Editing Methods

My primary role on this project is the overall editor of the footage. This entails ensuring that the production flows and follows the convetions of film noir - alongside adding effects post-shoot and improving the quality of the footage. This also means I bear responsibility for keeping the footage safe, and for uploading it once done and I'll be using Sony Vegas for the majority of my editing.

Wikipedia defines Film editing as:

Film editing is part of the post-production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots, connecting the resulting sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling. Film editing is the only art that is unique to cinema, separating film-making from other art forms that preceded it (such as photography, theater, dance, writing, and directing), although there are close parallels to the editing process in other art forms like poetry or novel writing. Film editing is often referred to as the "invisible art"[citation needed] because when it is well-practiced, the viewer can become so engaged that he or she is not even aware of the editor's work.

Walter Murch goes on to say that there are 6 critiria to follow when editing:

Emotion — Does the cut reflect what the editor believes the audience should be feeling at that moment?
Story — Does the cut advance the story?
Rhythm — Does the cut occur "at a moment that is rhythmically interesting and 'right'" (Murch, 18)?
Eye-trace — Does the cut pay respect to "the location and movement of the audience's focus of interest within the frame" (Murch, 18)?
Two-dimensional plane of the screen — Does the cut respect the 180 degree rule?
Three-dimensional space of action — Is the cut true to the physical/spatial relationships within the diegesis? [The fictional world in which the events occur]

From these I can gather that above all else I should preserve the continuity of our Opening Title Sequence, whilst provoking an emotional response from the audience.

I agree with the Late Stanley Kubrick that editing is the best part of film making. It allows you to take raw footage and turn it into a film that can manipulate an audience.

I love editing. I think I like it more than any other phase of film making. If I wanted to be frivolous, I might say that everything that precedes editing is merely a way of producing film to edit

What influences my editing style is very basic continuity editing enhanced with simple effects. I do not like the 'fancy' transitions, such as the wipes used in Star Wars prefering either fade-through-black or straight cuts.

This type of editing is used for example on the trailer for Harry Brown, a recent thriller based around a rough estate and revenge. The trailer does exibit noir-like qualities with a troubled leading male, femme fatale police woman and a bleak urban setting.





Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3650356505/