Video and Media Technology An Introduction to Basic Editing
Objective: At the completion of this unit, the student will have an understanding of basic editing as it relates to camera angles and camera shots. The students will create different types of shots in a practice video and edit the video.
The first thing to remember is that editing is not “cutting out the bad parts” as many people assume. Editing is the process of assembling a program from the start to finish by artfully blending images and sound to create a coherent whole.
The techniques of editing are remarkably powerful. Most were worked out in the early days of film but when done correctly, are as effective now as they were then. The simplest assembly of shots, when done skillfully, can create an amazing effect in the mind of the viewer.
The most basic of editing techniques creates a linkage in the mind of the viewer. All editing is based on this simple notion: putting shots together creates new meaning. Remember, in editing, 1 + 1 does not equal 2. Something is created that is more than the sum of the individual parts. 1 + 1 = 3…., or 4….., or 50.
Remember, by editing, you can create a message or meaning for the viewer. An example would be:
Shot one showing a man looking out at something.
Shot two showing a baby in the arms of its mother.
Shot three showing the man again.
In the viewers mind, the man and the baby are linked together. They may not even been filmed at the same time or place, but by editing, the viewer links them together.
We could chance the linkage that the viewer has by changing one shot. Instead of the baby in the second shot, what would happen if we had a shot showing a plate of chicken wings?
Editing has the amazing power of being able to twist a viewer’s perception of a scene.
Can one camera operator film two, three, or four different scenes at the same time? The answer is no, but through skillful editing, the possible exists. Separate shots - gathered at different times and stitched together so that they seem to flow - is called a sequence.
Sequence may be the most important word you hear in this course. One goal of this course is for you to understand how a sequence is built. Sequences are the foundation of all media technology, from the local news to your favorite movie.
A sequence is a series of shots (taken at different times) that are edited together to appear as if they are happening in one continuous flow. Most sequences start with a wide shot. Wide shots are called establishing shots because they establish a place in the mind of the viewer. They answer the question of “where are we?”
After the wide shot, the next shot in the sequence is a medium shot or close-up. Close-ups and medium shots provide detail that is not apparent in the establishing shot.
While a sequence may be just two shots, it’s more common for a sequence to run for 3, 4, 10 shots or more. Remember, the rules stay the same regardless of length. Start with an establishing shot and gradually move to closer shots. Longer sequences sometimes end with a wide shot, to remind the viewer where they are. If you use a closing shot, make sure it is a different wide shot than you used at the beginning.
There is more to a sequence than just cutting from wide shots to close-ups (“cutting” is a synonym for editing). You want to ensure that a sequence flows naturally, as if it was happening continuously.
One issue that can arise in sequencing is called a continuity problem. A continuity problem is when you do not have the smooth transition of action from one scene to another. An example would be where in the wide shot a man puts his hands in his pockets, but in the next shot, they are up by his face. This makes for a jump in the scene. You would want to align your shots so that the man’s hand are in the same position in both the first and second shot. This is called a “matched cut.”
The more things move, the more important it is to match the cut. Aligning the edit of things that are moving a lot are called matching the action or matched action. Pay close attention to matching your action.
Another key to proper editing is to know at what point you should cut the action. You have a wide shot and a close-up of someone sitting down. Both cover the entire action. At what point should you make the cut? You should remember that you must cut the action at the same point in the movement (matched action); but should you make the cut before, during, or after the sitting motion?
The editing will work best if you “cut on the action.” This means that you cut during the movement, not before or after. Cutting on the action is almost always preferable to cutting before or after.
A “jump cut” is a bad thing that you want to avoid. A jump cut occurs when you edit together two scenes that are very similar. If the shots are so similar, the main subject will seem to jump. This is considered an abrupt edit. To avoid this problem, you could either replace one of the shots with either a closer or wider view or you can leave the jump in place and “covering” one of the shots with something different. Watch the news. You will see the reporter nodding during the story. This is used to cover the jump.
When editing, you must always ensure that your screen direction remains consistent. That is, objects in the scene that move should be going the same direction in every shoot. One way to ensure you never run into screen direction problems is to make sure you always stay on one side of a moving object. That way, your screen direction will stay consistent. This principle is known as the “180 degree rule.”
The idea is that if you stay within a 180 degree arc, you won’t have screen direction problems. Think of it as if you are watching a football game. If you stay on the home side only, the scene direction will not change.
There may be a time where you want different objects to have opposing screen directions. Think about movies where you have two armies ready to fight. The editor has created tension entirely through editing. This is known as “opposing forces.” Two things can appear to be in opposition, solely because they have opposing screen directions.
Sometimes it’s hard to match the action when editing, especially when objects are moving in the frame. A simple solution is when shooting, it is sometimes helpful to let moving objects leave or enter the frame. The point that an object exits or enters is an excellent place to position an edit. This is known as “into frame, out of frame.”