in 1895 who invented cinematographe, which was a 3 in 1 device that recorded,
captured and projected motion picture. However
showed the world
in 1901 that film didn’t have to be one long still (1), and that is when editing
really kick-started. Another Pioneer of early film editing was
with birth of a nation, which used some new techniques such as Close-ups,
camera movement and lighting. Griffith also pioneered the use of seamless or
invisible editing (2).
In 1908 a French
caricature artist called Émile Cohl created the first animated cartoon
Types of
shots, Cuts and transitions:
Ø
Long shot-Gives the viewer a more specific idea
of setting. A long shot may show the viewers the building where the action will
take place.
Ø
Full shot- contains a complete view of the
characters. From this shot, viewers can take in the costumes of characters and
may also help to demonstrate the relationships between characters.
Ø
mid shot- contains the characters or a character
from the waist up. From this shot, viewers can see the characters’ faces more
clearly as well as their interaction with other characters. This is also known
as a social shot.
Ø
Close up- contains just one characters face.
This enables viewers to understand the actor’s emotions and also allows them to
feel empathy for the character. This is also known as a personal shot.
Ø
Extreme close up- contains one part of a
characters face or other object. This technique is quite common in horror
films, particularly the example above. This type of shot creates an intense
mood and provides interaction between the audience and the viewer. (4)
Ø
180 Degree Rule- is a cinematography guideline
that states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right
relationship to one another. When the camera passes over the invisible axis
connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line and the shot
becomes what is called a reverse angle. (6)
Ø
Jump cut- a technique which allows the editor to
jump forward in time.
Ø
Hard cut- this type of cut is utilised when you
want to cut from clip to clip without any type of transition, or where you cut
from the end of one clip to the beginning of another.
Ø
L cut- This editing technique is used not only by narrative filmmakers,
but is also a favourite of documentary filmmakers and commercial videographers.
What L Cut means is that you are hearing the audio from the previous shot, even
though we’ve moved on to another shot. So, the audience is looking at clip B
but still hearing audio from clip A.
Ø
J
cut- this technique is essentially the opposite of the L Cut. Here we hear the
audio before we see the video. So, the audience is looking at clip A but still
hearing audio from clip B. This type of cut is used quite often in all
forms of filmmaking and videography, but you can see it quite often in content
featuring an interview.
Ø
Cutting
on action-The basic idea of cutting for action is that the editor cuts from one shot to
another and matches the action of the shots.
Ø
Cutaways-
Cutaways take the audience away from the main action or subject. These are used
primarily as transition pieces to give the audience a view of what is happening
outside of the main character’s environment. This also goes a long way in
helping you emphasize specific details of the mise-en-scène and allowing you to
add meaning to them.
Ø
Parallel
Editing- with this technique you cut between two different scenes that are
happening at the same time in different places (also known as a Cross-Cut). (7)
Ø
Cut-
A cut happens when one shot instantly replaces the other. Cuts are so widely
used that feature movies normally count thousands of them.
Ø
Fade
in/out- Fade outs happen when the picture is gradually replaced by black screen
or any other solid colour. Traditionally, fade outs have been used to conclude
movies. Fade ins are the opposite: a solid colour gradually gives way to
picture, commonly used in the beginning of movies.
Ø
Dissolve- dissolves happen when one shot gradually replaces by the next. One
disappears as the following appears. For a few seconds, they overlap, and both
are visible. Commonly used to signify the passage of time.
Ø
Wipe-
Wipes are dynamic. They happen when one shot pushes the other off frame. George
Lucas deliberately used them throughout the Star Wars series.
(8)
