Planning editing styles
When creating a film it is important to consider the style of editing that will be used in order to link the scenes together. Different types of editing styles will have various effects on the audience and their interpretation on the events taking place in the film. For example, a straight cut aims to remain unnoticed and natural, making the film appear as realistic as possible to the audience.
In our group thriller, we aim to include four different types of editing styles, in order to have the best, and most tense impact on our audience.
The first type of editing style we aim to use is a jump cut, which will be used to link together the scenes whilst the attacker is stalking his victim. This style of editing keeps the pace of the film as fast as possible, ensuring that the audience's attention is fully captivated and drawn into the story. To the audience, this editing style will also seem more realistic than a fade or dissolve, as the scenes simply jump from one to the next, without any visible editing effect on the images seen, whereas a dissolve would see the images fall apart, unnaturally. A jump cut is conventional of a thriller film as typically, the pace of films in this genre are kept fast, in order to keep the events appearing as dramatic and out of control as possible.
The second editing style we would like to use in our film is a dissolve, as although this style of editing may appear vaguely unrealistic to the audience, it will enable us to connote different meanings to the audience. As the image 'dissolves' it appears to break down and disintegrate, before reforming as a flashback scene which focuses on our attacker. The way in which the images break down connote to the audience the instability of the mind of the attacker, and the fragmented way in which his thoughts are formed. Dissolve editing will enable us to make the thriller conventional as it highlights the instability of the attacker's mind, a stereotype which is manipulated and focused on in many different films of this genre, one of the most famous of which is Psycho.
As the flashback scene comes to an end, the images will fade back into the present time, highlighting to the audience that the events taking place in the flashback occurred in the past. The audience sees the brooding nature of the attacker, and, through knowing the victim is being stalked by him in the present scenes, will begin to worry about her. Feelings of empathy and suspense will be formed within members of the audience as they wonder what dangerous actions the attacker will carry out to avenge his anger. The use of a flashback scene is conventional to a thriller film as it provides the audience with key information about the motives of the attacker, yet enables the director to keep the narrative enigmatic and full of suspense, as the audience is unaware of what will take place.
Our narrative will focus on two different times, the past, or 'flashback' scenes, and the present, the scenes where our victim is being stalked by the mentally deranged attacker. Through the use of these two different scenes and the time that they are set, we are able to connote a third meaning to the audience: that the man in the flashbacks is the same man stalking the young girl. This style of editing is known as the kuleshov effect, and is conventional to thriller films. Many films use the kuleshov effect to connote a third meaning to the audience, yet keeping this meaning enigmatic is it is just an assumption made by the audience. This meaning hasn't been confirmed in the form of an actual scene.
Overall, these four different types of editing styles will work together in order to create a conventional thriller film. The jump cuts enable us to keep a fast pace in the present day scenes, while the kuleshov effect allows the audience to draw their own conclusions about the motives of the attacker, whilst keeping the real motives hidden and enigmatic.
In our group thriller, we aim to include four different types of editing styles, in order to have the best, and most tense impact on our audience.
The first type of editing style we aim to use is a jump cut, which will be used to link together the scenes whilst the attacker is stalking his victim. This style of editing keeps the pace of the film as fast as possible, ensuring that the audience's attention is fully captivated and drawn into the story. To the audience, this editing style will also seem more realistic than a fade or dissolve, as the scenes simply jump from one to the next, without any visible editing effect on the images seen, whereas a dissolve would see the images fall apart, unnaturally. A jump cut is conventional of a thriller film as typically, the pace of films in this genre are kept fast, in order to keep the events appearing as dramatic and out of control as possible.
The second editing style we would like to use in our film is a dissolve, as although this style of editing may appear vaguely unrealistic to the audience, it will enable us to connote different meanings to the audience. As the image 'dissolves' it appears to break down and disintegrate, before reforming as a flashback scene which focuses on our attacker. The way in which the images break down connote to the audience the instability of the mind of the attacker, and the fragmented way in which his thoughts are formed. Dissolve editing will enable us to make the thriller conventional as it highlights the instability of the attacker's mind, a stereotype which is manipulated and focused on in many different films of this genre, one of the most famous of which is Psycho.
As the flashback scene comes to an end, the images will fade back into the present time, highlighting to the audience that the events taking place in the flashback occurred in the past. The audience sees the brooding nature of the attacker, and, through knowing the victim is being stalked by him in the present scenes, will begin to worry about her. Feelings of empathy and suspense will be formed within members of the audience as they wonder what dangerous actions the attacker will carry out to avenge his anger. The use of a flashback scene is conventional to a thriller film as it provides the audience with key information about the motives of the attacker, yet enables the director to keep the narrative enigmatic and full of suspense, as the audience is unaware of what will take place.
Our narrative will focus on two different times, the past, or 'flashback' scenes, and the present, the scenes where our victim is being stalked by the mentally deranged attacker. Through the use of these two different scenes and the time that they are set, we are able to connote a third meaning to the audience: that the man in the flashbacks is the same man stalking the young girl. This style of editing is known as the kuleshov effect, and is conventional to thriller films. Many films use the kuleshov effect to connote a third meaning to the audience, yet keeping this meaning enigmatic is it is just an assumption made by the audience. This meaning hasn't been confirmed in the form of an actual scene.
Overall, these four different types of editing styles will work together in order to create a conventional thriller film. The jump cuts enable us to keep a fast pace in the present day scenes, while the kuleshov effect allows the audience to draw their own conclusions about the motives of the attacker, whilst keeping the real motives hidden and enigmatic.
This post demonstrates a good understanding of the different editing styles that you would like to include within your thriller film. You have explained each style well and have considered your narrative well.
ReplyDeleteTo make this post more detailed you need to consider the codes and conventions of a thriller in more detail and how your editing styles are conventional to a thriller.