Editing

In the second Lectorial, past student Jeremy Bowtell introduced the concept of editing, something that I personally haven’t looked into deeply before. Editing was introduced as the holes and spaces between, ‘gaps’ across all platforms of media. As a reader we join those parts of editing together and create meaning, as well as creating images and ideas in our heads. A main component of editing is the juxtaposition: combining parts to create new meaning, it may also involve fixing and breaking certain things to create a new or different perspective. An editor’s role includes emotion, rhythm, story, non-diegetic sounds and dimensional space within the film, all of which adds up to make a powerful stance and connection with the audience. After the lecture, it made me appreciate the beauty of editing, how every single cut and edit is for a reason, an immense role that fundamentally manipulates the storyline of a films plot and message, influencing the audience in the desired direction.

The early exploration of editing was exemplified in the silent film “Man with the Movie Camera”, produced in 1929. The film accumulates a bunch of shots, preserving different locations just as the title suggests. It was known as a film with no story, however shows to be a story that is created through narrative elements of editing. Though, the films power makes us put two different shots together to create a single idea, which makes the audience create their own meaning and perception of the film, which couldn’t happen without the editing.

After, we had a look at a scene from Casino (1995), which gave a sense of how influential editing can be. Editor Thelma Schoonmsker uses rhythm, through the juxtaposition of Ginger throwing the poker chips, and Sam’s character of no emotion, standing still watching. The scene was told through the characters mannerisms, the eye contact between the two characters show how two angles can cut together to make a potential connection and romance, which is visually powerful. The use of editing created a a possible outcome, making the audience feel a certain way. The music also assists the scene, setting a romantic feel.