Editing Basics

It is often helpful to me to think about where editing all began and it reminds me to keep it simple. So with this in mind this is where it all began.

The first film to be exhibited by the Lumiere brothers was Workers Leaving The Lumiere Factory in 1895. The film was just one shot lasting a minute showing the workers walking through the factory gates. However it wasn't until three years later, in 1898 with the release of the film "Come Along Do!", that cinema audiences saw their first edited shot.

Editing refers to the joining between two shots, it also concerns the content of the two shots and how they relate to each other.

Basically there are five main types of edit.

1) CUT, a cut between one shot and another with no time break between shots.

2) DISSOLVE, a transition between shots that can be very quick or really slow. This is often used to show time passing.

3) WIPE, the wipe is a shot easily described as a curtain drawing over another shot.

4) FADE IN/OUT, fades to or from black. It's often used to signify a beginning or a definite end to a scene or film

5) IRIS, this was really common in silent cinema. It's where the scene is revealed from or to a circle in the frame.

Cutting is very easy now with digital post production systems; however it's the context and how shots are organized which is extremely important.

Usually you would begin a scene with a master shot; which is a long shot showing the entire setting where the action is taking place. Depending on the scene it sometimes really helps to show the wide shot before jumping into a close up but equally it can sometimes be better to start close on a character then reveal the scene slowly as the scene progresses.

When thinking about cutting a scene there are a few conventional ways of organizing edits.

1) Eye Line Matching, a character looks and sees something we wait a beat then cut to the object which the character is looking at.

2) Frame Cutting, a character moves out of frame right and we then cut to them entering the frame left.

3) Action Cut, for example, a character begins waving in a close up you then cut to the mid shot and then the wide not cutting any movement out of the character waving. I use the Action Cut all the time. It's also handy to play the action backwards to see if the movement jumps. This was a technique I learnt early on and it's really good at making your editing really smooth and unnoticeable.

4) Reverse Shot, this is used for conversations whereby you cut from character to character.

5) Parallel Editing, this is usually used for chase scenes whereby you see the T-Rex chasing the jeep, then you cut to the occupants of the jeep and so on.

6) Montage, a collection of shots which have no meaning used on their own, however cut into a sequence they take on meaning. For example, Rocky Balboa training - shots of him doing press-ups, then of him jogging, then, a shot of Rocky hitting the punching bag, then we see Rocky running up the steps. It's used most often to show time passing. Rocky spending six months training can be condensed into just a few seconds.

The eye line match is used mainly for P.O.V ( Point of View) shots. But the camera is hardly ever in the exact position of the character who's P.O.V we're actually seeing.

A big no, no however are characters who look directly into the camera which you'd think was a logical way of doing a P.O.V. However, the character is looking at the audience which can have the effect of alienating them.

There are of course exceptions to every rule usually in comedies. John Belushi was a master at looking at the camera. Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller was so charming he could get away with anything, which of course, is what the film was about. Mike Myers in Wayne's World turned looking and talking at the camera into an art form. But unless you are clearly talking to the audience or involved with a specific visual effect I would avoid my actors looking into the camera.

Of course some new actors who are camera shy can't help but look into the camera because it makes them feel nervous but that's another story!

Lets face it, cutting is really a disrupting device as it changes the audience's perspective.

Continuity editing was first developed with the purpose of preventing disruption to a scene and audiences now never even notice the cuts.

Or they shouldn't!

A sign of a really bad film is clunky editing and now I can't watch a film which has been poorly edited. There is no need for it, poor cutting simply means lack of care.

I always keep my days during the post production phase of a film relatively short. When I'm editing I work from around 10am to 4pm. Then make sure I rest my eyes, eat well and go to bed early so that I'm fresh for the next day. For me post production is all about quality control.

If a shot or a scene really won't go together with the coverage that you've got. Then the only way to solve this problem is to make a list of exactly what shots are needed and go back to pre production and prepare a re-shoot of just the shots you need to make the scene work and no more. Don't see this as a sign of defeat many successful directors have to do re-shoots. It's a natural part of the post production process.

I know I'm going to repeat myself but again this is why it is paramount that you buy your own camera and lighting kit. Many films made on low to no budgets turn out so poorly due to the fact that the filmmakers should've gone out to re-shoot and improve their coverage on particular troublesome scenes.

But because the filmmakers have usually spent all their money in production on hiring expensive cameras, having big lighting and catering trucks to make them feel like Hollywood directors they've now run out of money and have to live with a poor final product. This is what gives guerilla filmmakers a bad reputation so don't be afraid of the re-shoot it's there to help you.

Generally on re-shoots you don't need your crew back usually you and you're producing partner can handle the set up. Actors are more than happy to return to improve their performances and if not just play on their vanity and tell them their performance isn't very good, they'll soon turn up. Of course be tactful and respectful - don't crush anyone but you get the idea.

This is why I always shoot lots of coverage on every scene. Some people, financiers usually, say it's too much but they don't know what they're talking about! I say you can't have to much coverage because then you're reducing the risk of reshooting during the editing process.

When I'm editing I say to myself, how simply can I edit this scene keeping in mind the story I'm trying to tell. Julia sometimes says to me, "Yes but we shot for three days to get those extra shots you should use them!". But I can't because when I was directing the scene I covered myself shooting multiple angles but now as the editor I can see simply what to do to put the scene together. It never makes sense to put unwanted shots in. It just makes the film lag, become bulky and weighed down under it's own weight.

Traditionally, as I've said previously, a scene will start with an establishing shot. This can be an extreme long shot that signifies the setting like a mountain range for a Western or a planet orbiting a star for a science fiction film where the characters can be seen in relation to their environment. Particularly in the case of the latter, an imaginary 180 degree line (to the viewer) is drawn through the scene which we call "The Line". If you set up another camera it would have to stay on the viewer's side of the line. Other wise one character talking to another will look like they're talking to someone else instead of the person they're supposed to be talking to this is called "crossing the line"

Now it's only a rule as far as guidance goes all rules can be and are regularly broken in filmmaking and this is no exception. Alfred Hitchock crossed the line all the time to disorientate the viewer and Hollywood movies regularly cross the line. I break the rule all the time but that's because I understand how to use the line to my advantage.

A good exercise in trying to avoid crossing the line is to shoot four people sitting at a table. Now just using close-ups edit a round table conversation making sure that everyone is looking at the person they're supposed to be looking at. It's surprisingly difficult but if you can master this technique then you'd never need worry about the line or where it is while you, shoot and edit your film.

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