1/22 Class Notes

Today in class we started with a reminder that Be Reel blogs are due Wednesday by 11:59 even though the marking period ends Thursday. We then went back into our discussion on editing. We discussed how choices in editing can affect the film thematically, practically, and also how it affects the narrative. Editing can affect the theme of the film by adding tone to specific parts of the movie either through the way the cuts are done, like how Psycho used many quick cuts to add tension, or through non-diegetic audio, like how the imperial march plays whenever Darth Vader is approaching in Star Wars. Editing can also affect the filming itself. By allowing for cuts to take place the actors don’t need to act out the entire movie all the way through perfectly, they can take breaks and the director can work on each scene individually so that the actors can perfect their lines. This also allows the director to try different interpretations of each scene so that in post production he will be able to have options and give each scene the tone he wants. The last effect of editing we talked about was the narrative. Editing can affect the narrative by affecting the characterization of each character. We already saw this with Fridays practice, assembly with Alfred. We then talked about what makes up the majority of editing, the cuts and transitions, if you want a list of them Mr. Rivers posted an article with many different types of cuts and transitions and how to identify them. These cuts and transitions allow the filmmakers to make their movies interesting and exciting. Some of these cuts are very noticable, like the smash cut and wipe, and some are only visible to the trained eye, like the (appropriately named) invisible cut or whip pan. All movies use these cuts in one way or another to help enhance the movie. Whether it is to add tone or to get each scene just right. The movie Birdman especially uses these unnoticeable cuts to make each scene seem like it is just one continuous shot which adds to the theatrical component of the movie. The scene below appears to be one continuous shot but in actuality it is broken up into 4 shots with 3 cuts separating them. The first cut is when the camera switches from Mike to the Riggan. This cut is a whip pan cut because the frame whips from Mike to Riggan. The cut is hid because the transition is too blurry for the audience to notice that it is a cut, they just see the camera switching from Mike to Riggan. The second cut is really clever because it is done when the camera comes behind Mike, this puts Sam(Emma Stone) out of view for just a frame or 2. This cut uses Mike as a block for Emma Stone so at the beginning of each take Emmy doesn’t need to be in the exact same position each time rather, she just needs to be behind Mike out of view. The final cut is a whip cut when Mike and Sam are walking down the stairs and the camera switches from Mike to Sam. This cut is another whip pan and works the same way as the first cut did. All of these unnoticeable cuts allow for the film to feel more like a play while simultaneously giving the actors short takes. These short takes allow the filmmakers to film many takes of each take and then in post production pick the best of each one, rather than film a 2 minute long take and being forced to stick with one mediocre take.