Script
Script Visuals
intro
Editing is important to me The first couple of shots will
due to the fact that it’s the consist of archive footage
specialism that I enjoy the and broll showing different
most, I like being able to editing techniques, e.g.
create visual art and to tell music video clips.
story’s through the way that At this point I want to play
I edit clips. You can see how two clips on screen at the
editing makes a huge same time showing one
difference to shots to give sequence of un edited clips
them more of a meaning. then underneath that I want
I also chose editing as my to show the same clips
skills improved a lot towards edited together conveying a
the end of last year and I completely different
want to further improve my narrative.
skills so that I can produce I will show footage of my
professional looking work. videos last year and other
I’m also very interested in music videos to make
how editing has developed comparisons.
over time, so I want to look It will then cut to a shot of
into it more and explore the me speaking to the camera
different aspects from a high angle.
We’ll delve into the history Will show blurred images
of film editing, people who behind a title of each topic
are involved in the industry Another shot of me as the
and how editing technology camera comes down from
has developed over time. the high level whilst holding
So first let’s take a look into eye contact with me.
the history of film editing. I will then show a clips from
Film editing started in 1898 the film over the voiceover.
when the British film As well as close up interview
maker Robert W. Paul style shots of me talking.
produced the film Come For this shot I want to show
Along, Dol.n It was one of clips of very old black and
the first films to feature white film and me in a
more than one shot. different location saying
I bet that you didn’t know part of the line.
that the very earliest Show footage of a camera
filmmakers were afraid to man doing this and then
edit film shots together showing clips of some early
because they assumed that special effects.
splicing together different At this point I want to show
shots of different things clips of Charlie Chaplin and
from different positions silent film clips as well as
would simply confuse shots of me saying the line
audiences. in a different location.
Cuts were first made within I know want to show
the camera, the cameraman examples of ‘digital editing’
would simply stop cranking as well as the first television
at the end of a shot, and programs to emphasise the
begin cranking again when it point that I am saying to the
was moved somewhere else, audience.
or when something else was This will be a shot of me
put in front of it. This kind talking to the camera and I
of editing could allow for will also show archive
some early special effects. footage clips of special
During the silent film era, effects, new and old.
some American comics such This part will consist of
as Buster Keaton and shots from the video that’s
Charlie Chaplin often relied in my research as well as
on long takes in order to interview style shots with
demonstrate that no special me talking to the camera
effects had been used and I want to show shots of
the acrobatics of the people using cellular strips
comedian were not camera I will show images and shots
tricks but dangerously real of the cinematograph and
events. the brothers.
Over the past 20 or so years At this point where I start to
there's been a rise in "digital talk about Melies I want to
editing" (also called show footage of the
nonlinear editing), which films/magic tricks that he
makes any kind of editing produced that wowed
easier. The notion of editing audiences at an early stage
film on video originated of film.
when films were transferred Now I will show a short
to video for television montage of the pyscho
viewing. shower scene
The task of cleanly blending After this I go into more
together video clips was clips from the film and when
then taken over by I mention Alfred Hitchcock I
computers using advanced want to go into a very old
graphics programs that interview with Alfred where
could then also perform he explains why he edited
various special effects the film the way he did and
functions. Finally, computers what affect it has on the
convert digital images back audience.
into film or video. These
digital cuts are a very far cry Now I will show footage of
from Méliè's editing in the people using old and new
camera. computers, laptops and
the first 'film' it explains modern editors in the
how in 1878 Eadweard editing process
Muybridge made the Now I will show clips of
first motion picture of a AVID with other footage
jockey riding a horse he behind it to back it up.
placed 15 cameras alone a I now start to show more of
race track and took a picture modern digital
on each camera as the horse editing/special effects
went past. He then spliced At this point I will have
these images together to footage of people working in
create the illusion of the editing with title cards
horse moving in a picture showing what I am listing.
(film). Then cuts to a shot of me
In the next 10 years after speaking to camera saying
this cellular film strips were the lines.
invented and they were used At this point ill show footage
for film. Film started as of runners at work, getting
actualities, shots of real life coffee, retrieving mail ect as
events that may not have a well as pieces to camera.
plot or meaning. Now I’ll be talking to the
The Lumber brothers camera as not a lot of
invented the cinematigraph, footage could support what
a device that could capture im saying.
and project moving images. Now I will show footage that
George melies was one of the I analysed and analyse it
first editing pioneers. He myself as well as more
produced around 500 films pieces to camera.
ranging from 1-40 minutes. When I mention the
Most of the films that he importance of the eyes I plan
produced were magic shows. to show a slow mo eye shot
Melies used jump cuts to that ive edited and given
make magic tricks look more effect to.
real, for example the show Once I begin talking about
with 7 images of himself on the shot length to build up
stage which creates the and down tension I want to
illusion of George being show an example of how this
cloned. He then produced 'A is used in a film.
trip to the moon' which was When I go on to talk about
the first film showing visual how editing relies on rhythm
effects. I want to use pieces to
Now here is an example of camera as well as on screen
how editing can be powerful, animations.
Its taken from the film Now I’ll show examples of
‘Phsyco’ how you should leave a shot
The famous shower scene on screen longer than u
from Alfred Hitchcock’s think for emotional effect.
‘Psycho’ creates a level of After this I go on to talk
panic to the scene that about how shot types can
would be hard to match, give effect so I want to show
created primarily with examples of this, taken from
Hitchcock’s cuts, the the video and from film
swoops he makes from one clips.
perspective to another, the Now I plan to go onto
shifts, the disjunctures. showing footage of how the
As time has progressed the Kulshuv effect can be
way that people have ‘effective’
produced edits has become Now when I’m at the part of
much easier and a lot the script where I’m talking
cheaper, for example the about baby driver I want to
first ways of editing were on show clips of the film itself,
a mixing desk which was pieces to camera, possible
extremely expensive so the interviews and reviews on
number of editors were the film.
limited but as the years have
progressed people have been
able to purchase laptops and
computers with editing
software like premiere pro
for a much cheaper price.
People can now also edit on
smartphones on apps like
imovie, this now allows
anyone to show their
creativity through video
edits.
The first main source of film
editing came from the
company 'Avid '. ''Its an
American technology and
multimedia company
founded in August 1987 by
Bill Warner, based in
Burlington Massachusetts It
specialises in audio and
video specifically, digital
non-linear editing (NLE)
systems, management and
distribution services.''
There a different sub genres
of editing within the
industry.
In the past, film editing was
done in a linear fashion,
where the film was literally
cut into long strips divided
by scene and take, and then
glued or taped back together
to create a film in logical
sequence. This was time-
consuming and highly
specialised work. While
linear editing is still relevant
today, there is a newer and
more user-friendly system
available for editors:
nonlinear editing.
Becoming and editor
requires you to have a lot of
self motivation and key skill
sets to help you make a
name for yourself. Some of
the things that an editor has
to do are;
agreeing a finished ‘look’ for
the final footage with the
director
transferring film or video
footage to computer
checking the footage and
deciding which shots to keep
and which to cut out
cutting and joining shots
using editing software
keeping a clear idea of the
storyline, even though you
may be editing scenes out of
sequence
creating a 'rough cut' from
the chosen material
digitally improving picture
quality
using computer software to
add titles, graphics, sound
and any visual effects
putting all the elements
together, in order, for the
final version
creating DVDs or formatting
footage for streaming online
It’s common to move into
video editing in film or TV
from an entry level role like
a TV production runner.
Experience is essential and
would give you a taste of
what it is like to work in the
industry. It could also help
you to gain practical skills.
Getting experience is also a
great way to meet new
people and make contacts
who already work in the
industry. Not all jobs are
advertised, so contacts could
help you find better paid
work later on. A
qualification is not essential
but it could help you gain
practical skills, like using
editing equipment and
software. You could study
towards a course in film,
video or media production.
The most useful courses
include work placements and
the chance to build contacts
in the industry.
I also looked into what
editors need to do to make it
in the industry as well as
how they should think and
feel when producing pieces
of work.
It starts off by explaining
how the majority of editors
cut shots based purely on
instinct due to the fact that
the editor should know when
to change the shot, there’s
not set time frame but the
shots need to be cut in a way
were they link together and
make sense.
eyes are the most important
part that shows the
characters emotion so the
editor should incorporate
different shot types of eyes
to convey emotion. E.g. if
there’s a zooming in shot of
a characters eyes then a shot
of an object it shows the
audience the characters
emotions and
whether they're making a
decision/debating
something.
If your showing emotions in
a shot, take time, it adds
emphasis. Some emotions
pay better if you show them
in a single continuous shot,
others play better with
multiple shots so that you
can build up and come
down.
As you build up tension each
shot should become shorter
and shorter until you reach
the climax. After this the
shot lengths should go up
again as your coming down
from the climax. You need
to allow the viewers time to
feel the emotion.
explain how editing relies a
lot on rhythm. For example
if an actors doing something
physical this is
where rhythm comes into
place as a montage could
be used long sustained shots.
Or it could be subtle like the
rhythm of people
walking past e.g. the
opening of an alley or side
road.
sometimes you should leave
a shot rolling for longer than
you normally would in e.g. a
long shot to show suspense
and tension. It says take you
time with each cut due to the
fact that each shot has an
emotion and a rhythm.
You need to make sure that
you hold shots of
significance on both a
subject and an object in
order to convey to the
viewer the emotions that the
subject is feeling and to give
them a possible insight into
the story. In the edit the best
way to show this is by
ordering the shots; master
shot of the setting and
subject, wide shot, medium
shot then close up on both
the subject and the object
within the scene. You can
also reverse this concept and
start with a close up which
adds a sense of mystery to
the shot as there is less
context. Another tip is to
incorporate as many shots of
the same thing so that you
have options and it also adds
effect.
''The Kulshov effect'' is
where you can take images
that don't necessary have a
connection but once they're
organised in post production
you can create something on
screen that wasn't there
originally. For example
when there’s a shot of a
mans face then a baby it
conveys they ma observing
the baby in a certain way but
if there was a shot of a dead
body after the mans face his
emotions then change t
sadness through the use of
editing and what is shown
on screen.
Baby driver (editing)
Edgar wright’s “Baby
Driver”, a heist film
built around a rock
playlist that earned a
well-deserved Oscar
nomination for editing.
It won the BAFTA for
editing on Sunday,
putting it in the
spotlight during the
final week of
voting. Editors Paul
Machliss and Jonathan
Amos were charged
with timing everything
to the precise rhythm
and beat of the music.
It was a symbiosis of
production and post
occurring at the same time,
with Machliss working live
on set in Atlanta, while
Amos handled the cutting
back in London.
“It’s the ultimate expression
for Edgar in combining
music, action, and dialogue,”
said Machliss. “And for me,
of course, it was a unique
experience, beginning with
being able to edit the film on
set, live, as opposed to being
in the cutting room for the
first six months. Because of
Edgar’s approach, the edit
had to work for the shot and
the shot had to work for the
edit. Both elements were
constantly at play, because
we had this background
engine of the music track
that would not alter.”
“Baby Driver” is definitely a
different approach to a
musical, a magical
expression of what drives
Baby’s personal playlist
“You’re inside his head and
you take one of his earbuds
out and we’d drop the signal
out of one channel, because
that’s what he would
objectively be hearing at
that point in time,” Machliss
said. “It’s entwined in the
fabric of the film and the
character.”
The entire cast and crew
became immersed in the
playlist and the music was
piped in everywhere. Plus,
there was only one source of
material: WAV files were
sent to the editorial
department in Atlanta, and
then dispersed to all the
other departments, ensuring
that all the files ran at the
same speed and pitch.
Meanwhile, detailed previs
was made to choreograph
action sequences to the
timing of the tracks. Then,
when it came to the actual
filming of the stunt action,
they had to stick to a very
strict playbook, with close-
ups of gear sticks, foot
pedals, speedometers, and
other objects providing a
cohesive glue.
So since the start film and
music editing has advanced
massively in terms of the
technology used and the
accessibility. People can now
edit at home on their laptops
with amazing software,
similar to film quality
standards. Back in the day
only a very select few
computers could do this and
now it’s a lot cheaper and it
can be done so easily.
