Thursday, January 12, 2012
Continuity Editing: Now You Don't See It, Now You Do
Continuity editing, which utilizes a variety of match cuts to create an illusion of reality, is one of the conventions of classic film. Indeed Hollywood movies today, as well as television programs, continue to make use of this convention. Before taking this course, however, such cuts were invisible to most of you. After discussing this technique, have you begun to notice the editing? If so, describe a scene of a recent movie or television show that used a (series of) match cut(s) and explain how the illusion of eavesdropping on someone's life was preserved. Alternatively, did you see a movie that did not use match cuts? Did it create an effect of confusion or disorientation? Explain.
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ReplyDeleteI have definitely been able to notice different types of editing used in film since I have been in this class. What also helped me was taking the three week intensive filmmaking course that really helped me see the fine details in film. A scene in a movie which I saw these match cuts used in a very good way was in Austin Powers when he was about to be shot. In this scene the camera cuts back and forth from Austin's face and Dr. Evils to build the suspence. Then fluidly shows how Austin is able to escape the clutches of evil and of course foil Dr. Evils plan. I cannot specifically recount a movie in which match cuts were not used very well, but I can infer that the poor use of editing results in choppy and confusing shots which leave the audience flabergasted.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed nothing that I did not notice prior to attending A Century of Film. I cannot recall ever seeing a movie or television show that did not make use of match cuts, however I can imagine that such would be rather disorienting to the viewer. Without match cuts and other editing techniques to create and sustain continuity, it seems likely that the viewer would quickly become lost in the many apparently unrelated takes. Selecting randomly from the plethora of movies I have watched, The Rocky Horror Picture Show utilizes match cuts and has a long title. Continuity editing is successfully used to follow characters through their various adventures and endeavors in the mansion of a Transylvanian alien and the motley gang of frozen people, servants who are not actually servants, and singers. Editing may in fact be the real forte of this movie. Despite the strong editing, viewers are still utterly dazed after watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show due to a complete, utter, and absolute lack of a cohesive plot.
ReplyDeleteAfter discussing basic and continuity editing techniques that film productions practice, I am starting to notice the blatant use of this more and more in all of my favorite films. For instance, in James Cameron’s Avatar I realized that Cameron uses the technique almost cavalierly. Throughout the film, he asks the viewers to follow the narrative as it jumps from day to night, from earth to the planet, Pandora, and even jumps ahead six years at the start of the film. It’s not that I was unaware of this during the viewing of the film; I would just fill in the gaps with my own imagination without ever fully appreciating the manipulation of fictional space and time. I now see this as a method to improve the flow of the film for the viewer; extracting the monotony out of any representation of normal life to hold interest.
ReplyDeleteThis is one use of continuity editing; the other is used as more of an active player in the plot itself.
A good example of this would be in Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Twelve. The plot revolves around a team of thieves forced to compete against an aspiring master thief to determine who the best crooks are. The bulk of the excitement is presented in the editing as it only shows half of the team’s plan which ends with them going to jail. The second half is only shown after the outcome of the full plan plays out in which the team wins the competition, the protagonists get their respective happy endings, and the antagonist is embarrassed. The excitement lies in the few moments of the viewer’s utter confusion as they try to connect the outcome with the part of the plan that was shown and the explanation connecting the two. This creates a unique experience that is quite entertaining. Sadly, not a large amount of people liked the film, but I think that had more to do with the plot itself and no amount of editing could have changed that.