COMM150N Exam 2

film editing

the process of selecting and joining film footage and shots

Storyboard

in cinema, a shot-by-shot representation of how a film or a film sequence will unfold

magic lantern

used by showmen to project successive images and create illusions of the supernatural; by the 19th century lectures used photographic slides

Georges Melies

used stop-motion photography and editing to create tricks

Edwin S. Porter

an Edison employee, synthesized these techniques in the service of storytelling

crosscutting/parallel editing

alternating between actions in separate locations, often implying simultaneity

montage (French word for editing)

Editing that maximizes the effect of the juxtaposition of disparate shots

continuity editing

storytelling style developed by Hollywood studio system, which gives the viewer the impression that the action unfolds with spatiotemporal consistency

disjunctive editing

editing visibly disrupting continuity by creating ruptures in the story, radically condensing or expanding time, or confusing the relationship among past, present, and future; reflected the feeling of disconnectedness of the modern world

jump cuts

edits that intentionally create gaps in the action to defy the norms of continuity

nonlinear film editing

film footage is stored as digital information on high-capacity computer hard drives

cut

the join or splice between two pieces of film; the break in the image that marks the physical connection between two shots from two different pieces of film

shock cut

juxtaposes two images whose dramatic difference creates a jarring visual effect

fade-outs

optical effects in which an image gradually darkens to black

fade-ins

black screen gradually brightens to a full picture

dissolve

briefly superimpose one shot over the next, one image fades out as another fades in; used to indicate a more definite spatial or temporal break than do straight cuts, and they often mark pauses between narrative sequences or larger segments of a film

iris

masks the corners of the frame in a black, usually circular form

wipes

join two images by moving a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line across one image to replace it with a second image that follows the line across the frame

verisimilitude

the appearance of being true

continuity editing

the basic principle is that each shot has a continuous relationship to the next; a system that uses cuts and other transitions to establish verisimilitude and to tell stories efficiently, requiring minimal mental effort on the part of viewers

Two goals of continuity editing:

1. constructing an imaginary space in which the action develops

2. approximating the experience of real time by following human actions

establishing shot

an initial long shot that establishes the location and setting and orients the viewer in space to a clear view of the action

two-shot

presenting a relatively close shot of both characters in a recognizable spatial orientation and context. Then the camera alternates between the speaking characters, often using over-the-shoulder shots where the camera is positioned slightly behind and over the shoulder of one character focusing on another character or object

reestablishing shots

periodic returns to the initial establishing shot to restore a seemingly objective view to spectators

insert

a brief shot, often a close-up, that points out details significant to the action e.g. a hand slipping something into a pocket; a smile another character does not see

nondiegetic insert

introduces an object or view from outside the film’s world or makes a comparison that transcends the character’s perspective

axis of action

an imaginary line that bisects the setting

180-degree rule

the primary rule of continuity editing; any shot taken from the same side of the axis of action will ensure that the relative positions of people and other elements of mise-en-scene, as well as the directions of gazes and movements, will remain consistent. If the camera were to cross into the 180-degree field on the other side of the line…the characters’ onscreen positions would be reversed.

30-degree rule

a shot should be followed by another shot taken from a position greater than 30 degrees from that of the first, aiming to emphasize the motivation for the cut by giving a substantially different view of the action.

hot/reverse shot/ [shot/countershot]

begins with a shot of one character looking offscreen in one direction, followed by a shot of a second character who appears to be looking back

eyeline match

if a character looks toward the left, the screen position of the character or object in the next shot will likely appear to match the gaze

match on action

the direction of an action is picked up by cutting to a shot depicting the continuation of that action, such as matching the movement of a stone tossed in the air to the flight of that stone as it hits a window.

graphic match

formal patterns, shapes, masses, colors, lines, or lighting patterns within images that link or define a series of shots according to graphic qualities; one pattern of images may develop according to diminishing sizes, or switching between brightly lit shots and dark, shadowy shots

point-of-view shots

a character is shown looking, and the next shot shows the character’s optical point-of-view, often followed by a third shot in which the character is again shown looking

reaction shot

depicts a character’s response to something shown in a previous shot

story time

the temporal length and range of events inferred during the telling of a film’s story

plot time

the temporal selection and arrangement of events from that story

screen time

the actual length of time that a movie takes to tell its story

chronology

the order according to which shots or scenes convey the temporal sequence of the story’s events

flashback

a sequence that follows an image set in the present with an image set in the past

flashforward

a sequence that connects an image set in the present with one or more future images; usually reserved for works that intentionally challenge our perceptions.

narrative duration

length of time used to present an event or action in a plot

ellipsis

an abridgement in time in the narrative implied by editing which uses techniques to make actions seem to flow in a continuous fashion

cutaway

a shot that interrupts an action to “cut away” to another image or action…before returning to the first shot or scene at a point further along in time

overlapping editing

an edited sequence presents two or more shots of the same action across several cuts

pace

the tempo at which a film seems to move, influenced by the duration of individual shots and editing style…Chase scenes are likely to be cut more quickly than conversations

average shot length (ASL)

Rapid cutting of films whose average shot length may be less than two seconds has been enabled by digital technologies and driven by the prevalence of blockbuster action films

long take

shot of relatively long duration

sequence shot

an entire scene plays out in space and time in one take

slow cinema

term coined for films (especially international art films) in which shots are sustained for what can seem an inordinate amount of time

rhythm

the organization of editing according to different paces or tempos determined by how quickly cuts are made

scene

one or more shots that depict a continuous space and time

sequence

any number of shots that are unified as a coherent action

segmentation

the process of dividing a film into large narrative units for the purpose of analysis; locating editing transitions such as fades and dissolves can help point to these divisions, which occur at significant changes in narrative space, time, characters, or action

Film editing serves two general aims

1. to generate emotions and ideas through the construction of patterns

2. to move beyond normal temporal and spatial limitations

disjunctive editing

visible editing that calls attention to the cut through spatial tension temporal jumps, or rhythmic or graphic patterns, making a definitive break from cutting in the service of verisimilitude

jump cut

a cut that interrupts a particular action and intentionally or unintentionally creates discontinuities in the spatial or temporal development of shots

distanciation

This artistic practice is intended to create an intellectual distance between the viewer and the work of art in order to reflect on the work’s production of the various ideas and issues that it raises

dialectical montage

the cutting together of conflicting or unrelated images to generate an idea or emotion in the viewer: when two contrasting or otherwise conflicting shots will be synthesized into a visual concept when juxtaposed

montage sequence

a series of thematically linked shots or shots meant to show the passage of time, joined by quick cuts or other devices

1877

Edison’s phonograph [“sound writer”] introduced

1926 – 1927

Warner Bros. and Fox actively pursued competing sound technologies

Warner Bros.

premiered its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system in 1926, producing Don Juan, the first feature film with a recorded score

Fox

developed the Movietone sound system, recording sound optically on film; in 1928 it introduced Movietone newsreels [which ran until 1963 in the U.S.]

1950s

stereophonic sound

1970s

Dolby sound; surround sound

1990s

digital sound

Dr. Strangeglove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

plays as H-bombs drop to satiric effect

synchronous sound/onscreen sound

has a visible onscreen source

asynchronous sound/offscreen sound

does not have a visible onscreen source

parallelism

sound that is consistent with what is displayed onscreen; the mutual reinforcing or even the redundancy of sound and image

contrapuntal sound

sound which contrasts with the image that is displayed onscreen e.g. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

diegesis

the world of the film’s story (its characters, places, and events)

diegetic sound

has its source in the narrative world of film

nondiegetic sound

does not have an identifiable source in the characters’ world

source music

diegetic sound, such as a shot of a band performing at a party or characters listening to music

soundtrack

audio recorded to synchronize with a moving image, including dialogue, music, and sound effects

sound designer

plans and directs the overall sound through to the final mix

sound recording

takes place simultaneously with the filming of a scene

clapperboard

snapped at the beginning of each take; this recorded sound is used to synchronize sound recordings and camera image

direct sound

sound captured directly from its source

reflected sound

sound captured as it bounces from the walls and sets, used to give a sense of space.

production sound mixer/sound recorder

combines different sources of sound during filming, adjusting their relative volume or balance

postproduction sound

recorded sound added to a film in the postproduction phase

foley artists

the sound crew that generates live sound effects which are eventually mixed with the other tracks

sound editing

combining music, dialogue, and effects tracks to interact with the image track

sound bridge

sound carries over a visual transition in a film

spotting

determine where music and effects will be added

postsynchronous sound

recorded after the fact and then synchronized with onscreen sources; often preferred, as natural sound recorded during production may be indistinct

automated dialogue replacement (ADR)/looping

actors watch the film footage and re-record their lines

dubbing

often replaces the original language of a film for exhibition in another country

walla

a nonsense sound spoken by extras in a film to approximate the sound of a crowd during sound dubbing

room tone

the aural properties of a location that are recorded and then mixed in with dialogue and other tracks to achieve a more realistic sound; may by used to cover any patch of pure silence

sound mixing/re-recording

can occur only after the image track is ‘locked’. All three elements of the soundtrack—music, effects, dialogue—that have been recorded on separate tracks will now be combined

final mix

when the sound combines separate soundtracks into a single track that will be transferred onto the film print together with the image track to which it is synchronized. Optical tracks are ‘married’ to the image track on the film print. Digital tracks may be printed on the film or recorded for digital projection

sound reproduction

sound playback during a film’s exhibition

overlapping dialogue

mixing characters’ speeches to imitate the rhythm of speech; it is often used to approximate the everyday experience of hearing multiple, competing speakers and sounds at the same time

voice-off

a voice that originates from a speaker who can be inferred to be present in the scene but who is not currently visible

voiceover

a voice whose source is neither visible in the frame nor implied to be offscreen and typically narrates the film’s images

narrator

a character or other person whose voice and perspective describe the action of a film, usually in voiceover