Editing and Camera techniques

Editing Techniques

Jump cut- A 30 degree jump in the action. It’s used to signify moving forward in time. It is generally used in conversations and action movies.

Montage- A montage speeds up shots to condense time. It is made of a lot of quick cuts edited together with a non-diegetic soundtrack playing in the background.

Slow motion- It is used to slow down time to show the significance of a scene/shot.

Wipe transition- It wipes across the screen to introduce a scene. 

Still/Thaw frame (Freeze frame)- It is used to introduce a non-diegetic noise such as a commentary or character thought related to that frozen frame. It can also be used to introduce you to the character’s importance. 

Fast motion- Speeds up time to slow development. 

Eyeline match- It is an editing technique which allows us to see through a character’s eye and show what they are looking at. It is done by showing the character’s eye/s moving in a direction looking at a subject and then the follow up shot consists of the subject.

Shot reverse shot- Generally used to show a conversation, it is made of medium shot cuts of two people talking. Sometimes with an over the shoulder shot too. 

Flashback- An editing technique that enables us to see things that happened in the past to said character/s. It consists of showing a clip/shot of a subject’s past. In most occasions, it is used to develop a character or plot point. 

Match on action- Enables us to see movement, e.g. you see someone get in a car and then the scene cuts to the person driving. 

Pace- A slow pace is used to focus on dialogue. The pace of the scene is determined by the conversation. A fast pace is used to show intense action.

Camera time- The amount of time the camera spends on a character dictates their importance to the scene.

Dissolve- It is when one scene fades into another scene. It can also be used to show the passing of time. 

Cutting on action- Cutting from one shot to the next mid action, e.g. showing the same gun being fired in two different shots linearly. 

Cut away- This is when a scene cuts away but then cuts back.

Kuleshove effect- When you insert something in the middle of a scene to show meaning. It can change the perception of a character.

Fade in Fade out- When you fade to or from black screen to a new scene.

Smash cut- it is used as an abrupt transition. E.g. intense wake up. 

Sound bridge- it is used to link two scenes together through sound, and make it look like the new scene hasn’t moved general location from the previous scene. 

J cut- when you hear the next scenes audio before you see it.

Camera techniques 

Framing/shot length

Extreme long shot- It is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot. It normally shows an EXTERIOR, e.g. the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action e.g. in a war film or disaster movie. 

Long Shot- It shows a shot as approximately "life" size i.e. corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema. This category includes the FULL SHOT showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom. 

Medium Shot- Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Background detail is minimal. Another type of shot in this category is the OVER-THE-SHOULDER-SHOT, which positions the camera behind one character, revealing the other character’s head from the perspective of the first character’s shoulder, head or back.

Close-Up- This shot concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of Mise en scène. Everything else is just a blur in the background. This shot magnifies the object and shows the importance of things, for example, words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. A film-maker may use this to make the viewers feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character.

Extreme Close-Up- As its name suggests, an extreme version of the close-up, magnifying past what the human eye would see in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for example, would show only the eyes, with no background detail. This is a very artificial shot, and can be used for dramatic effect.

  

Camera Angles

The Bird's-Eye view- This shows a scene from directly overhead. This shot puts the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things.

High Angle- Not as extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. High angles make the subjects in the shot seem smaller, and less significant (or scary). The object or character often gets heavily integrated by their setting - they become part of a wider picture.

Eye Level- A neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is at human eye level to recreate the experience of a human observing a scene.

Low Angle- Low angles can give a sense of confusion to a viewer, or powerlessness within the action of a scene. The added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen.

Camera Movement

Pans- A movement which scans a scene horizontally. The camera is placed on a tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned, often to follow a moving object which is kept in the middle of the frame.

Tilts- A movement which scans a scene vertically, otherwise similar to a pan.

Tracking Shot (Dolly shot)- The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object from behind. Dolly shots involve a track being laid on set for the camera to follow. The camera might be mounted on a car, a plane, or even a shopping trolley (for filmmakers on a budget). 

Hand-held shots- It gives a jerky, ragged effect, totally at odds with the organised smoothness of a dolly shot. Hand held cameras denote a certain kind of gritty realism, and they can make the audience feel as though they are part of a scene, rather than viewing it from a detached, frozen position.