Editing Worksheet

What does Editing do? - Editing becomes a great feature when making a film. It allows you to add in things that werent in the original film. Editing also allows you to cut pieces of the film that you need and dont need, for instance if you think that either the beginning or end of a scene needs shortening then an editing program allows you to cut these to the specific length that you need. Editing can let you change the colour of specific scenes aswell. If you wanted some scenes to look as if they're going back in time you can add a grey scale effect, which will turn your scene black and white to add an effect. Whilst other scenes you can just change the contrast of the lighting and change different scenes in the film to fit the genre you are focusing on.

How does it work? -  Editing works by going onto a special programme on the computer and choosing which parts you want to edit. The only Editing programme i have used recently is windows movie maker which is already on the computer i was using and was pretty easy to use. Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible and film media used to convey information.

Describe each of the following editing terms;
Cut -  This is the splitting of two shots together. This is made by editing a specific scene at the editing stage of a film. Between the scenes the cut makes a rapid transition between one time and space of another.

Dissolve - Dissolve is when one shot type fades out and another fades in. This type of transition, which is known also as a soft transition (as opposed to the cut), suggests a longer passage of time than a cut.

Fade - Fade/ Fade in is used to bring closure to the scene.

Jump Cut - A jump cut is a cut in editing. This is when two shots of the same subject are taken from slightly different camera angles. This give us the effect of jumping forward in time.

How does the shot reverse shot help the narrative or generate meaning? - a shot reverse shot is generally used in a conversation in a scene, this helps the audience to see both characters and understand what they're both doing/saying.

Why is a 180 degree rule important? - A 180 degree shot is important and well used in scenes as it shows both characters, and what they're both saying. you can also see the facial expression on their faces well when the other is speaking.

How and why is the point of view shot used? - The point of view shot is usually used in a sequence in the scene, it can show a close up of the character looking at something, then the camera will go back and focus on the thing that the character was looking at. This shot is just usually shown in scenes to show what the character is looking at and to make it look like the camera is the characters eyes.

How else can the point of view shot be used? - The point of view shot can also be used and created by using a camera or mobile phone. You can change the way that you hold it, and possibly shake the camera to fit the right scene in your film to emphasize something happening in the scene that could try and grab the audience's attention.

What is parallel or cross cut editing? - Cross cut or parallel editing, is when two scenes are taking place at the same time. The same two shots can be seen in the scene, but both of them are slightly faded to enable different colours to be distinguished.

What editing techniques are used to generate suspense? - different editing techniques can be used to create suspense in a film, such as different sounds and different colours. you can change the colour effect of the scene to fit a specific theme you are going for. for example if you want the scene to look like its going back in time you can change the colour of the scene to black and white which makes it abit more realistic.

Explain how the mouse sequence creates tension? - the mouse sequence in that specific part of the film creates tension as its all very quiet which engages the audience as they dont know what to expect next. the dialogue in this scene when the boy says 'whos there' makes the audience think that there is something else there but we just cant see anything which makes them more intrigued as to what it could be.the shot reverse shot shows a close up of the boys face and he looks scared, we also notice that there is nothing there which shows a fear of the unknown effect. the fact that the scene is so quiet at this point build tension. We are then cut to the 'jump scene' of the mouse suddenly being shown which scares us as we knew something was going to happen.

Why is timing important in editing? - timing is important in editing because if you dont get the right timing, the film wont look right and it wont work with the specific editing you are trying to achieve.

Explain in your own words what the continuity system is? -The continuity system is a form of editing that makes the transitions are 'invisible'. They're intended to make the film run as smoothly as possible, the cut from one shot to the next is discrete, hence, this doesn't draw your attention to the editing that has been done.

Why does editing strive to be invisible? - Its better that the editing is invisible, because then it looks more professional, and to an audience it doesnt look like its been edited.