manipulation of diegetic time and space

The manipulation of time and space in media is very important when it comes to compressing a scene into a shorter length. These two clips have manipulated time in two very different ways.

 ellipsis

180 degree rule

Shot Variation

Relationship To Genre

Different genres of film have different conventions when it comes to editing, different techniques and styles are used to illustrate the genre.

Action

In an action film there is a lot of fast editing, this is to show the fast pace of the movie, in most action films there is a car chase or a fight scene, so fast editing is frequently used. Long shots are also used to establish the scene or show the size and extent of the action. As a scene builds in action the shots used usually become shorter, as shown in this example of The Matrix Reloaded freeway chase scene.

 

Horror

In Horror films fast cuts are used to scare viewers and tense scenes make the audience anxious as they do not know what is coming next and are waiting to be scared by the next quick shot. Low shots are also used to create fear it makes the bad person in the scene seem more powerful and intimidating to the audience. In this example of The Shining quick cuts flash between the girls in the scene and the dead body's of the girls to make the scene much more affective and terrifying.

 



Drama

The conventions of drama are long shots and pauses for silence and long scenes with little or no cuts, This is used to create suspense and tension within the audience a perfect example of this would be in this hospital scene in the film Safe

Engaging The Viewer

The introduction of music or a change from a wide shot to a close up is crucial for an editor to know. Sound effects such as muffling of voices often engages the viewer into paying more attention as they want to hear what is going on, this affect can also be used visually by not showing the entire frame or the characters within it to give a sense of mystery giving the audience something to look for and wait for. When sound is removed completely it can be more intriguing than sound in the because you pay attention to every detail that is displayed visually and you get a story from this that builds more tension.

 

Storytelling

In the pattern of editing we expect to see in the usual film / drama is as follows: Establishing shot → Medium Shot → Close up. This enables us to understand the basic plot of the story because the first shot establishes the setting and the medium shot most commonly presents the audience with the character and they’re appearance and the close up is usually used on an item of importance or to show us the emotions felt by the character within the scene.

 

This example of Jurassic park starts with a close up of trees rustling followed by a close reaction shot of somebody looking over to the trees, and carries on cutting between the two using shot reverse shot with just the sound of rustling, this builds tension and suspense, this enables us to understand the plot of the scene knowing something big is about to happen and this further intensifies when you see the crate being lifted via crane whilst emerging from the trees. Once the crate is properly introduced music starts to play giving the sense of mystery, creating a lot of interest into what could be within the crate. Once the scene is opened up and given a sense of setting using the editors choice of crane shot and super imposed titles reading 'Isla Nublar' you get a better idea of how important the affair that is about to take place is due to the amount of people and industrial equipment in the middle of this jungle. This example is a reversal of the stereotypical Establishing shot → Medium Shot → Close up and actually reveals the setting once both close ups and medium shots have been repeated a few times, this helps give the scene even more mystery as you have no idea where this is all happening.

Multiple Points Of View

A point of view shot is a shot in a film scene that shows what a character (the subject) is looking at (represented through the camera). It is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction (see shot reverse shot). The technique of POV is one of the foundations of film editing. This takes us into the interior world of the character.

In This Vantage Point Clip we first cut to a point of view shot from the pursuers perspective, but in fact the entire film is shown through different peoples perspectives and point of views

the below still shows a typical point of view shot, the hand in the bottom of the frame connects us to the person whose perspective we are in and the shot communicates a sense of height and vertigo as well as tension