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MATCH ON ACTION

• A match on action, a technique used in film editing, is a cut thatconnects two different views of the same action at the same momentin the movement. By carefully matching the movement across thetwo shots, filmmakers make it seem that the motion continuesuninterrupted. For a real match on action, the action should begin inthe first shot and end in the second shot.

• The match on action is a very valuable technique in continuityediting, a style of film editing that emphasizes clear spatial relationships between objects in a scene. By seeing the samemovement beginning and ending in two consecutive, differentlyframed shots, spectators will easily interpret the space around theaction as a continuous whole. Matching on action can help reduce

the visual choppiness inherent in cutting.• http://classes.yale.edu/film-analysis/htmfiles/editing.htm

http://everything2.com/title/match+on+action

http://everything2.com/title/film+editing

http://everything2.com/title/cut

http://everything2.com/title/shot

http://everything2.com/title/continuity+editing


http://everything2.com/title/spatial


http://classes.yale.edu/film-analysis/htmfiles/editing.htm





http://everything2.com/title/spatial



http://everything2.com/title/shot



http://everything2.com/title/match+on+action



SHOT REVERSE SHOT

• Conventional technique of cinematography andediting for the filming of dialogue. In the classicshot/reverse shot sequence, the camera frameseach speaker (usually 2-4) in medium close-upas he or she recites a line of dialogue. Theshoulder or profile of the listener can often beseen, slightly out of focus on the edge of theframe, while the camera is focused on the face

of the speaker.• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chAUgK4bwJ

o

http://everything2.com/title/cinematography


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chAUgK4bwJo








The 180-degree rule

• A cinematographic technique which statesthat the camera must remain on the sameside of an imaginary line, perpendicular to

the camera's viewpoint, from which theestablishing shot is taken. The 180 degreerule is an important element of thecontinuity style.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdyyuqmCW14


http://everything2.com/title/establishing+shot

http://everything2.com/title/continuity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdyyuqmCW14




http://everything2.com/title/continuity

http://everything2.com/title/establishing+shot




VIDEOPRODUCTION

RESEARCH

&PLANNING

GROUP WORK&

CONSTRUCTIONEVALUATION

PROPOSAL

CO-OPERATION

AUDIENCE

PLANNING

WORKING TO A SCHEDULE

FILMINGEDITING

STORYLINE

GENRE

ANALYSIS OF EXISTINGPRODUCTS CODES &

CONVENTIONS

STORYBOARDS

RECONNAISSANCE

NARRATIVE IMAGE

SOUNDTRACK

challenging forms andconventions

representing

particular social

groups

What kind of media

institution might

distribute your media product and

why?

Who would be the audience?

How did you

attract/address

your audience?

What have you

learnt about

technologies?

MEETINGS

Skills andknowledge

progression from

preliminary task

ENIGMAS

BRAND IDENTITY

(PRODUCTIONLOGO)

ROLES &

RESPONSIBILITIES

ORGANISATIONKEEPING RECORDS& NOTE TAKING

MEETING

DEADLINES

THERE ARE

HYPERLINKS ON PAGE



RESEARCH and PLANNING

• This section includes many things, such as organisation, smoothrunning of the project, efficient use of resources (e.g. using ashooting script to be sure actors are called for the required timesonly) and attention to detail (e.g. making sure costumes and propsare consistent from scene to scene). An important aspect of this isthe evidence that the product was planned. For moving image or

time-based projects a storyboard and possibly a script as well asshooting script, schedules, prop and costume lists, etc should beincluded.

• Given that this mark is awarded by the teacher based onobservation and discussion, the more information anddocumentation available to support the mark awarded, the easier it

is to uphold the teacher’s mark. It is far harder for moderators tosupport a teacher’s marks if there is no documentation, evidence or explanation regarding the mark awarded.

• TICK LIST: http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/foundation-portfolio-requirements-tick-list

http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/foundation-portfolio-requirements-tick-list













RESEARCH(BACK TO PAGE 10)

• 3 genre film case studies (the genre should be Thiller as was

chosen for your fiction film opening):

• These are mini case studies on 1 particular extract (not the titles) from agenre film, set out in bullet point form you must detail how the chosenextract from the film uses all the genres codes and conventions (setting,characters, style etc) and the effect they have.

• For example• ‘Scream’ Wes Craven (1996) – The Opening

– The Setting: in this extract the setting is very remote, isolated fromeveryw

here, anticipating suspecting tension; also connotes the factthat if there was an emergency no one would be able to help. Mise-en-scene conventions that are frequently seen in horror films areused in this extract, the use of the interior of the house, making the

familiar place, a safe place i.e. the home one that becomes adangerous place to be, a threatening place to be.

• You would then do the same for the other genre conventions, follow thisformat for both case studies. Completing this task will show that you haveresearched and gained knowledge of the chosen genre you want to workin.

• HANDOUT: http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/genre-elements

http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/genre-elements






RESEARCH(BACK TO PAGE 10)

• General research into title sequences (codes, conventions, purpose)

• Provide evidence that you know what the purpose is of titles and opening sequencesand the various kinds that you can get.

• For example they can be used as a prologue much like the titles for The IncredibleHulk (2008) http://www.artofthetitle.com/2009/05/18/the-incredible-hulk/

• Or they can be quite simple and set up the universal theme of the film check out Love Actually (2003) http://love-actually-07.xanga.com/videos/f632b314434/

• Also look at single take titles http://www.artofthetitle.com/2009/11/16/single-take-titles-part-2-the-individual/

• Typically, an opening sequence will contain:

• Details of cast and crew.

• The film's title.

• An introduction to character or character type.

• Indication of place.

• Indication of historical period.

• Information regarding mood and tone.

• Introduction to signature theme tune.

• Information about genre.

• Questions that the viewer finds intriguing (sets up enigmas)

• Patterns and types of editing that will be echoed in the remainder of the film.

• Mise en scene and cinematography that will be echoed or elaborated upon later in thefilm.

http://www.artofthetitle.com/2009/05/18/the-incredible-hulk/

http://love-actually-07.xanga.com/videos/f632b314434/

http://www.artofthetitle.com/2009/11/16/single-take-titles-part-2-the-individual/



























RESEARCH

• Analysis of contemporary titles/opening vs. older titles/opening

• Title sequences have come a long way, many have said the Kyle Cooper broke themould and reinvented the title sequence with his seminal piece for David Fincher’sSeven (1995) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY

• So what makes title sequences post Seven stand out so much from those preSeven?

• Look at these:• To Kill a Mocking Bird (1962)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP5MutuPVxk&feature=PlayList&p=C4DBAEE344BA4C5A

• Dr. Strangelove (1964)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs7EikHQGlA&feature=PlayList&p=C4DBAEE344BA4C5A&index=10

• Vertigo (1958)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz46qS38OgM&feature=PlayList&p=C4DBAEE344BA4C5A&index=14

• American Psycho (2000) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bXESFT2sRQ&feature=PlayList&p=C4DBAEE344BA4C5A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs7EikHQGlA&feature=PlayList&p=C4DBAEE344BA4C5A&index=10


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz46qS38OgM&feature=PlayList&p=C4DBAEE344BA4C5A&index=14


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bXESFT2sRQ&feature=PlayList&p=C4DBAEE344BA4C5A











http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY



PLANNING• Production Brief A brief outline plan for project

• Project name:• Length:

• Deadline:

• Group members & their roles:

• Brief overview of content (approx 50 words):

• Target audience (age group, gender bias (if any), socio-economic statusand lifestyle profiling):

• What comparable products have you researched?

• What is the rationale behind this text?

• What representations will be operating in your text? Are these justified?

• How will you test whether the product is successful? How will you checkthat it accomplishes the intended effect?

• What generic codes and conventions will be operating in your text?• What are the overt (obvious) messages incorporated into the text?

• Are there any (hidden) messages incorporated into the text?

• Identify any resource constraints (time, money, equipment, humanresources) that might affect your production and your hopes for your product:

• Additional notes:• EXAMPLE: http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/producttion-brief-example

http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/producttion-brief-example








PLANNING

• Treatment A treatment is an outline of your initial ideas. It will help you to:

• prepare you for writing your Evaluation

• help you to organise what you have todo

• remind you of how you work explores

media concepts• be more precise about what you want

to explore and achieve



PLANNING: TREATMENT(BACK TO PAGE 10)

• PRODUCT What is the product? Include an outline of the overall marketing campaign

• TARGET AUDIENCE You must be precise about this as it leads to all your decisions about thefinal product. Be precise about age, lifestyle, sex, attitudes/beliefs, interests. How do want themto respond to your product? How are you going to make it appeal to them? Niche audience or mass audience? What research have you done?

• CONTEXT Where will the product be seen, therefore how will this effect the design?

• MEDIA CONCEPTS How will you explore the following concepts?

• Media Languages

• What will the style of product be? How will you use forms and conventions? (lighting, camerawork,sound, structure of trailer) To get a good mark, whatever you produce should actually use theforms and conventions in an imaginative and visually appealing way - try to plan somethingextraordinary and eye-catching. Make you content rich in connotation.

• Institutions

• To make your project seem more real you need to have a sense of its place in the film industry.Who will be the distributor of the product and why? What is the name and logo for your productioncompany? (look at the ‘Final Logo’ post on this blog http://01filmopening09.blogspot.com/ )

• Representations • How are you going to represent characters in your product/s? The media often use stereotypical

representations when they are marketing films. That is no reason why you have to do the samething, whether you choose to subvert dominant representations or go with the stereotypes, theexam board would like to see clear evidence that you have thought about the issue.

• Genre

• Are you going to stick with typical genre conventions or subvert them? Will you include typicaliconography, settings, etc?

http://01filmopening09.blogspot.com/

http://01filmopening09.blogspot.com/



PLANNING: STORYBOARDS(BACK TO PAGE 10)

• A storyboard is a graphical representation of the camera shots in a film sequence which are

connected together to create a 'narrative flow'. The story of the film is visualised by a series of drawings which depict the location, characters, props and setting of each shot. Beneath or besidethe images there are captions detailing action, camera directions, lighting directions andsometimes basic dialogue. The storyboard illustrates how individual camera shots can be used tocreate a 'narrative flow'. Each shot is drawn within a frame a rectangle that represents a singleshot on the cinema screen.

• When are storyboards used?

• Pre-Production (before shooting)

• At this stage of film making the director and the production designer will discuss how to achieve

the right look and feel of the film by planning the sets and costumes. A storyboard artists will thenbe brought in to draw up the director's rough storyboards adding any necessary details andcreating a detailed version with action camera and lighting directions.

• Production (during shooting)

• When filming begins copies of the storyboard are given to the crew so that everyone knows whatis required for each shot in the way of placement of lights, camera movement, movement of actorsetc. Once on set, a director might decide to change his/her ideas from those drawn on thestoryboard. That is appropriate if the storyboard is only being used as a guideline for shooting.

• Post-Production (after shooting)

• Once the film has reached this stage the storyboards should act as a visual reminder of what hasbeen filmed and in what order. Storyboards are used by film editors, especially those who areworking on special effects films, where each effect has to be perfectly timed to match that actionaround it. Non linear, digital film editing means that films can be swiftly edited on a computer desktop. The storyboard remains a blueprint of the original intentions and provides a frameworkagainst which changes can be judged.

• Example storyboards: http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/example-storyboard

• Audio Visual Language: http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/audio-visual-guidance

• Animatics should be used to present storyboards on blog

http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/example-storyboard

http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/audio-visual-guidance











PLANNING(BACK TO PAGE 10)

• Production & Personal Schedule

• It’s important that you plan and use your timewell, look at the time allowed for the whole

project and draw up a Production Schedule• Personal Schedule allows the group to seewho’s free and when

• Examples:

http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/schedules-2558803








PLANNING: RECORDING

MEETINGS

• Every time the production group meets its

imperative that you record what was

discussed and what will happen as a result

of the meeting. This should be recordedon your blogs

• Example:

http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/meeting-example









PLANNING: RECONNAISSANCE

& PERMISSIONS(BACK TO PAGE 10)

• Reconnaissance (recce) refers to checking out locations and seeing if their fit for purpose, or if additional equipment is needed, this is obviously done prior to shootingand you should take pictures. Recce forms are done for each setting and usuallyfollow this format:

• PROJECT TITLE:

• NAME OF PRODUCER:

• PERMISSIONS NEEDED FOR ACCESS: (you may need filming permits!)

• TRAFFIC PROBLEMS:• LOCAL CONDITIONS:

• PROBLEMS WHICH MAY BE CAUSED WITH CONTINUITY:

• NEED FOR PROPS OR DRESSING OF THE SET:

• POWER AVAILABLE (NB: APPROVED CONNECTORS ONLY FOR EXTERNALWORK):

• EXTENSION LEADS REQUIRED:

• LIGHTING RIG REQUIRED:

• CREW WELFARE ISSUES:

• LIKELY SHOTS AND ANGLES:

• ATTACH A SKETCH OF LOCATION INDICATING GOOD POSITIONS FORCAMERAS AND A ROUTE MAP TO LOCATION.

• PROVISIONAL SHOOTING DATES:

• EXAMPLES: http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/recce-example-2558955

http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/recce-example-2558955








CONSTRUCTION

• For group work there must be a clear evidence of theindividual’s contribution to the product. The examinerswill be looking for the following in your product:

• Use and/or subversion of established forms and

conventions to make meaning• Understanding of the formal aspects of producing the

text – the evidence of this is the inclusion of key featuresand attention to detail

• Evidence of making your product appeal to a specifictarget audience meeting the original brief

• Clear demonstration of appropriate technical skills



CONSTRUCTION: FILMING

JOURNAL

• Every time your group go out to film, upon your

return you must write down, what you did, e.g.

what you filmed, problems you had changes that

had to be made. This should also be done oncethe production enters post production. This will

make writing the Evaluation much easier.

• Example: http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/f-

i-l-m-i-n-g-j-o-u-r-n-a-l-example

http://www.slideshare.net/belair1981/f-i-l-m-i-n-g-j-o-u-r-n-a-l-example

































EVALUATION(BACK TO PAGE 10)

• Working in media production contexts – professional practice• How did you manage the group dynamics, equipment and

resources, interim deadlines and the necessarily collaborativenature of film-making?

• What health and safety and logistical problems did you solve?

• How did you organise your human resources—the peopleinvolved in the production?

• How did you manage actors, locations, costumes and props?Remember that deciding not to use a particular strategy (e.g.not to use any props) is also a creative decision.

• How did storyboarding and creating a shooting script work in

practice? Did you make creative decisions to depart from theoriginal plan? For what reasons and with what outcomes?

• Although time management may seem a less exciting aspect of creative media practice, it is possibly the most important—howdid you manage your time, and with what success?




• Using technology—creative tools

• You will have used digital cameras,microphones, lighting and editing resources.

Some of these will have been closer to industrystandard (for example, Final Cut Pro) thanothers (for example, using a torch to light ascene).

• How did digital technology enable you todevelop creatively and are there examples of thetechnology obstructing or preventing your creative flow?




• Thinking about audience—making meaning

• How did you respond to the initial brief with the audience inmind?

• How did your analysis and research into the type of film youselected impact on the creative process in pre-production?

• In filming and editing, how did you ensure that the meaningwould be apparent to the audience? What creative decisionsdid you make in planning, rehearsing, filming and editing thatwere influenced by your sense of the audience and possiblelayers of interpretation?

• How did the audience respond when you trialled aspects of your film? Are there a variety of different possible interpretations of your opening sequence that will depend on the cultural situation of the viewer?



PRODUCTION TIPS

• Although there are some notable exceptions, in the majority of fiction films, not much happens indramatic terms in the first couple of minutes. So your job here is to establish character andnarrative context for the audience and to set up some degree of enigma (a question that thenarrative will answer in time).

• Rather than show the titles first and then some action, it is preferable to observe the convention of cutting between title/action, title/action. This can either be done by selecting the ‘over black’ optionon the editing software you are using in the titles menu, or by positioning the titles over the action,which is usually preferred if actors‘ names are to appear alongside their characters.

• Some of the most memorable film scenes are opening/title sequences. Some famous examplesfrom different genres are: Once Upon a Time in the West (in which diegetic sound is amplifiedwith a total lack of dialogue to create audience anticipation); a Bond film (the Bond openingsequence has become a recurring motif; an established convention expected by the audience);Goodfellas (in which we hear the lead character narrate 'ever since I can remember, I alwayswanted to be a gangster ', thus situating us firmly in the mind of the anti-hero for the duration of thefilm); City of God (in which music, fast edits and clever narrative techniques introduce two inter-connected storylines and take the audience back twenty years in the process a strategy sharedwith Goodfellas); Four Weddings and a Funeral (in which the main character, Charles (played byHugh Grant), and a friend swear a lot while rushing around getting dressed, thus establishing

Charles as a likeable, though chaotic figure).• This list could go on for at least the rest of this book and all the examples would contrast with one

another as there is no fixed approach to an opening sequence. Your sequence does, however,need to observe the one rule that every example follows: your job is to establish character and/or setting and to create enigma - to help the audience understand easily where we are, who isinvolved but, fundamentally, why we should be interested. It is likely that the time and resourcesavailable to you will determine a fairly economical approach to this.



PRODUCTION TIPS

Camera work and framing

• Holding a shot steady is not as simple as you might think and mostly you should be using a tripodunless a hand-held realist/documentary effect is required. Most of your shots should be filmed witha camera that is not moving, so movement becomes an effective exception to the norm. Zoomingis rarely used in film so it is best to avoid it unless you want the appearance of amateur footage.

• As you are working in the medium of film, select a widescreen framing if you can, and remember that film uses fewer close-ups than TV (simply because the viewing screen is much bigger). Youcan select long shots, extreme long shots, mid-shots, close-ups and extreme close-ups. For film, it

is suggested that you mostly use mid-shots and long shots, with close-ups used sparingly.• The 'rule of thirds' principle is useful for framing your shots. Imagine the frame is made up of ninesquares (three squares by three). The off-centre areas are where the eye is drawn to, so it is bestto avoid the central square and position objects and people just off-centre as this aidsconcentration on the image.

• Combining shot types and distances is essential to the 'language of film'. Effective combinationsinclude going from long shots to mid-shots and then to close-ups. This enables you to establishaction, emphasise location and then move to detail and cutting between two-shots, over-the-shoulder shots and point-of-view shots to situate the audience during a conversation.

• As far as camera angle is concerned, you need to consider power and neutrality. High-angle shotsreduce the power of a character and low-angle shots increase it. A simple principle of framing is toensure that characters have room above their heads and are not made to look strange by objectsbehind them and have space around them to show direction if they are moving.

• Here are some simple tips that will help you avoid 'unforced errors': practise moving shots severaltimes before recording, shoot far more footage than you need to make editing easier, testmicrophones are working before filming so you don't end up with a silent movie by mistake,ensure you have switched off the date and time on the camera, be prepared to film several takesof each shot, be a perfectionist and re-film a shot if the camera shakes or someone walks through

the frame in error and make sure your batteries are charged!



PRODUCTION TIPS

Diegesis

• A moving image media text creates meaning for the audience through thecombination of diegetic and non-diegetic material, and particularly sound.

• Diegetic material is that which exists in the world of the text itself, so that thecharacters are aware of it. Examples are dialogue, sound effects which are heard bycharacters (like thunder), background music which is heard by characters anddialogue between characters. Non-diegetic material is added purely for the audience,

for example, atmospheric music, soundtrack music, voice-over or narration.• Some types of sound are both—for example, a character's thoughts in a voice-over

are diegetic in that the character is aware of them, but non-diegetic in the sense thatother characters are not. A good example of this is the film Taxi Driver, in which thenon-diegetic music creates a haunting atmosphere while a voice-over of the mainprotagonist's thoughts situates us in the mind of a character losing his sanity. Thistechnique (by the director Martin Scorsese) makes highly effective use of diegeticand non-diegetic elements placed deliberately in a state of confusion to defamiliarise

the audience.• Another interesting example of the difference diegesis can make is the film Blade

Runner. The studio inserted a film-noir style voiceover narration from Harrison Fordagainst the wishes of the director Ridley Scott, and it was only years later when the'Director's Cut' was released without the voice-over that the audience realised theoriginal has a less anchored, more ambiguous narrative. In the meantime the film hadbecome a cult classic with the voice-over, featuring lines like 'I didn't know how longwe would have together, but then again, who does?', a major aspect of the film's

popular appeal.



PRODUCTION TIPS

Micro and macro origination

• In order to shoot material that is appropriate, you need to adopt the micro-macro strategy. You may decide your fiction film will follow the conventionsof a particular genre or style of film, in which case the micro elements—types of camera work, music, style of titles, dialogue, setting and pace—willadd up to a macro theme and set of representations. For this reason it isimportant not to dive straight into filming the main task.

• Make sure you spend time with storyboarding and ideas development first,so you can ensure that your approach to filming is not out of step with theconventions of the type of film you are making.

• Put simply, if you are making a romantic comedy you need to follow a three-stage process. First, study romantic comedy conventions using the micro-macro strategy. Second, spend time developing a romantic comedy

narrative that will be instantly recognisable to the audience for that type of film. Third, spend time planning to shoot and edit material which looks rightfor the genre, not only in terms of what is on the screen but also how it isfilmed, edited and put together with sound and titles.



PRODUCTION TIPS

• Mise en scène

• Working as a student without access to the expensive resourcesand amounts of time that the film industry enjoy, mise en scene isthe most difficult element of production to get right, but probably theone that reaps the greatest rewards for those that do.

• Essentially it is about detail. Carefully choose costume, lighting,locations and props to create the kind of 'feel' and verisimilitude(believable world of the text) that is required. Then ensure that this ismaintained shot by shot.

• Simple mistakes that lots of students make are costume changes or haircuts mid-sequence, poor lighting or drastic contrasts in lightingmid-sequence, poorly chosen and unconvincing props and— as

performance is another element of m/se en scene—bad acting. Although not part of the assessment, poor acting skills willundermine the overall flow of the narrative and the realism of themise en scene, so try to use students who are more comfortablewith performance (preferably those who are taking Drama as well asMedia) for the leading roles.



PRODUCTION TIPS

Lighting

• Most Media students do not have access to industry standard professional lightingequipment and this can undermine their creative intentions. However, there are anumber of ways that careful attention to detail can overcome this problem. Here arefive tips, which are informed by an article by Michael Massey (2004) for MediaMagazine.

• Use natural light—sunlight, in shadow, in mist, through rain—depending on the effect

you need, and bearing in mind that you will have to be flexible about time if you needto wait for the right conditions.

• Use cheap and cheerful artificial light—as long as you have carried out riskassessments, you can make use of candles, firelight, torches, car headlights, securitylights, neon signs and street lighting.

• Create colour filters—you can easily shine light through coloured liquids, vases,ornaments.

• Position the light source for effect—lighting a scene from above, below or in an

obscured way will create different kinds of atmosphere (m/se en scene), soexperiment with this using the kinds of light source listed above.

• Ultimately, lighting a scene is a scientific process. Massey describes the equation inhelpful, clear terms: Once you have explored what your light sources canprovide, experiment with the interaction of light with the objects in your frame.



PRODUCTION TIPS(BACK TO PAGE 10)

Combining sound, image and titles • It is harder than it might seem to put footage together with appropriate

sound and titles. You need to make very careful decisions about titles,choosing the most appropriate font, colour and size from the vast array thatyour software will present. In addition you must, though trial and error, endup with the most pleasing timing of titles for the audience.

• You will need to make creative decisions about where to place each title,whether to place it over black between shots or over the action and howlong each title stays on screen. You also need to understand whatcontribution each title is making to the audience's understanding of thenarrative, the genre and the representational aspects that you need them tograsp quickly since this is an opening sequence.

• In addition, you will be using music to add ambience to the start of your film.

Here you must think very carefully about the semiotic function of music andensure that what the music suggests to the audience is in keeping with thetone and pace of the drama you are unfolding. It is a good idea to test thisout with audience members at an early stage of post-production so you canmake changes if they do not respond as you expect.



PRODUCTION TIPS(BACK TO PAGE 10)

The grammar of non-linear editing• You will be using a non-linear video editing software package for your post-production

work and you will be assessed on how well you can edit the material so that meaningis apparent to the viewer. To achieve this you need to observe the rules of grammar that apply to editing, creating continuity and the right rhythm and pace. Choosing theright kinds of transition is essential and the software you use is likely to offer anenormous range of effects.

• Avoid choosing transitions that are exciting to use but do not reflect the conventionsof the type of film you are constructing. Most editing is simple—hard cuts. You shouldbe using hard cuts for at least 90 per cent of your sequence. The exception is whereyou place a transition between a title and images, but you should still be consistent—do not use a different type of transition for each title.

• Your job is to make the editing invisible, so that the viewer believes in the reality of the fiction that is unfolding. A fade might be used to portray the passing of time, and if you are establishing tension or action early on in the sequence, you may choose to

use a greater number of edits. Editing is all about the manipulation of time and space.You will manipulate space by editing between two simultaneous pieces of action, andmanipulate time by editing between two shots to move the narrative forward andbypass unnecessary time that is not interesting to the story. A standard industrytechnique is to cut from one shot of a subject to a different subject and then backagain, rather than moving immediately to the same image.

• Editing allows you to do things that you can't in real life. The careful execution of these forms of manipulation without distracting or confusing the viewer is what we call

the 'grammar of the edit'.

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