the editing process is a reductive art

• Some editors see it as “Cutting out the bad bits”

Enhancing by removing, leaving only what informs, advances, communicates

• Some editors use the analogy of a sculpture.

The editing process is a reductive Art

•How do you decide what is essential?

– Keep audience in mind-what you want them to feel/learn/accomplish

– Keep form in mind- how you present the information will help guide the” sculpture”

– Each shot should have a purpose- ask yourself, what is the reason for this cut?”

•Motivations to cut

– Technical

– Aesthetic

Technical motivation

• Bad Audio

• Bad Video-drop out-levels-color balance

• Bad Videography

• Bad Takes- talent.

Aesthetic

• This is where you get to express yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Follow Action- ( like eye-trace in Blink) go where the story is going.

• Better Angle- choose the angle that shows the audience what you want them to see.

• Shot order- visually tell the story-how you put the visuals together

• Pacing-Rhythm.

• Point Of View-Cut to show another point of view

• Create a Mood- Emotional

• Visual Variety- Dangerous!- Necessary but dangerous.

• Create Emphasis-

• Dialogue- Cutting to dialogue- using split edits.

Split Edit

An edit where the audio and video have different IN points

Audio Advance

Audio Precedes the video

Audio Delay

Audio comes after the video it is called an audio delay

Split Edits

Smooth out transitions

Make edits less visible

Create a more natural feel to dialogue and narrated video

Also called an Lcut

Split Edits

Can be used as a transition within a scene or from scene to scene

Editing creates Movement

Movement-zooms,tilts,pans,dollys

“Never” cut in the middle of a camera movement

Cutting on movement

Zooms,pans, dollys, and tilts work well together if:

Same direction

Same speed

Zoom

Using the lens the camera seems to push into the subject.

Tilt

Up and Down

Pan

Righ to Left

Dolly

Lens stays the same. Camera physically moves forward ( on wheels)

Camera Movement

Zooms, pans, dollys, and tilts cut well together if they have the same speed and direction.

This technique can be used to connect disparate visuals.

Variations of motion and direction work well to illustrate contrast.

Static Camera to Moving Subject

Versatile

Subject moves through screen and in the next shot the camera mimics the movement

Static Camera to Static Subject

Fast pace editing

Movement created by editing

A static shot doest not cut well to a shot with a static subject/moving camera