As we all know, editing is a huge part in what makes a film or scene successful. But we do not simply get given the footage after it has been filmed and then begin editing, we have to plan the edit.
Traditionally, to edit a minute of screen time takes around about an hour, this gives us an estimated time as to when the film will be complete and enables us to inform the directors and producers.
A shot list should be provided, a detailed description of every shot, including camera movement. Storyboards are also a very useful thing to have as an editor whilst completing the edit, it gives you more of a sense of what the overall film should look like.
This process is vital when planning films, it is what enables us to get the pace, feel and edits right in pre-production.
Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Thursday, 5 February 2015
Chase Scene
After reviewing and watching numerous different chase scenes and looking specifically at the different techniques used such as different camera angles and style of editing, I then used all this knowledge to create my own chase scene.
https://vimeo.com/118410113
I felt the chase scene produced was a success in terms of showing the audience how a typical chase scene should look, however, there were numerous areas that could've been improved, in terms of Pre-Production, Production and Post Production.
I feel as though the start worked really well to set up the chase scene. The music was very jolly and accompanied the images in such a way that showed the audience this was just an ordinary day. Following Tzvetan Todorov's narrative theory, this is the 'equilibrium'. The editing is fast and choppy whilst the character is making his cup of tea, adding a nice move to the edit.
Then the disruption of the equilibrium comes into play, as another character is introduced and tells the original character to stop using his milk. With the usage of a small montage and a bit of humour, we are shown that the character does in fact refuse and continues to use his milk up until the point he is caught in the act for the final time and is chased.
With this being very light hearted so far, the sudden change in mood as the chaser bursts through the door as a very dramatic orchestral soundtrack accompanies it is quite a contrast, it adds to the humour. The chase scene then begins, even though the kitchen we shot the opening scene in is on the bottom floor, we still wanted to use as many different areas as possible, so we thought including the stairs could be quite effective, starting off with a slow motion shot of the 'chasee' jumping down the first set of stairs. As the chasee bursts out the door to the outside, I decided to cut to motion and create a seamless edit, I feel this worked really well as it feels completely natural. I held the shot as the chaser came rushing out the door too, to show the distance between them.
We tried to use a variety of shots throughout the sequence, which is why our next shot is quite a low angled long shot, as both characters come out the door you can only see the bottom halves of their bodies, but it once again allows the audience some knowledge of the distance between them. Our first point of view shot was then introduced, once again adding a bit of variety to the edit, I feel as though the audio should've been slightly quiet with this particular shot though, as the stomping of the feet by the camera man is quite predominant. Allowing us to keep a nice quick pace to the edit, I used very quick shots/edits, like with the next shot as the two characters come around the corner, as the camera is focussed on the wall.
The edit then becomes driven by the music, cutting with the beat is a really creative way of editing and allows the audience to be really drawn in as the music creates tension. Once again to the humour the edit and giving it a bit of variation was using a tracking shot as the chasee weaves in and out of the trees completely unnecessarily. I felt the tracking shot of the close up of both characters feet shortly after worked really well and allowed the audience to see something slightly new and keep them engaged.
I felt the ending worked really well, it was a funny and entertaining conclusion to what some may consider quite a dramatic chase scene. I felt the wide variety of different shots used throughout made this scene entertaining for the audience, and also the rather quick pace to the editing. However, more locations could've been used to make this even better, and also more events taking place throughout, as this does become quite boring in places as we are literally just watching two characters run around a university. Lots of pro's and cons to this scene, however I feel overall it was a success.
https://vimeo.com/118410113
I felt the chase scene produced was a success in terms of showing the audience how a typical chase scene should look, however, there were numerous areas that could've been improved, in terms of Pre-Production, Production and Post Production.
I feel as though the start worked really well to set up the chase scene. The music was very jolly and accompanied the images in such a way that showed the audience this was just an ordinary day. Following Tzvetan Todorov's narrative theory, this is the 'equilibrium'. The editing is fast and choppy whilst the character is making his cup of tea, adding a nice move to the edit.
Then the disruption of the equilibrium comes into play, as another character is introduced and tells the original character to stop using his milk. With the usage of a small montage and a bit of humour, we are shown that the character does in fact refuse and continues to use his milk up until the point he is caught in the act for the final time and is chased.
With this being very light hearted so far, the sudden change in mood as the chaser bursts through the door as a very dramatic orchestral soundtrack accompanies it is quite a contrast, it adds to the humour. The chase scene then begins, even though the kitchen we shot the opening scene in is on the bottom floor, we still wanted to use as many different areas as possible, so we thought including the stairs could be quite effective, starting off with a slow motion shot of the 'chasee' jumping down the first set of stairs. As the chasee bursts out the door to the outside, I decided to cut to motion and create a seamless edit, I feel this worked really well as it feels completely natural. I held the shot as the chaser came rushing out the door too, to show the distance between them.
We tried to use a variety of shots throughout the sequence, which is why our next shot is quite a low angled long shot, as both characters come out the door you can only see the bottom halves of their bodies, but it once again allows the audience some knowledge of the distance between them. Our first point of view shot was then introduced, once again adding a bit of variety to the edit, I feel as though the audio should've been slightly quiet with this particular shot though, as the stomping of the feet by the camera man is quite predominant. Allowing us to keep a nice quick pace to the edit, I used very quick shots/edits, like with the next shot as the two characters come around the corner, as the camera is focussed on the wall.
The edit then becomes driven by the music, cutting with the beat is a really creative way of editing and allows the audience to be really drawn in as the music creates tension. Once again to the humour the edit and giving it a bit of variation was using a tracking shot as the chasee weaves in and out of the trees completely unnecessarily. I felt the tracking shot of the close up of both characters feet shortly after worked really well and allowed the audience to see something slightly new and keep them engaged.
I felt the ending worked really well, it was a funny and entertaining conclusion to what some may consider quite a dramatic chase scene. I felt the wide variety of different shots used throughout made this scene entertaining for the audience, and also the rather quick pace to the editing. However, more locations could've been used to make this even better, and also more events taking place throughout, as this does become quite boring in places as we are literally just watching two characters run around a university. Lots of pro's and cons to this scene, however I feel overall it was a success.
Wednesday, 28 January 2015
Cut To The Chase
Post production and editing is a huge part in the film industry, but how do we edit? When do we know the appropriate time to cut enabling us to create a seamless edit?
Walter Murch's 6 editing rules:-
1. Emotion - Does the cut reflect what the editor believes the audience should be feeling at that moment? Is it emotionally true to the story and character arc?
2. Story - Does the cut advance the story?
3. Rhythm - Does the cut occur at a moment that is rhythmical correct and/or interesting?
4. Eye-trace - Does the cut pay respect to the location and movement of the audience’s focus of interest within the frame?
5. 2-Dimensional Place - Is the cut true to the 2D representation of the film world?
6. 3-Dimensional Space - Is the cut true to the physical/spatial relationships within the diegesis?
Walter Murch's 6 editing rules:-
1. Emotion - Does the cut reflect what the editor believes the audience should be feeling at that moment? Is it emotionally true to the story and character arc?
2. Story - Does the cut advance the story?
3. Rhythm - Does the cut occur at a moment that is rhythmical correct and/or interesting?
4. Eye-trace - Does the cut pay respect to the location and movement of the audience’s focus of interest within the frame?
5. 2-Dimensional Place - Is the cut true to the 2D representation of the film world?
6. 3-Dimensional Space - Is the cut true to the physical/spatial relationships within the diegesis?
1. Never make a cut without
a positive reason “The only reason for using another cut is to improve
the scene.”
2. Whenever possible cut 'in movement' "Creating a ‘diversion’ of sorts … is also the principle at
work in the action cut." The goal is seamless, invisible, 'magical' editing.
This is not possible without the greatest command of timing; timing that comes
from an understanding of human perception and eye movement.
3. The fresh is preferable
to the stale 'In art, the obvious is a sin.' Edward Dmytryk suggests that if frames
must be added between shots, do so at the beginning of a fresh, new shot so
that the viewer accepts the lingering frames as part of exposition for a new
angle or shot.
4. All scenes should begin
and end with continuing action. "Subconsciously suggest to the viewer that he is
seeing a fragment of continuing life, not a staged scene with a visible
framework." In other words, enter after it started leave before it finishes.
5. Cut for proper values
rather than proper matches. "The film’s dramatic requirements should
always take precedence over the mere aesthetics of editing." Continuity is not
the most important aspect of editing.
6. Substance first – then
Form "Technical skill counts for nothing if it is used only to manufacture
films which have little to do with humanity."
Chase Scenes: Montage or Not?:-
Point Break:-
This on foot chase scene is possibly one of the greatest chase scenes of all filming history, the reason for this is because it works. The flow of the scene is to perfection, not over complicated, keeps constant tension and informs the audience of the distance between the two characters throughout.
The scene begins with a 'tussle' between our two characters. As one manages to break free of the fight, he begins to sprint away, this is when the music kicks in and us an audience realise instantly that what we are about to witness is a chase scene. As the runner comes around the corner, a long shot is used and he is running toward the camera, behind him appears the man chasing him, by using this shot we are able to see the distance between the two characters and get a vague idea of how close he is to being caught.
The two runners then sprint down a tight alley, a point of view shot is used by the chaser so we can once again see the distance between the two. Using a point of view shot during a chase scene can be really effective as we are put into the characters shoes, the movement of the camera really enables us to become engrossed in the scene.
Throughout the rest of the scene, the two characters are almost separated. We are shown clips of the man being chased running and jumping over obstacles and causing problems for the man chasing him, the shot would then cut to the man chasing him as we then watch him follow the same route and path in which the other man has just done. The use of this cutting back and forth constantly shows the audience that slowly but surely, the chaser is catching up.
So that both characters aren't entirely separated, one or two shots are once again used where the runner is sprinting and jumping over obstacles, and the camera merely turns to show the chaser behind him, long shots similar to the opening long shot are also used just to keep that sense of realism and distance within the scene, and not completely separate the two characters by using cuts.
All these different aspects used together create on overall, smooth flowing, seamless edit, it allows the scene to flow in a way in which the audience can really be drawn in and enjoy the scene. This chase scene is not a montage, it is not driven by the music, and I feel that is a must in terms of a montage.
Monday, 8 December 2014
Fish Tank
Fish Tank is a social realist film, a film in which represents the minority and often uses specific cinematography techniques to create empathy toward the characters involved.
Social realist films try to emulate real life, so the producer and cinematographer try to make the film come across as realistic as possible. One way in which this is achieved in multiple scenes is by the use of hand held cameras.
Social realist films try to emulate real life, so the producer and cinematographer try to make the film come across as realistic as possible. One way in which this is achieved in multiple scenes is by the use of hand held cameras.
In this clip of Fisk Tank, whilst Mia is walking around her estate, no cuts are used, there is just one hand held shot following her around as she walks, in modern, mainstream cinema, there would be a multitude of different shots and camera angles used, but as this doesn't really portray real life, the cinematographer decided it would be best to use one hand held camera, so it's almost as if we are walking alongside Mia.
At the beginning of the clip Mia is in a room just finishing off her dancing, the lighting in the room is completely natural, you will notice as the shot cuts to an over the shoulder of mia, we can see the outside is perfectly exposed, but mia is slightly under exposed. No artificial lighting was used to keep that element of reality within the scene, something the producers and cinematographers would've thought about when shooting the scene.
As we all know, real life does not include a soundtrack, there is no non-diegetic music that plays to reflect what mood we are in or when a certain situation gets better or worse, so this means within Fish Tank there are no non-diegetic sounds used at all, as it would ruin the realistic feel to the film.
However there is some music used throughout the film, like in this scene, 4 of the characters are in a car, the camera man is inside the car with them with a hand held camera, to capture the bumps and turns of the car to make it more realistic. The male character, Connor, then puts a CD in the radio and the music begins to play. In mainstream cinema, you would hear the diegetic music for a moment and then it would eventually be played over the top as a non-diegetic soundtrack, however, because Fish Tank is a social realist film, we just hear the music in which we can see playing on screen.
Sunday, 7 December 2014
Scene 38
Scene 38 is another scene that I was given the script and footage for and told to create the scene is accurately as possible.
After reading the script, I realised that the main female character, Katherine, isn't at all interested in the conversation in which she is having with the elder character, she is more interested in what is going on around and behind her, so I had to try and emphasise this as much as possible within the editing.
The opening shot consists of a close up of a sudoku book that Katherine is completing, the camera then pans up to revealing two people, a man and a woman, talking to one and other. The man walks off camera. I chose to start with this shot as it straight away shows what Katherine is really focussing on, and is only pretending to be interested in the sudoku book. I then cut to a close up of Katherine's eyes, which are locked onto the woman. I then cut to the woman again as she notices Katherine staring at her, I feel as though this technique of cutting from one to the other slowly works really well, as it creates tension between the characters, and really grasps the audience and reels them in. I then cut to a mid shot of Katherine as she begins to stand up. Mid-way through standing up, I cut to the previous close up shot of her face as she moves towards a man across the room. This worked really well, as I cut perfectly to motion making the cut seem seamless. I then cut to motion again shortly after as she walks toward the man, the shot changes midway through her walk toward him, from her walking away from the camera, to her walking toward it.
Shot reverse shot editing than begins as they engage in conversation, from an over the shoulder shot of the male, to an over the shoulder shot of Katherine. As the conversation goes on, the over the shoulder shot of the male changes as Katherine turns her head to look behind her and the camera then focusses on her face. As she turns her head, I cut back to the other the shoulder shot of Katherine to make a seamless edit and reveal what she is looking at behind her, I feel this worked well, however, when I then cut back to the other shot, it doesn't quite feel right, it almost feels rushed, and unnatural, and in future edits that would be maybe something I would need to work on.
The shot reverse shot editing than continues, and in my opinion this all looks really nice and very professional, cuts are timed perfectly and the reactions of characters are shown after one character has finished speaking. I made a poor selection of shot choice at one point in the scene when the two characters are behind Katherine leaving the room, Katherine is completely out of focus, I cut straight into this shot and it seemed very strange cutting into a shot in which the foreground was blurred. The shot then cuts back to the man talking to her, as he waits for a response from Katherine, I decided to cut back to her, to show the lack of understanding and confusion upon her face, as she quite obviously isn't listening to what he is saying, she is more interested in what is going on around her. Shot reverse shot editing is then used for the remainder of the conversation and video, however I feel I should've included one more cut. During one of the shots, the focus changes from the man, to Katherine. The camera also moves and shakes, and it looks very unprofessional, adding a cut at this point, would've made all the difference.
Shot reverse shot editing than begins as they engage in conversation, from an over the shoulder shot of the male, to an over the shoulder shot of Katherine. As the conversation goes on, the over the shoulder shot of the male changes as Katherine turns her head to look behind her and the camera then focusses on her face. As she turns her head, I cut back to the other the shoulder shot of Katherine to make a seamless edit and reveal what she is looking at behind her, I feel this worked well, however, when I then cut back to the other shot, it doesn't quite feel right, it almost feels rushed, and unnatural, and in future edits that would be maybe something I would need to work on.
The shot reverse shot editing than continues, and in my opinion this all looks really nice and very professional, cuts are timed perfectly and the reactions of characters are shown after one character has finished speaking. I made a poor selection of shot choice at one point in the scene when the two characters are behind Katherine leaving the room, Katherine is completely out of focus, I cut straight into this shot and it seemed very strange cutting into a shot in which the foreground was blurred. The shot then cuts back to the man talking to her, as he waits for a response from Katherine, I decided to cut back to her, to show the lack of understanding and confusion upon her face, as she quite obviously isn't listening to what he is saying, she is more interested in what is going on around her. Shot reverse shot editing is then used for the remainder of the conversation and video, however I feel I should've included one more cut. During one of the shots, the focus changes from the man, to Katherine. The camera also moves and shakes, and it looks very unprofessional, adding a cut at this point, would've made all the difference.
Surf Edit
I was given footage of a surfer doing a front flip in the ocean, 6 different camera angles were used for the same take. I was given all this footage, along side some music and title text, and was asked to create a small 45 second edit.
https://vimeo.com/108130316
After watching all the footage and listening to the music, I had a vague idea as to what I wanted the edit to look like. I decided to start the edit by making the music the thing that drove the edit, as the music starts with a repetitive piano sound. I started with the surfer surfing in, preparing himself to do his front flip, but as each beat plays in the music, I would change the camera angle, so it fit really well. The music is driving the edit forward, it gives it a really nice fast pace which I was really quite pleased with.
The music then slows down, at which point I brought in the title provided. As the harmony comes into the song, I cut to a still shot of the sea, the soft harmonising calm music and the gentle movement of the waves both work really well together, and is also quite a contrast from the start of the edit, which was very quick. The camera then pans up and we see the surfer approaching on his surf board, as a cymbal is played, the surfer flips, once again editing to the music and creating a nice effect. The shot then fades out and is slowed down slightly to go with the music.
I then cut to the beat again, and the surfer once again comes into the shot and flips, but then I repeat this flip with a different angle, not cutting to motion, but actually repeating what had already happened, I'm not sure why I decided to do this, as most would cut to motion to create a seamless edit, but I thought it might give off a different effect and make it interesting.
The rest of the edit continues to cut in time with the music and the beat, however, I wasn't totally impressed with what I did on two occasions. I showed the surfer just leaving the water at the beginning of his flip from 4 different angles, but once again these weren't cutting to motion, they were repeating, at first I thought this looked as nice as the first time, but I realised that cutting to motion and making a seamless edit probably would have been the better choice, as it would've made it look a lot nicer. I then did this once again using 4 slightly different clips but as the surfer lands back into the water, each cut going in time with the music. I felt this was a little repetitive and should've maybe gone with something different or even just cut to motion.
I do however like the last shot, the last shot is the final clip of the 4 when he lands back into the water, I decided to go with the camera that is attached to the board, the GoPro. As he lands in the water, the water splashes up the camera and gives a really nice effect, especially since I added slow motion. The shot then fades out, and this made the ending of the edit seem really tidy.
https://vimeo.com/108130316
After watching all the footage and listening to the music, I had a vague idea as to what I wanted the edit to look like. I decided to start the edit by making the music the thing that drove the edit, as the music starts with a repetitive piano sound. I started with the surfer surfing in, preparing himself to do his front flip, but as each beat plays in the music, I would change the camera angle, so it fit really well. The music is driving the edit forward, it gives it a really nice fast pace which I was really quite pleased with.
The music then slows down, at which point I brought in the title provided. As the harmony comes into the song, I cut to a still shot of the sea, the soft harmonising calm music and the gentle movement of the waves both work really well together, and is also quite a contrast from the start of the edit, which was very quick. The camera then pans up and we see the surfer approaching on his surf board, as a cymbal is played, the surfer flips, once again editing to the music and creating a nice effect. The shot then fades out and is slowed down slightly to go with the music.
I then cut to the beat again, and the surfer once again comes into the shot and flips, but then I repeat this flip with a different angle, not cutting to motion, but actually repeating what had already happened, I'm not sure why I decided to do this, as most would cut to motion to create a seamless edit, but I thought it might give off a different effect and make it interesting.
The rest of the edit continues to cut in time with the music and the beat, however, I wasn't totally impressed with what I did on two occasions. I showed the surfer just leaving the water at the beginning of his flip from 4 different angles, but once again these weren't cutting to motion, they were repeating, at first I thought this looked as nice as the first time, but I realised that cutting to motion and making a seamless edit probably would have been the better choice, as it would've made it look a lot nicer. I then did this once again using 4 slightly different clips but as the surfer lands back into the water, each cut going in time with the music. I felt this was a little repetitive and should've maybe gone with something different or even just cut to motion.
I do however like the last shot, the last shot is the final clip of the 4 when he lands back into the water, I decided to go with the camera that is attached to the board, the GoPro. As he lands in the water, the water splashes up the camera and gives a really nice effect, especially since I added slow motion. The shot then fades out, and this made the ending of the edit seem really tidy.
Friday, 5 December 2014
Scene 34
Scene 34 is a scene from a film that I edited. I was given the script of the scene, and then given the footage and told to create the scene in the best way possible.
After reading the script, I got an idea in my head as to what I wanted the scene to look like. I really wanted to create chemistry between the characters, to do this I used shot reverse shot editing. I started with an establishing shot, to set the scene, both characters are sitting close to one and other on the sea front wall. After this I cut to a close up of the male characters face, 2 seconds into the shot, he begins to speak. I gave the edit that 2 second gap to enable the edit to flow better, and not make it seem so rushed, so that the audience can focus on the characters facial expressions to get an idea as to how they're feeling. It then cuts to a close up of the female characters face, with once again that same 2 second gap before she begins speaking, to give it the same effect as done with the other character, and give an overall nice flowing edit.
The conversation continues for around 35 seconds, until they are no longer speaking, just sat there looking at the sea and the people around them, so I cut back to the establishing shot, to show the audience once again their surroundings and what the characters are looking at, as the characters facial expressions at that moment in time weren't telling us anything, so there was no need to use those shots.
The male character then stands up so that the female can take a picture of him on the beach. I found this part of the scene quite difficult to edit, as I couldn't decide when to cut from one shot to the next to make sure the scene flowed in terms of continuity. I feel I did an okay job, but looking back on it I should've used the opening establishing shot at least once to give the audience a clearer understanding as to what was going on.
The scene then goes back into that shot reverse shot editing as the two characters engage in conversation. I feel as though I edited this very well, the cuts seem perfectly timed, with the correct shots selected at the appropriate times, creating a nice smooth flowing edit. There is however a particular shot I'm not too happy with, whilst the male character is talking, the focus changes from the male character in the foreground, to two other characters speaking in the background. This needed to be included, however I feel I held onto that shot for too long and it makes the edit look very messy and unprofessional at that moment in time.
The male character then sits back down. Once again looking back on it I probably should have used the establishing shot to show the audience clearly what was going on, but instead I used the two shots that focussed on the individual characters, so during one of the shots we end up seeing only the male characters jacket, so it doesn't look very good visually.
For the rest of the scene shot reverse shot editing is used as the two characters carry on the conversation on the sea front wall. I feel as though this was once again a complete success on screen, as I have selected the best shots at the best times, allowing the audience to see the characters facial expressions and reactions to what eachother are saying, the edit stays at the same pace, and it flows very nicely and really creates chemistry between the characters.
The conversation continues for around 35 seconds, until they are no longer speaking, just sat there looking at the sea and the people around them, so I cut back to the establishing shot, to show the audience once again their surroundings and what the characters are looking at, as the characters facial expressions at that moment in time weren't telling us anything, so there was no need to use those shots.
The male character then stands up so that the female can take a picture of him on the beach. I found this part of the scene quite difficult to edit, as I couldn't decide when to cut from one shot to the next to make sure the scene flowed in terms of continuity. I feel I did an okay job, but looking back on it I should've used the opening establishing shot at least once to give the audience a clearer understanding as to what was going on.
The scene then goes back into that shot reverse shot editing as the two characters engage in conversation. I feel as though I edited this very well, the cuts seem perfectly timed, with the correct shots selected at the appropriate times, creating a nice smooth flowing edit. There is however a particular shot I'm not too happy with, whilst the male character is talking, the focus changes from the male character in the foreground, to two other characters speaking in the background. This needed to be included, however I feel I held onto that shot for too long and it makes the edit look very messy and unprofessional at that moment in time.
The male character then sits back down. Once again looking back on it I probably should have used the establishing shot to show the audience clearly what was going on, but instead I used the two shots that focussed on the individual characters, so during one of the shots we end up seeing only the male characters jacket, so it doesn't look very good visually.
For the rest of the scene shot reverse shot editing is used as the two characters carry on the conversation on the sea front wall. I feel as though this was once again a complete success on screen, as I have selected the best shots at the best times, allowing the audience to see the characters facial expressions and reactions to what eachother are saying, the edit stays at the same pace, and it flows very nicely and really creates chemistry between the characters.
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