Editing technique's

EDITING TECHNIQUE’S

Continuity editing

Continuity editing is when you put in order a sequence of shot’s to show the progression of events. Given the new shots an editor can suggest many different situations.

Accelerating Time

Accelerating  time is when you focus on a characters build up and speed up towards a big event that is about to happen to the character in the program or the movie. For example if a character has to go school and they show  everything the character does from getting their uniform, showering, eating and getting to school that will take forever so they just show little shot’s of the key parts which is speeding up the process .

Expanding Time

Expanding time is when a moment is dragged on longer than it should be in order to create suspense. For example if a bomb was to go off when someone sits down then all that needs to happen is the person sits down and that’s it the persons dead however most directors use expanding time to create tension in the moment and prolong the event.

Insert Shot

A insert shot is a close up of something that is already there in the scene. It adds extra details of information that we don’t know about at first. For example if someone is at a pressure situation then the extra detail of tension in their face can be shown by a insert shot.

Cutaway shot

A cutaway shot cuts away from the present scene into a past scene to add extra detail and information. A cutaway shot can often show why something has happened in the present scene as it will show extra information on the subject. Family Guy is most famous for its cutaway shots.

Relational editing

Relational editing refers to making a relationship with another scene. It will show one scene which doesn’t make sense at first then the next scene will allow us to understand the previous scene therefore making the audience relate to it. For example a woman is at the park waving we don’t what it is but the next scene shows a car pulling up this makes us know that the woman must be waving at the person in the car.

Thematic editing

In thematic editing scenes are edited together to represent some type of theme. Thematic editing is used to show and compare feelings and call upon common experiences.

Parallel Cutting

Parallel cutting is often seen in sitcoms and soap opera’s as they always have more than one storyline. Parallel cutting is when you cut from one scene and storyline to another scene and storyline in quick succession this often happens to or three times in a row.

Crosscutting

Simply put, Crosscutting is to build a relationship between different but silmutaenous actions. It is used to also develop suspense.

Cause, effect and motivation

Cause, effect and motivation is key to editors as they always have to think what shots are the best way to show one, two or maybe all three of these key feature’s.  This is what makes a production realistic.