Editing is the post production process of a moving image media production that would involve the Visual Effects, Sound effects, Cutting and combining shots into sequences etc. Before digital film making and in the early days of cinematography, films were shot on film reels and the movies were shot all in one take, before George Mielles was filming a vehicle exiting a tunnel when his camera jammed. By the time he had started shooting again the vehicle had been replaced by a different vehicle. This is known as being the very first jump cut. George then put this to work and also began using different forms of transitions such as the fade in/out, Overlapping dissolves and Stop motion photography. The jump cut was made using in-camera editing. Using all of these techniques, film went from single shot scenes to a story telling mechanism .
Film editing has changed a lot due to the rise of digital film-making as films are now edited on editing software which allows us to shoot film out of order but edit the shots together to make a linear and coherent narrative. Before digital film making and editing, films were edited through a process called 'splicing', which meant to physically 'cut' the frames on the reel of a film.
Mad Max:Fury Road
At '0:26' of the clip, the shot begins as a low-angle shot of the vehicle, which connotes the antagonists dominance, and then cuts to a close-up to the antagonists face, along with the sound editing such as the roaring sound of the engine, which builds suspense and the audience can see the rage in the antagonists face. The shot then cuts to the vehicle driving off, so with the edit between these three shots the audience can identify who is driving the vehicle, what his intentions are and who he is chasing as it then cuts to the protagonists vehicle.
At '1:54' of the clip, there is a shot reverse shot and a match on action. The match on action is used to create a continues flow between two shots by having an action begin in the first shot and end in the next shot. In the clip it creates the effect of 'A close call' as the main protagonist is almost killed. The continuity between the two shots is really effective in creating a continuous flow between the shots as the actions flow continuously between the shots and also sticks to the 180 degree rule. The 180 degree rule is a line in which the camera must not cross as it can cause objects to appear out of place which is confusing for the audience. In the first shot we see a biker get shot mid air and have the bike fly towards the actress and the audience, and in the next shot we see the bike fly away from us and towards the main protagonist with a high angle shot.
At '0:11', the shot jump cuts to another location involving different characters and we can see that the shots are juxtaposed as the first scene is very fast paced on a larger terrain and the next scene is in a small confined area and is very slow. This is parallel editing which is a technique used to show two different actions taking place at the same time but in different places. The jump cut between the two scenes helps us to see that the protagonists are being chased by the antagonist along with a close up and sound editing to connote his rage. The comparison between the two shots establishes a narrative in the scene as we can very easily see the cause of the disruption in the scene.
At '0:45', there is a cut from the action to a close-up of one of the female side characters. The reaction shot is able to connote how a character is responding to an event or situation. We can see that the female character is scared and worried by her facial expression which looks like she is in shock or is traumatized. The camera then shows us a medium close-up of another female side character feeling the same way but her facial expression and more specifically her eyes connotes that she fears an inevitable end. We can see why the characters are scared by the surrounding shots of danger i.e The bikers, The explosions and the fast paced editing. Later on at '1:03' there is a very effective close-up of a female side character that shows us she is pregnant. The close-up draws attention to this as we can see that she isn't only scared for her life, but for the babies too which helps to reinforce her emotion in the reaction shot earlier on at '0:45' of the clip. This close-up has a big impact on the audience as it gives an emotional value in the scene and makes us hope for the survival of the protagonists.
There is a match on action shot at '1:41' and '1:42'. The match on action shot is used to create a continuous flow between two shots. In the first shot ('1:41') we see the male character begin to pass the female character a gun and in the next shot ('1:42') we see the female protagonist grab the gun and aim towards the antagonists. The impact this has on the audience is that it gets them excited as everything from the fast paced editing and cinematography is exciting and suspenseful.
From '0:7' to '0:8', there is an eye line match-cut and a POV shot. An eye line match-cut is an editing technique that is used to show what the character on screen is seeing and their reaction to it. The shot cuts from a close up of the female side character to the bikers chasing her. We can see that she is scared and worried and in the next shot we can see why. The impact that this has on the audience is that it puts us in the shoes of the character and to make us feel what she feels, putting us in the middle of the scene during the action and danger.
At '2:45' there is an establishing shot. An establishing shot can be used to establish the location in which the scene takes place, to wrap up the end of the scene and begin a new location, for example zooming out with an establishing shot shows that we are now leaving this location. In this scene we can see via the establishing shot at the end that we are now leaving this location and wrapping up the scene as a whole. The characters have now escaped the danger and are now facing a new threat. There is also a match on action shot in the establishing shot, as in the first shot we can see an explosion and in the next shot we see the explosion starting to fade out.
Throughout the scene the two characters that get the most screen time are the male and female protagonists as it is vital that we stick with these two characters and watch them fight back against the threat. They're both very crucial as they, along with the antagonist chasing them, are what drives the scene forward towards the resolution. We have the antagonists threat as a cause of the danger, we have the female protagonist fighting them off and the male protagonist attempting to escape the threat of the antagonist by driving away. We also get a lot of MCU to close-ups of these three characters as drama is always in the close-up as we can see their reactions, their emotions and their intentions which builds suspense in the scene. The shots keep cutting back and forth between each of these characters. Most of the close ups in this clip are reaction shots which are used to show us how each and every character in this scene feeling which again is used to drive the emotion and the drama a in the scene. The screen time in this scene also shows us the emotional connection between the two protagonists as this is the first scene in which they truly work together and trust each other, a good development for the characters would be to show the difference between the scenes that they share at the start of the film and their development up to the present time.
Conclusion: Editing for Story line, Pace, Tension and Suspense
In the clip there is a wide variation of shots that all come together to create meaning and to build on the suspense of the scene. There are many shots involving wide-angle shots ('2:46'), low angle shots ('0:15'), medium close ups('0:36'), close ups('0:45'), high angle shots('2:46'), establishing shots ('2:46') and P.O.V shots ('0:26'-0:27'). The ideology of all of these shots is to build suspense and tension and also to show the audience the emotion of the characters. All of the close ups and reaction shots of the characters is them reacting to the events that surround them. An example of this is after the protagonists have had a few close calls, we get a few close up shots of the protagonists that all connote their emotions.
Something that is used to build on the tension, suspense and story line is parallel editing/cross cutting. Parallel editing is used to show an event happening in a different location but all during the same time. The use of parallel editing in this clip is when there is a jump cut to the antagonist getting over and obstacle in a cavern. We then get a close up and this all is used to establish the narrative and create a suspenseful atmosphere most commonly found in chase scenes.
The use of providing and or withholding information is used towards the end of the clip when something causes a big explosion that heads towards the antagonist, the antagonist then ducks for cover as the explosion "hits" him and we are not told or shown if the antagonist has survived. We then again get several close ups of the protagonists looking back which builds tension. We are still left wondering if the antagonist is alive.
This clip has been edited to fit a pattern or a rhythm as each shot lasts between 7-10 seconds long in order to keep a coherent yet fast paced action scene that the audience will be able to follow and also be on the edge of their seats. This differs from other fast paced action sequences such as the 'James Bond Casino Royale' tunnel chase, which is edited very fast with a lot of close ups and each shot last only for few seconds which is difficult to understand and isn't very enticing for the audience but still works as a way to build suspense.
In 'Kick-Ass 2', there is a montage training scene in which the female protagonist trains the male protagonist. As the shots cut to different scenes along with the narration from the male protagonists, we can see that the male is getting much better as he is becoming more of a fighter and we can tell by the comparison from getting beating up at '1:00' and him now holding up against his trainer at '1:50'. We are also able to see that the relationship between both protagonists is getting better as it tends to cut back and forth between the training and the time that are spending together laughing and taking a break at '1:08' and '1:58'. All of these shots put together into a montage sequence is a crucial moment in the movie for the characters as this develops them more and drives the narrative forward.
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