Research into Editing

Again because I am making a short clip for my website I looked into editing and sound techniques as this will help me gain more solid grounding in making a film and producing something worth of naming it industry standard. I have learnt a lot about editing, and by using Final Cut Pro I will be able to create something that looks snappy and interesting. By learning about sound I am more aware of what should or should not be used in my product. I am keen to use sound bridges because I feel that this will be key to making my moving image flow. 




Editing Techniques

Cut. Sudden change of shot from one viewpoint or location to another. On television cuts occur on average about every 7 or 8 seconds. Cutting may:

• Change the scene;
• Compress time;
• Vary the point of view; or
• Build up an image or idea.

Matched cut. In a 'matched cut' a familiar relationship between the shots may make the change seem smooth:

• continuity of direction;
• completed action;
• a similar centre of attention in the frame;
• a one-step change of shot size (e.g. long to medium);
• a change of angle (conventionally at least 30 degrees).

Jump cut - Abrupt switch from one scene to another which may be used deliberately to make a dramatic point.

Cross-cut - A cut from one line of action to another.

Cutaway/cutaway shot (CA) - A bridging, intercut shot between two shots of the same subject. It represents a secondary activity occurring at the same time as the main action.

Reaction shot - Any shot, usually a cutaway, in which a participant reacts to action which has just occurred.

Fade, dissolve (mix) - Both fades and dissolves are gradual transitions between shots. In a fade the picture gradually appears from (fades in) or disappears to (fades out) a blank screen. A slow fade-in is a quiet introduction to a scene; a slow fade-out is a peaceful ending. Time lapses are often suggested by a slow fade-out and fade-in. A dissolve (or mix) involves fading out one picture while fading up another on top of it. The impression is of an image merging into and then becoming another. A slow mix usually suggests differences in time and place. Defocus or ripple dissolves are sometimes used to indicate flashbacks in time.

Wipe - An optical effect marking a transition between two shots.

 

Split screen - The division of the screen into parts which can show the viewer several images at the same time (sometimes the same action from slightly different perspectives, sometimes similar actions at different times).

Talk to camera - The sight of a person looking ('full face') and talking directly at the camera establishes their authority or 'expert' status with the audience. Only certain people are normally allowed to do this, such as announcers, presenters, newsreaders, weather forecasters, interviewers, anchor-persons, and, on special occasions (e.g. ministerial broadcasts), key public figures. The words of 'ordinary' people are normally mediated by an interviewer. In a play or film talking to camera clearly breaks out of naturalistic conventions (the speaker may seem like an obtrusive narrator). A short sequence of this kind in a 'factual' programme is called a 'piece to camera'.

Use of Sound

Direct sound - Live sound. This may have a sense of freshness, spontaneity and 'authentic' atmosphere, but it may not be acoustically ideal.

Studio sound - Sound recorded in the studio to improve the sound quality, eliminating unwanted background noise ('ambient sound'), e.g. dubbed dialogue. This may be then mixed with live environmental sound.

Sound bridge - Adding to continuity through sound, by running sound (narration, dialogue or music) from one shot across a cut to another shot to make the action seem uninterrupted.

Dubbed dialogue - Post-recording the voice-track in the studio, the actors matching their words to the on-screen lip movements. Not confined to foreign-language dubbing.

Commentary/voice-over narration - Commentary spoken off-screen over the shots shown. The voice-over can be used to:
• introduce particular parts of a programme;
• to add extra information not evident from the picture;
• to interpret the images for the audience from a particular point of view;
• to link parts of a sequence or programme together.
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Sound effects (SFX) -  Any sound from any source other than synchronised dialogue, narration or music. Dubbed-in sound effects can add to the illusion of reality: a stage- set door may gain from the addition of the sound of a heavy door slamming or creaking.
Music - Music helps to establish a sense of the pace of the accompanying scene. The rhythm of music usually dictates the rhythm of the cuts. 
Silence - The juxtaposition of an image and silence can frustrate expectations, provoke odd, self-conscious responses, intensify our attention, make us apprehensive, or make us feel dissociated from reality.