AFTER CINEMA STUDIES SCREENING
When we are editing films, we are making a decision of how the shots are connected together. Some shots are related together graphically, like the cut in the first episode of “Sherlock: Season 3” when the shot of coffee cups fades out with the shot of John’s eyes fades in; some shots have rhythmic relations which can be usually seen in music videos or trailers for movies; some editing indicates spatial relations between shots: as in “The Lord of the Rings”, the back-and-forth editing of the establishing shots and the medium shots; and some cuts are relating to time where it cuts to a flashback or maybe condenses an action.
In action films like “Enemy of the State”, which was screened this week, editing is vital for creating excitements. Among several types of editing, cut, fade-in, fade-out, dissolve and wipe, the film applied primarily the abrupt “cut”. In the chase scene of Daniel, the shots was constantly cutting between Daniel and Reynolds’ people. The cut was either really swift with close-up shots and medium shots mixed together, or longer cut with the camera following the subject at the same speed. The sudden cuts are short, shortening the time that the actions actually take in real-life, so that it builds up the pace of the movie and the tension, excitement in the chasing scene.
As for the spatial continuity in editing, the examples can be found in any types of movies. The most general rule for this is the “180 degree system”. In “Enemy of the State”, it is used in dialogues like the one Robert and Edward Lyle had on the roof top. There are an establishing shot of two of them in the frame, and the over-the-shoulder shots of Robert and Edward are edited together, one and the other showing to the viewers.
Got one question: Does the concept of the “insert shot” count as a part of editing or cinematography?
