What is editing in film? the art and craft of cutting and assembling finished films.
Why is editing significant to filmmaking? editing techniques are simple to create but can leave profound effects in visual storytelling and how the audience absorbs information.
Who is responsible for editing? the film editor.
Famous film editor:
Thelma Schoonmaker
Thelma Schoonmaker is an American film editor. She's received numerous awards including three Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and a Golden Lion in 2014 and the BAFTA Fellowship in 2019.
Noteworthy movies:
-Raging Bull (1980)
-Casino (1995)
-Cape Fear (1991)
-Gangs of New York (2002)
-The Aviator (2004)
-The Departed (2006)
Editing is like the finishing touch for a film, it ties everything together. Realizing how much work is put into editing makes me realize it's an aspect of my filmmaking process that I shouldn't take lightly. I initially thought editing would be the easiest part of making my film but after doing all this research I realize it might actually be the hardest.
1. Eyeline: when an editor cuts to the object of a character's attention.
-second shot tends to be a pov shot.
-suspense can be built from audience waiting for reveal of what the character sees or by showing nothing.
-character's eyes motivate cut
2. Cross-cutting: when an editor cuts between two or more scenes happening in different locations.
-scenes tend to be happening at the same time.
-can be used to combine multi-layered action.
-can create parallels between separate scenes
3. Eye Trace: When an editor cuts between two or more shots that focus on the same area of the frame.
-allows audience to stay focused without scanning frame after each cut.
-can be used through blocking and camera movement.
-ideal for action scenes which move quickly.
4. Split edits: changes either the sound or image before the other.
-J cut is when audio from a shot begins to play before audience sees it
-L cut is when audio continues to play from previous shot after already cutting.
-often used during dialogue scenes.
5. Intellectual Montage: puts unrelated images together in order to evoke a specific idea or emotion.
-makes use of the Kuleshov effect (creating meaning out of a cinematic juxtaposition.)
-separate scenes combine to create a single idea.
6. Cut on Action: cutting during a character or object's movement.
-can be used to create smoother transitions that feel more natural to the audience.
-often found in fight scenes, cut on impact
2 sound editing techniques
1. Foley: The recreation or creation of sounds unavailable to execute on set. -Footsteps, the breaking of glass, or even sounds that don’t exist in real life. -Foley studios have viewing screens, props, and recording equipment for artists to capture sound as view each scene.
2. ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement): re-recording of dialogue. -sometimes sound isn't captured correctly and must be re-recorded for quality. -voice overs might need to be added in.
Defining these different editing techniques has given me more ideas on my film and I feel like I will be able to add versatility in sound and visual techniques. Some editing techniques seem necessary for most films like ADR and cross-cutting. I want to try and challenge myself in making transitions in my movie that seem real to the audience.
What is lighting in film? Lighting in film is made up of quality, direction, color and source. These different elements blend to catch our attention, create atmosphere and visual impact.
Why is lighting significant? There would be no film without lighting. Lighting is important to cinematic storytelling. Filmmakers have experimented lighting techniques for as long as it existed.
1. Ambient Lighting: Light on set that wasn't set up by the crew.
- Can be artificial or natural
- Headlights from cars
- Interior lights from set like lamps
2. Motivated Lighting: Lighting that was intentionally placed in a way to appear in a shot.
- Creates cinematic lighting styles with higher depth and contrast.
3. Practical Lighting: Light source appearing in the frame of a shot.
- doesn’t have to be ambient
- could be placed in the shot by a gaffer.
4. Natural Light: light that occurs naturally.
- illumination coming from the sun or fire.
5. Artificial light: man-made lighting.
- Streetlights, flashlights, LED panels.
Lighting is one of the more important technical aspects when it comes to creating your film. Knowing how to manipulate light in film can be used to your advantage when it comes to setting moods and supporting the emotions of characters. I think being able to mess with some level of lighting in my film will make it nicer to watch.
The purpose of this assignment was to apply the key concepts of camerawork and camera movement from our storyboard into a video production. We were to produce 3-7 second videos illustrating six chosen camera movements from our storyboard. Our videos had to establish mise en scene elements like setting, acting, set design, composition, hair and makeup, lighting, tone, color, and costumes.
Me and Brandon took turns being the camera person during the filming of the videos. We used an I phone 13 pro. We also took turns acting and being recorded.
Tilt- Tilt camera movements direct a camera upward or downward. Camera tilts can be used to give a character dominance in a shot or to reveal new information to the audience.
Action Line: Student walking up the stairs of the piper theater.
What's going on in this video clip is a student is walking up the stairs of the school's theater. The point of this clip is to showcase the student walking to their destination. I feel like a tilt movement is appropriate for this specific scene since the camera will tilt upwards as the person is walking up the stairs which will create a following effect.
Tracking- A tracking shot is any shot that physically moves the camera through the scene for an extended amount of time.
Action Line: Student opening the door of the theater.
What's going on in this video clip is a student is opening the door leading to the inside the theater/auditorium. The point of this clip is to better show where the person is walking to. I feel like a tracking movement is appropriate for this scene since its a common movement used to follow a travelling subject.
Pan- The camera pan directs a camera horizontally left or right.
Action Line: Student outside the theater walking towards item.
What's going on in this video clip is a student is by the theater walking towards an item placed on the ticket booth. The point of this clip is to rise curiosity from the audience on the new item. Pans can be motivated by a character’s actions and can also be used to reveal new information to the audience. It's because of this that I feel camera pan is the most appropriate camera movement for this scene.
Zoom- Zooms change thefocal lengthof acamera lensto either zoom in or zoom out the size of a subject in the frame.
Action Line: Student's hand is picking up a knife.
What's going on in this video clip is the student is grabbing an item placed on the booth table. The point of this clip is to give the audience a better view of the item, which they now know is a pencil. Zooms are often used in horror films to create uneasiness which is exactly was this scene is trying to do.
Static- A static shot has no camera movement at all.
Action Line: Teacher is at their desk grading papers.
What's going on in this video clip is a "teacher" outside the theater is grading papers. The point of this clip is to direct attention to another viewpoint/person. The stability of a static shot makes it non-distracting and easier for the audience to focus on the acting of the teacher which is why this camera movement fits this scene the best.
WhipPan: Pans done quickly with speed.
Action Line: Student lunges and attacks teacher.
What's going on in this clip is the student who now has a weapon is attacking a teacher with the knife. The point of this clip is to showcase the conflict this audience has been waiting for. Whip pans add energy to a shot and can be used to establish a more energetic connection between two characters which is why this camera movement best fits the scene.
Reflection
The least complicated camera technique was tracking. For tracking, all the camera had to do was follow the subject, which is simple and took one try to get it right. The most difficult camera technique to demonstrate was the whip pan. Whip pans can easily look silly depending on how fast/ slow you shake the camera and took many tries to finally give it the action vibe we were looking for. The experience of working with my partner was positive. This activity was our first time experimenting filming and using camera movements which gave us a better idea for how we want out movie to go. It was also through this assignment that we decided to use my phone for the filming of our movie.
The objectives of this assignment were to create a camera movement storyboard. We were to apply the key concepts of camera movement, shot sizes, angles, framing, and elements of mise en scene to prepare for our opening film sequence. This would also serve as a guide for our next assignment when we have to record mini videos showcasing the storyboard. We were to collaborate with our teammates in planning our videos and practice our media studies technical skills. Me and my teammate worked on completing the task in three steps. First, we decided where in the school we would be basing our storyboard off. Next, we discussed the storyline we were going for and different shots, angles, framing, and movement we wanted to incorporate. Lastly, they wrote down the action lines while I drew and colored the frames.
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