In films this rule is always kept except for a certain few that push the boundaries and cross the line for effect in a scene. The rule is to keep people on the same side of the screen all the time, for example if two people are in a shot that when they are filmed the next shot isn't them switched round in each other places. However film makers break this rule sometimes to give the effect that the two characters are the same person, or to show they have the same problem or feelings. When its broken its called crossing the line and the new shot is called reverse angle. The rule means that the characters keep the same left right relationship to each other. I think its a good rule to keep because otherwise it will confuse the audience when the characters switch places. In the early films created by the lumiere brothers just the mircale of moving images matterd, but as other people experimented with film they looked deeper into how they could change things, edit them. However the lumiere company were the first to start editing. This then led to many years of others trying the editing, then film makers breaking rules in filming and editors having to make it look right and work for the viewers. The 180 degree can be broken and doesnt always look right in films so this is where the editors make it look best as they can so the audience wont notice the switch.
Continuity
Continuity is an unbroken consistent piece of film, something with no disruption. Carrying on making sure things stay the same like; props, stunts, costumes. An example of continuity would be a war film, showing a firm break of pre-war and post war making sure the things in each are kept the same without confusion. They use it in films so that the film doesn't have to stop because of something changing, it can just carry on. Famous Alfred Hitchcock used to build suspense in all his films cause they were of the horror genre, this would involve continuity. When the scene reached the climax it will need to look the same; all the characters,props and positions will need to all look the same for the shot to look believable at all times for the audience otherwise it will look set up. DW Griffith another famous editor used a lot of flashbacks and used them well. Flashbacks are important to films and to the audience because usually they reveal something the audience missed or something important they need to know. Continuity is important so that the audience don't get confused and everything is kept as it should be so everything in the flashback makes sense and relates.
This is where the audience gets to see two scenes together which are in the same time sequence but just cut from different scene to scene. They use this technique to build tension by showing the sequence from both sides of the characters story at the same time. For example if it was a seen with a killer and the police it would cut to the police then cut to the killer then back to the police,while its the same time for both characters. Usually scene like this are used to then come together in the end to a bit climax. This works very well if the shots are smooth and all link and come together at the end. Its a good thing editors use to make the audience tense and excited, it can be used in all types of situations. Cross cutting can be used in so may things not just films, lots of examples Ive seen are music videos where its at the same part of the song but it cuts to different locations or outfits or scenes. Its an important part in editing for the film to work and look professional,the audience shouldn't be able to notice things that are wrong. Editors want to make everything in this film seem real to the viewers.
Montage
This is where a whole load of shots are put together into a short sequence which is called a montage. Its to speed up time rather than having to show and explain everything bit by bit. It can skip through a whole year in just a few minutes by showing snippets of what goes on so the audience can understand. They are not used to show emotion they don't make the audience feel much they just show them things they need to know. It is creating a film inside a film but a much shorter one, it gives the element of time. I think film makers use this technique so they can spend more time on more important scenes that need to be shown in more detail, but other scenes still need to be in the film so this is why its made much shorter in the form of montage. I think it looks good in films if its done right and not too much is crammed in at once. However it can go wrong and completely confuse the audience or be used to much that the audience don't feel a connection to the characters. In many ways a trailer for a film is a montage, because it shows scenes sometimes the best ones and helps people decided whether to watch it or not. Its the plot of the film put into a few minutes to give you a taste of what you could be watching. However in the film you see everything. Montage was influenced by a famous editor called Edwin Porter, he made it possible for different shots to all be put together and look related in a film, therefore letting the audience deduce their own meaning on the shots. A Russian film maker Einstein worked to make porters principal further, he thought that using this technique would produce a better response from the audience. He called his version of porters' theory 'the intellectual montage'. Porter says his way gives the audience direct emotions, unlike Einsteins.
Seamless
This type of editing is used more now a days because of the technology we have to do a good job of it. It s used in most films so that the viewing is smooth and viewers become involved in the film and don't notice individual cuts. Editors use this to help enhance all emotions, and emotional moments. Its the most common way to join clips together. To do this kind of editing editors can use transitions like fading or the Circe so you can see the editing but its so smooth and goes with he film you don't actually notice it. Usually editors don't use transitions in single shots though, they try to use simple cuts to create the effect of seamless time. Its used in almost every film to make the audience less aware they're watching a film. George Lucas was most famous for making the Star Wars Saga, in his films he used seamless editing by using lots of transitions. If you was to watch them back knowing he used them then you would look for them, but watching the films you cant tell and it keeps the viewers involved. George Lucas made a lot of films and the style in the same in most of them,this is because it worked and the transitions were so quick and onto the next scene sometimes it worked better than just using a simple cuts.
This scene from birth of a nation by DW Griffith shows how even before proper editing was introduced you can still make a film look seamless. Even though the clips cut to different scenes in different locations when watching this clip I didn't notice the cuts easily because of the action.
Parallel
This is where the editors wants to show two different scenes of action but connect them and make them relate in some way. The editors cut and focus on parallel features. It can be the simplest association but the viewers should pick up on it. I think this is a good technique to use in a drama film because usually the story is about more than one person maybe victims or victim and accused. Its shows separate lives but similarity's between what they do everyday even though the locations are complete different. Two scenes could be linked by something a simple as a ball, maybe a big football match for someone and then a parallel scene to a child playing with a ball,same scenarios with the link of the ball but completely different lives and situations. A link could be even less than though. Its a good thing if your showing multiple people in a film like different couples or family's. It creates an association in the viewers mind. Also known as cross cutting, parallel editing became very well known through Edwin Porter in his movie 'The Great Train Robbery' in 1903. In this early film it was used to simply show what happens in two different places but not much else. He just discovered it but didn't use it to its full potential so others built on it. DW Griffith was known for using parallel editing using it he moved it on further to create suspense in his films. He shows how he develops this type of editing in his film 'In The Lonedale Operator' in 1911. It shows the three relevant parties in the film using the technique.
This is one of the famous occurrences where parallel editing is used. It adds interest to a boring scene to make it exciting and suspense full.
Motivated
This where in the film we see the main character or a location and we hear sound before we see what were meant to be looking at. Its used a lot in horror where a sound is made and then another and we finally see what the sound is and where it coming from. It makes the audience feel tense and scare to know what happens next, its a big build up to then finally viewers get to see the object of terror. This technique is used to fully effect the audience in a particular way but there are loads of things to look at when using this technique; audience motivation, film motivation, story motivation and physical motivation are a few at what editors look at. Editors have to think about how they want the audience to feel motivated positively or negatively and whats the overall effect. If you was using this technique things to think about are why is this cut being made and to make sure you look at the characters motivation, these are key tools. Shots are carefully chosen to push the story along and the make the audience believe. Its a build up to finally seeing what the character sees to make viewers more engrossed in the film. DW Griffith used motivation in his films when he used flashbacks,when he used this form it would usually reveal something the audience missed so we see the whole film them we find out what happened this is motivated editing.
Providing and Withholding Information
This where the editors try and make the narrative more dramatic by giving information or taking away information by showing its true. I have seen this use in a lot of crime films where they lead the audience to believe that someone is the murderer and then take information away or give you information that proves it could not be this person so this keeps the audience thinking right until the final conclusion hen everything is revealed. Some programmes give you the information you need and so only the audience and the person know who is responsible, whereas others show the crime or scene and then the audience along with other characters have to learn together what actually happened. When we are giving bits of information through the film it engages the audience because they feel part of the film and like they are part of it working out exactly what happened. Most editors use the withholding information technique rather then providing because then the climax. A lot of drama and TV drama editors use this.
In this clip from the Time Travellers Wife we see the little boy in the car time travel for the first time in the film in the first scene. This is giving the audience the information that he can time travel before anyone else knows int he film. His mother doesn't know whats happening to him only his older self and us know,so this is an example of providing information.
In this scene from sorority row we see Clarie one of the characters die, this scene shows the editor withholding information because the audience still doesn't know who the murderer is and there is only a few girls left to kill. Each girl is ticked off and killed and we don't find out who the murderer is until the a few scenes before the end.
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