6 Ways to Edit Any Scene — Essential Film & Video Editing Techniques Explained [Shot List Ep. 10]

Summary

This episode of 'The Shot List' delves into the art of editing, focusing on the crucial decisions editors make: what to show, when to cut, and what to transition to. It explores techniques like the cutaway, eyeline match, cross-cutting, eye trace, split edits, and intellectual montage, demonstrating how each can manipulate emotion, pace, and narrative clarity. The script also highlights the impact of cutting on action, providing seamless transitions in dynamic scenes, and encourages viewers to explore more editing techniques in the series.

Takeaways

• 🎬 Films are structured in layers, with sequences composed of scenes and scenes composed of shots.
• ✂️ The basic task of an editor involves making decisions about what to show, when to cut, and what to transition to.
• 📹 A cutaway is a type of cut where the editor moves away from the main action to show something related.
• 📚 Walter Murch's 'Rule of Six' is a guideline for prioritizing criteria when deciding on each cut.
• 🕰 Pacing a scene through editing can influence the emotional impact, style, and tone of the film.
• 👀 The eyeline match is a technique where an editor cuts to what a character is looking at, often followed by a point-of-view (POV) shot.
• 🔄 Shot-reverse shot is a common technique used in conversation scenes to maintain clarity and geography.
• 🔍 Inserts are close-up shots used to emphasize details or props within a scene, often prompted by an eyeline match.
• ⏭ Cross-cutting is the technique of editing between two or more scenes happening simultaneously in different locations.
• 👁️ Eye trace is a method where the focus remains on the same area of the frame across multiple shots, guiding the viewer's attention.
• 🔊 Split edits involve changing the audio or video separately to create a more natural flow in dialogue scenes or to show and explain plans.
• 🧠 Intellectual montage combines unrelated images to create a specific feeling or idea, leveraging the Kuleshov Effect.
• 🏃 Cutting on action is a technique where the cut occurs during a character's movement, creating a seamless transition and maintaining pace.

Q & A

What are the three fundamental choices an editor makes during the editing process?

The three fundamental choices an editor makes are: What to show, when to cut, and what to cut to.

What is a cutaway in film editing?

A cutaway is when an editor cuts away from the main action to another element, often to indicate what's on a character's mind or to show what a character is looking at.

Who is Walter Murch and what is his rule of six?

Walter Murch is a famed editor who laid out the 'rule of six', which is a list of criteria to prioritize when deciding on each cut in the editing process.

How does pacing in a scene affect the emotion, style, and tone of a film?

Pacing a scene can significantly affect the emotion, style, and tone by influencing how long shots are held. Longer shots can evoke a sense of contemplation, while rapid cutting can create a sense of urgency or action.

What is an eyeline match in film editing?

An eyeline match is when an editor cuts to the object of a character's attention, often following a character noticing something with a cut to what they see.

What is a shot-reverse shot technique and where is it commonly used?

A shot-reverse shot technique is commonly used in conversation scenes to maintain scene geography and clarity by cutting between a shot of subject A and a shot of subject B in a reverse angle.

What is an insert in film editing and why is it used?

An insert is a shot of a detail within a scene, usually used to emphasize a specific prop or element. It is prompted by eyeline matches to focus the viewer's attention on important details.

What is cross-cutting and how does it affect the narrative?

Cross-cutting is when an editor cuts between two or more scenes happening in different locations, usually at the same time. It can create parallels, ironies, and weave multiple planes of action into a single narrative.

How does eye trace help in maintaining viewer focus during quick action scenes?

Eye trace maintains viewer focus by cutting between shots that focus on the same area of the frame, allowing the viewer's eyes and attention to stay fixed without having to scan the frame after each cut.

What are split edits and how do they contribute to dialogue scenes?

Split edits are a technique where either the sound or image changes before the other, creating a J-cut or an L-cut. They contribute to dialogue scenes by allowing for a more natural conversation flow, controlling dialogue rhythm, and capturing reaction shots.

What is intellectual montage and how does it create meaning?

Intellectual montage is a technique that puts seemingly unrelated images together to create a certain feeling or idea, making use of the Kuleshov Effect to create meaning out of cinematic juxtaposition.

What is the purpose of the cut on action technique in film editing?

The cut on action technique is used to create smoother and more natural transitions by cutting during a character or object's movement, maintaining the pace and rhythm of the scene.