Intro to Film Analysis Final

Editing

the process by which an editor selects, arranges, and assembles visual, sound, and special effects to tell a story

Film editor

Decides which shots to use and how they’re used

In pre-production editor may suggest composition, blocking and lighting that will help in editing itself

For every 20 minutes of footage shot…

Almost 1 minute of footage is used

Responsibilities of film editor

• Organize fragments of action and events

• Create meaning through juxtaposition

• Create spatial relationship between shots

• Create temporal relationships between shots

• Establishes overall rhythm to the film

Cut

break that marks transitions between shots

Fade-out

transition wherein an image becomes less distinct until it disappears

Fade-in transition

does opposite of fade-out transition

Dissolve

transition that briefly superimposes one shot over next

Wipe

transition that joins two images by moving a line across one image across one image to replace it w/a second image that follows the line across the frame

Master shot technique

method of capturing footage to make a scene in which action is photographed multiple times w/variety of shots and angles

Fragmentation

the breaking up of visual and narrative information into multiple shots that provide a diversity of combinations w/which to convey meaning

Coverage

multiple angles and shot types covering the same action in each scene

Classical cutting

selecting from coverage, editor constructs the scene using viewpoint best suited for each moment

Master shot

a shot(typically wide) showing entirety of the action from beginning to end

Flashbacks/flash-forwards

cutting away from a scene in the present to a scene in set in the past or future

Parallel editing

editing two or more actions happening at the same time in different places

Cross-cutting

cutting together two or more lines lines of action that occur at the same time at different locations

Intercutting

editing of two or more actions that take place at different locations and/or different times but give the impression of one scene

Juxtaposition

placing two shots together in a sequence

Montage editing

juxtaposing shots together to create meaning

Associative(intelectual) editing

imparts meaning in a noticeable way by juxtaposing contrasting images in a way that implies a thematic relationship

Duration

in fps, sec, or min, determines speed w/which audience perceives a given sequence

Content curve

the point at which we’ve absorbed everything we need to know in a specific shot and are ready to see next one

Pace

speed at which a shot sequence flows, accomplished by using shots of the same general duration

Rhythm

applies to practice at changing the pace, gradually or suddenly, during a scene or sequence

Montage sequence

integrated series of shots rapidly depicting multiple related events occurring over time

Overlapping action

the repetition of parts or all of an action using multiple shots

Freeze frame

suddenly stopping a hot to hold on a single “frozen” image of the arrested action

Jump cut

a cut that interrupts an action and intentionally creates discontinuity

The Kuleshov Effect

idea that the power of editing lies in juxtaposing images, named after Lev Kuleshov

Continuity(invisible) editing

Each shot has a continuous relationship to the next shot

30-degree rule

Camera should shift 30 degrees between different shot types of the same subject(s)

Establishing shot

Typically an initial long shot that establishes setting and orients viewer in space

Two-shot

relatively close shot of two characters

Over-the-shoulder-shot

shot as the name implies

Reestablishing shot

returns to an initial view

180 degree rule

uses an imaginary line(known as “the line” or axis of action) that is drawn between interacting characters being photographed

Shot/reverse-shot

a shot of one character looking offscreen in one direction is followed by one of the second character looking back

Eyeline match

a character looks offscreen and the next shot appears to show at what or whom they’re looking at

Match on action

the direction of an action is picked up when cutting to a shot showing the continuation of that action

Graphic match

a dominant shape on one line in one shot provides a visual transition to a similar shape or line in the next shot

Sound crew

generate and control the sound physically, manipulating in properties to produce effect director desires

Warner Bros’ The Jazz Singer(1927) was…

credited w/convincing the American public that film sound was here to stay

Double-system recording

sound is recorded on a medium separate from the picture

Boom mic

a pole-like device that positions the mic outside the camera frame but as close as possible to the actors

Pitch

level of a sound, defined by frequency

Frequency

number of sound waves per second

Loudness

volume of a sound

Quality

the characteristic that distinguishes a sound from others of the same pitch and loudness; simple or complex

Fidelity

a sound’s faithfulness or unfaithfulness to its source

Source

where it comes from

Type

vocal or musical

Synchronous sound

has a visible onscreen source

Asynchronous sound

doesn’t have a visible onscreen source

Parallelism

when the soundtrack and image “say the same thing”

Contrapuntal sound

when two different meanings are implied by soundtrack and image

Diegetic sound

sound that has its source in the narrative world

Diegetic(source) music

music that has its source in the narrative world

Nondiegetic sound

sound not coming from within the characters’ world

On-screen sound

sound that emanates from a source we can see

Offscreen sound

derives from an unseen source and may be diegetic or non-diegetic

Internal sound

occurs whenever we hear what we assume are thoughts of a character w/in a scene

Interior monologue

variation on the mental, subjective point of view of an individual character that allows us to see the character and hear their thoughts in their own voice, even though their lips don’t move

External sound

Comes from a place w/in diegesis and we assume that it’s heard by characters in that world

Sound perspective

the apparent distance of a sound source

Overlapping dialogue

mixing characters’ speech simultaneously

Voice-off

a voice that can be seen to originate from an onscreen speaker or from a speaker inferred to be present in the scene, but not currently visible

Voiceover

characters w/in that the diegesis can’t hear, usually a narrator

Synchronization

the visible coordination of the voice w/the body from which it’s emanating

Cue

a piece of music composed for a particular place/purpose in a film

Narrative cueing

how music tells what is happening/about to happen in the plot

Stingers

sounds that force us to notice the significance of something offscreen

Mickey-mousing

over illustrating the action through the score

Direct sound

sounds captured directly from their sources

Reflected sound

sounds captured bouncing off walls and sets

Sound editing

creating rhythmic relationships w/the image track

Sound bridge

when a sound carries over a visual transition in a film

Post-synchronous sound

recorded after filming and then synchronized w/onscreen sources

Automated Dialogue Replacement(ADR)

actors watch film footage and re-record their lines to be dubbed into the soundtrack

Sound mixing

Postproduction process in which all 3 elements of a film’s soundtrack(music, sound effects, and dialogue) that have been recorded on separate tracks are combined

Documentary

 a film that aims to inform viewers about “truths” or “facts”

Actualities

moving nonfiction snapshots of real people and events

Scenics

offered exotic or remarkable images of nature or foreign lands

Topicals

captured or re-created historical or newsworthy events

Nonfiction

presents (presumed) factual descriptions of actual events, persons, or places

Non-narrative

de-emphasize stories and narratives, instead employing other forms like lists, repetition, or contrasts as their organizational structure

Cumulative organizations

presents a catalog of images or sounds throughout course of a film

Contrastive organizations

present a series of contrasts or oppositions meant to indicate different points of view on a subject

Developmental organizations

places, objects, individuals, or experiences are presented through a pattern that a non-narrative logic or structure but still follows a logic of change or progression

Explorative positions

announces or suggests that the film’s driving perspective is a scientific search into particular social, psychological, or physical phenomena 

Interrogative/analytical positions

structure a film in a way that identifies its subject as being under investigation

Persuasive/propaganda positions

articulates a personal or social position using emotions or beliefs, aiming to persuade viewers to feed and see in a certain way

Reflexive/performative positions

calls attention to the filmmaking process or perspective of the filmmaker(often deeply emotional) in determining or shaping the material being presented)

Social documentaries

examine and present both familiar and unfamiliar peoples and cultures as social activities

Political documentaries

investigate and celebrate the political activities of men and women as they appear within the struggles of small and large social spheres

Historical documentaries

concentrates largely on recovering and representing events or figures in history

Ethnographic documentaries

typically about cultural revelations aimed at presenting specific peoples, rituals, or communities that may have been marginalized by or invisible to mainstream culture

Anthropological documentaries

explore different global cultures and people, both living and extinct

Cinema verite/direct cinema

insists on filming real objects, people, and events in a confrontational way, so that the reality of the subject continually acknowledges the reality of the camera recording it

What is a film genre?

A category/classification of films that share similar narrative and stylistic patterns