Editing Research
Editing is the process of selecting and joining together various shots to create a final cut (the finished edit of a film that the audience sees.)
There are many different ways to edit, all of which serve to create a particular atmosphere or effect. As part of my editing research, I decided to research the most common styles of editing. Both continuity and montage editing kept cropping up. Continuity editing is a type of editing that systematically cuts clips to maintain continuous action and a clear narrative. It's used in the majority of films and often in TV as it creates a believable and natural storyline with shots that connect seamlessly, making the viewing for the audience effortless. In contrast, montage editing is a particular type of editing that includes noticeable cuts and doesn't create a sense of fluidity. It creates emotional impact through the visual design of many brief shots being edited together. A prime example of montage editing is the shower scene from 'Psycho.'
A transition in editing is the way in which one shot changes to the next. In the post production editing process, there are a variety of forms a transition can take. For example, there is a cut which is a visual transition when one shot is instantaneously replaced by another on screen. There are many different types of cuts. For example, a jump, match, cross and shot reverse shot cut. A jump cut is a cut that leaves out part of the action to create a lack of continuity. A match cut is when the editor joins two matching shots to establish strong continuity within the action; a simple example of this is someone walking through a door (the shot of the person walking towards the door and through the door on the other side would be joined together.)
Cross cutting is the process of cutting back and forth quickly between multiple lines of action during the editing process to indicate they are happening simultaneously. Finally, shot reverse shot cutting is a technique usually used in conversational scenes that exhibits alternating shots edited together to show each character speaking. In addition to cuts, there are also dissolve transitions, which are transitions in which the editor overlaps the end of one shot with the beginning of the next (a gradual transition,) fade transitions, which are when the editor fades one shot to black then fades the next shot in (often used to indicate a change in time and place,) and wipe transitions, which is where a bar visible on the screen travels across the frame and pushes one shot off and pulls another into place (common in films in the 1930s and 40s however rarely used in contemporary film.)
During my research, I also found out that editing isn't always required. A prime example of this is a sequence shot. A sequence shot is composed of only one shot and therefore requires no editing. The end product is a long take that extends for an entire scene or sequence.
To conclude, throughout my research into editing I discovered some of the most common types of editing in addition to a variety of transitions that aid the edit in producing the desired effect. As a result of this I have come to the conclusion that we should use dissolve transitions to display serenity in the scene coupled with continuity editing that would transition to montage editing when displaying the SFX.
There are many different ways to edit, all of which serve to create a particular atmosphere or effect. As part of my editing research, I decided to research the most common styles of editing. Both continuity and montage editing kept cropping up. Continuity editing is a type of editing that systematically cuts clips to maintain continuous action and a clear narrative. It's used in the majority of films and often in TV as it creates a believable and natural storyline with shots that connect seamlessly, making the viewing for the audience effortless. In contrast, montage editing is a particular type of editing that includes noticeable cuts and doesn't create a sense of fluidity. It creates emotional impact through the visual design of many brief shots being edited together. A prime example of montage editing is the shower scene from 'Psycho.'
A transition in editing is the way in which one shot changes to the next. In the post production editing process, there are a variety of forms a transition can take. For example, there is a cut which is a visual transition when one shot is instantaneously replaced by another on screen. There are many different types of cuts. For example, a jump, match, cross and shot reverse shot cut. A jump cut is a cut that leaves out part of the action to create a lack of continuity. A match cut is when the editor joins two matching shots to establish strong continuity within the action; a simple example of this is someone walking through a door (the shot of the person walking towards the door and through the door on the other side would be joined together.)
Cross cutting is the process of cutting back and forth quickly between multiple lines of action during the editing process to indicate they are happening simultaneously. Finally, shot reverse shot cutting is a technique usually used in conversational scenes that exhibits alternating shots edited together to show each character speaking. In addition to cuts, there are also dissolve transitions, which are transitions in which the editor overlaps the end of one shot with the beginning of the next (a gradual transition,) fade transitions, which are when the editor fades one shot to black then fades the next shot in (often used to indicate a change in time and place,) and wipe transitions, which is where a bar visible on the screen travels across the frame and pushes one shot off and pulls another into place (common in films in the 1930s and 40s however rarely used in contemporary film.)
During my research, I also found out that editing isn't always required. A prime example of this is a sequence shot. A sequence shot is composed of only one shot and therefore requires no editing. The end product is a long take that extends for an entire scene or sequence.
To conclude, throughout my research into editing I discovered some of the most common types of editing in addition to a variety of transitions that aid the edit in producing the desired effect. As a result of this I have come to the conclusion that we should use dissolve transitions to display serenity in the scene coupled with continuity editing that would transition to montage editing when displaying the SFX.
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