Editing Styles and Techniques Course Notes

Focus: Understanding editing styles and techniques based on industry standards through various assignments.
Learning Method: Combination of class discussions, written labs, and homework assignments.

Key Learning Objectives:
- Evaluate different editing styles.
- Employ editing based on accepted conventions.
- Understand historical and sociological backgrounds of editing movements.
Understanding Repeating Cycles: Examination of cycles in editing styles correlating with historical political, social, and economic events.
Industry Recognized Criteria: Application of cinema criteria for organizing audio and visual media to provoke specific audience responses.
- This involves exploring editing techniques, shot lengths, and shot organization.

Importance of using critical thinking skills to:
- Compare various editing and pacing techniques.
- Acknowledge that familiar techniques may not always be suitable.
- Encourage experimentation to discover effective editing methods.
- Students' role: As young editors, to test unconventional techniques and learn from failures.

Post-production Process:
- Application of editing philosophies to make informed decisions during editing.
- Completion of two major projects:
- Midterm Project: Specific editing style assigned, duration of 2-3 weeks for editing.
- Expectations for the project: Analyze necessary shot lengths, actions, dialogues, and insert shots.

Evaluation of visual and oral forms to make aesthetically sound choices.
- Assignments include adding sound to edited clips and determining timing and type of sound for audience reaction.
Communication Skills: Develop abilities to interact effectively with producers, clients, and the post-production team. Students will edit for classmates, aligning with classmates' visions while maintaining their artistic integrity.

Components of the Grade:
- Midterm: 20% (consisting of written and practical exams)
- Final Exam: 20% (same structure)
- In-Class Assignments: 10%
- Take-Home Assignments: 20%
- Quizzes/Class Presentations: 10%
- Project 1 at midterm: 10%
- Final Project: 10%
Late Submission Policy: 10 points deducted for each session an assignment is late; missed quizzes receive a 50 if not excused in advance.

Week 1: Course introduction and review basics on Avid Media Composer.
Week 2: Introduction to pure cinema; reading requirements set.
Week 3: Topics on parallel edits and cross-cutting.
Week 4: Exploration of surrealism's influence on editing.
Week 5-9: Continue with German expressionism, film noir, Italian neorealism, and French New Wave topics and practices.
Week 10-14: MTB style editing, live entertainment editing, and documentary editing.
Week 15: Final exam review and assessment.

Readings assigned before each session, with guiding questions to stimulate thoughtful engagement.
First Reading: Forward and Preface (4 pages).
Assignment expectations: Responsibilities to articulate insights on readings and film theory.

Emphasis on academic integrity; no AI use allowed in assignments.
Encouragement of participation in discussions tied to readings and practical projects.
Each student expected to present work with peer feedback incorporated into the process.

Importance of understanding fundamental historical elements of editing and filmmaking.
Discuss historical periods, such as the Industrial Revolution and its impact on film,
- Annotate how socio-economic changes influenced cinema.
- First Industrial Revolution: Introduction of machinery to reduce human labor, leading to the emergence of middle class.

First Motion Picture Camera: Invention by William Dixon under Thomas Edison.
- Recognizes cinema primarily as a tool for documentation rather than artistic expression initially.
Lumiere Brothers: Key figures in developing motion perception; creation of early films that capture reality in new ways.
Technical Elements: Exploration of early cinematic techniques, including dimensional angles and framing.

Paper Edit: Develop a paper outline of how to edit a classic dance film segment using contemporary standards.
- Focus on camera movements, angles, and character emphasis as informed by course teachings.
Assignment collaboration process to simulate real-world client-editor dynamics.

Focus: Industry-standard editing styles and techniques through various assignments.
Method: A blend of discussions, written labs, and homework.

Learning Objectives: Evaluate styles, apply accepted conventions, and understand historical/sociological contexts.
Cycles: Historical events (political, social, economic) influence editing trends.
Cinema Criteria: Using shot organization and pacing to provoke specific audience responses.

Compare pacing techniques and acknowledge familiar ones may not always work.
Young editors are encouraged to test unconventional methods and learn from failure.

Midterm Project: Assigned editing style with a $2-3$ week duration.
Tasks: Analyze shot lengths, dialogue, and insert shots to make informed choices.

Make aesthetically sound choices for video and audio.
Communication: Collaborate with clients and producers while maintaining artistic integrity.

Exams: Midterm ( $20\%$ ) and Final ( $20\%\%$
Assignments/Quizzes: In-class ( $10\%\%$
Late Policy: $-10$ points per session; missed quizzes receive a $50$ if unexcused.

Weeks $1-4$ : Avid basics, Pure Cinema, Parallel edits, and Surrealism.
Weeks $5-9$ : German Expressionism, Film Noir, Italian Neorealism, and French New Wave.
Weeks $10-15$ : MTV style, Documentary editing, and Final Project/Assessment.

Industrial Revolution: Influence of machinery and the rise of the middle class on early cinema.
Key Figures:
- William Dixon: Invented the first motion picture camera under Edison.
- Lumiere Brothers: Developed motion perception and early documentary-style films.

Paper Edit: Outline a contemporary edit for a classic dance film segment, focusing on camera movements and collaboration dynamics.