–121, 181

  reaction, 9–14, 21, 119

  repeat
ed action, 117, 174. See also overlapping action

  reverse cut, 3–4

  reverse motion, 144–145

  rhythm. See pacing Rope, 46–47, 181

  rope match, 46–47

  screen direction match, 26–27, 53

  seamless editing, 37, 39, 54. See also continuity

  shape match, 34–35

  slo motion, 135–141, 175

  Slumdog Millionaire, 23, 64, 145, 181

  smash cut, 114–116

  sound cut, 21–23

  offscreen sound, 22