Editing

Editing is the process in which editing is placed in a desired order.

Speed editing

The speed of editing consists how long does each shot last. In a film, all the scenes last a certain amount of time. It could last a matter of seconds or it could continue for minutes. The speed of editing gives the audience the impression of what mood is taking place on screen.Quick editing is used to make the audience feel suspense and anxiety. In order to do this the scenes and shots will change constantly and will last a few seconds at most.

Fast paced editing is used regularly in action trailers in order  to make the trailer exciting and to appeal to a certain demographic an example is die hard with a vengeance. 

Style Editing

Style of editing is how shots and scenes are linked together , the process of moving from one scene/shot to another is called a transition.

Types of  transitions

A straight cut is the most common transition used in film as it is invisible. One shot moves instantaneously to the next without attracting the audiences attention.  Straight cuts are used because they help retain reality. They do not break the views suspension of disbelief. Cuts can be done in a many different ways as the video bellow explains. 

A dissolve is when one shot is fading of the screen while another shot is fading in. This allows the audience to view both shots on the screen at the mid point of the dissolve. A good way to use a dissolve is often to link two significant characters or locations. 

A fade transition is a gradual darkening or lighting of an image that eventually becomes completely black/ white. A shot will fade until only a black or white screen can be seen, This is most popularly used to indicate the passing of time.

A wipe transition is when one image is pushed off the screen by another. The image can either be pushed to the left or to the right but it is more common for the image to be pushed off to the left as the movement is more consistent with the sense of time moving forward.

A jump cut is when the audiences attention is brought into focus on something very suddenly. This transition usually occurs by breaking the continuity editing  as it appears as if a section of the sequence has been removed.

A montage edit contains many different images/scenes quickly edited together but doesn't usually provide a sense of the narrative moving forward but can still be full of meaning. Montage editing is usually full of rapid cuts that force the audience to consider the connections between the images being shown.

Continuity editing 

Continuity editing is the process in which cutting is used to make a continuous narrative that generates the feeling that time is moving forward.



A graphic match is when the director places shots in a particular order to create a smooth visual transition from one frame to the next. When two consecutive shots are matched because of they're similarities a graphic match is created.

Match on action is when we see a character start an action in one shot from one point of view and continue it in the next shot from a different point of view. Match on action is used by directors  too manipulate the camera so it looks as if the film reality actually exists when not in view of the camera. For example, if a character happens to walk off screen in one shot, he must walk onto another screen in another shot. When one shot ends another picks up where the other left off making the reality of the film continuous and fluid. This is vital as it allows a change in scene without breaking the continuity.

An eyeliner match is when we see a character looking at something off screen and then it cuts to a shot of what they are looking at. 

A shot reverse shot is a common method of editing used to shoot dialogue. It is made up of repeated over the shoulder shots interrupted by the occasional medium two shot

The 180 degree  rule is a rule in cinematography that states that the angle between two consecutive shots should not exceed 180 degree to maintain spatial relationships between objects and people.







The 180 degree rule is sometimes broken to create effect , for example in this scene of the hunger games the director does it to emphasis on the size of the room and on how foreign everything seems to the protagonists.