ESSAY ON THE PROCESS OF EDITING

180 rule editing is when the camera is placed on one side of the room, let say there was a dialogue going on where the camera was placed on the same 180 degree axis to enforce continuity because if the camera was to  cross the line it would seem odd. It is however worth mentioning that some filmmakers do cross the line if that helps to the narrative for the desired effect. In the following example - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAkBz9glJFo from the film HUNGER we can clearly see that the camera is positioned against the two characters that are having a dialogue. It is on one side of the room and it stays so throughout the whole dialogue scene. Even when the camera cuts to another perspective of the same subject for example as we have shot reverse shot of the two characters as they are talking, the camera still keeps the 180 rule by staying within the same degree - on the same side of the room.

Splicing editing would be when parts of the film are chopped off and taken out to replace and fill another scene by using a film splicer which is a device used join the footage together. For example this video example - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmPF1VQzQoM shows how to splice a shot.

Fade and dissolve transitions are present in almost any film nowadays, they are a simple and quick way to transition to another scene and nowadays are usually used in a more slow paced films instead of having fast cuts that don't really suit the genre and narrative. Back in the days however fade and dissolve was used to add to the suspension for the audience as they are left without knowing what is happening. For example in the film To Catch A Thief - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpuwCrplaC0  which is an old one, we can see the a shot of the city looking very peaceful and calm when suddenly the shot closes with a woman's scream followed by a fade to black leaving the audience in suspense. The next moment we can see a cat on a roof making her way inside a house through a window and as the cat is walking we can see the scene transitioning to a shot of the woman sleeping while the thief is in her house stealing something from under her pillow to a dissolve transition to the cat leaving back to where it came from confusing the audience as to who the thief is as the cat is made to look like she's the thief. 

Wipes are used to transition to another scene and are commonly used in more of the fast paced films where one shot progressively replaces the other shot. There are many types of  computer generated wipes that may not seem so normal to the eye however there is a quick way to do it naturally by panning the camera rapidly to the left right up or down and starting the next shot by panning from whatever position you panned out to and joining them together to create a seamless wipe transition which can also be enhanced by a sound effect. For example in Star Wars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ1CcaawxmA  we can see the main character preparing for a fight however he is in a calm position when suddenly a diagonal wipe going from left to right is shown emphasising the change in the pace of the film suggesting to the audience that the film will introduce dynamic action scenes - as we see a space ship flying by in lightning speed.  

Cutaways are simple cuts that does not have any artistic elements such as fancy transitions but are just a  generic way to move from continuously filmed action to something else.  This is the most used technique in film as it works very well because it cuts almost instantaneously without looking too abnormal to the eye as each film has about hundreds of them, the audience gets used to seeing them and this is why they start to become seamless without really distracting the eye in most cases. The film sparta - 300 shows an example of cutaways where the scene starts of wit close up shots as the two characters are talking about a serious matter therefore their emotions has to be shown with the close ups when suddenly the camera cuts to a different scene which is very different in a way where the main protagonist is having a flash back of his family perhaps in a very dreamy place on a field. The scene then cuts back to to where the action is taking place before the mayhem starts where everyone battles each other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYMFUo8wLiw 

Point of view is often used in the editing to recreate what a character is experiencing through his vision and show the audience a more intimate point of view.It is often used in dangerous situations but not always, it is often also used to inanimate non human objects such as stovetop/ fridge / cars and literally almost everything you can imagine pretty much that can hold up a camera as seen in Breaking Bad - https://vimeo.com/34773713  where the camera can be seen at pretty weird angles for example as the main protagonist is hiding drug money money everywhere, we can see some in what appears to be washing machine before the character takes it from the spinning machine. As he is producing meth, we can see the camera looking through some of the equipment used to make the drugs such as a glass or a tray where they are being stored. Also the trunk of the car has a camera when someone is kidnaped and this shows the audience how it perhaps feels to be inside the trunk of a car.

Shot reverse shot is linked to 180 rule as its a staple in dialogue editing. The camera cuts constantly to both characters back and forth as seen in Spiderman where the camera is showing the villain in his house as he is trying to figure out who is the other person that is having a conversation with him in his house as he's looking at all possible directions with the camera showing different places trying to figure out where the person is in the room while cutting back to the character to show his reaction.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0xiCIMIwLY 

Providing and withholding information - This type of editing is often used in TV Shows - to create extreme suspense, often used in crime situations where the audience perhaps knows whats going to happen and for example who's going get killed / die but the actual scene is not shown as the camera cuts to something else resulting in suspense in the audience by the held information. The example here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWyXFilUHoc from the Harrow college shows a perfect example of providing and withholding information where the main character appears to be looking for something desperately as the scene fades to black when the killer is introduced to the shot in the background , this is a sign of withholding information as the audience surely knows what is going to happen but the scene isn't shown to add tension within the audience and make it more dramatic.

Editing rhythm pretty much means the edit has to match the rhythm of the film, this can include cutting to the soundtrack as well as building up tension when the music gets faster - this is often used in action / horror films. The rhythm of the edit can also change with the shots shown, for example in a romance the rhythm would be very slow and gently transitioning whereas horror / action / adventure it would be the complete opposite to emphasize on the dynamic scenes. The film HERO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MExM2ZW9h3o  shows a perfect example of editing to the rhythm, we can see predominantly fighting scenes where there is a lot of fast cuts with drums sfx to enhance the action and build tension in the scene.

FootNotes 

Video sources 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MExM2ZW9h3o - editing rhythm shown in the film HERO ( source youtube )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWyXFilUHoc - providing and withholding information example from Harrow college media department ( source youtube )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0xiCIMIwLY - shot reverse shot in spiderman ( source youtube )

https://vimeo.com/34773713 - POV view example in the TV Show Breaking Bad ( source youtube )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYMFUo8wLiw - cutaway shot example  from a film 300 ( source youtube )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ1CcaawxmA  - wipe transition from the film Star Wars ( source youtube )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpuwCrplaC0 - fade and dissolve example ( source youtube )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmPF1VQzQoM - splicing editing explanation and tutorial ( source youtube )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4wX_dmh8_g - 180 Rule explanation ( source youtube )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfM2NfL0Wng - example of matching multiple points of view to show and match dialogue and action from the film Sherlock Holmes ( source youtube )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yR-i82mb_o - continuity cuts showing the use of shot variation which allows a certain scene to be more dynamic and interesting by using this technique during the editing process - film Hangover 3 - ( source youtube )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYpKZx090UE - Analogue editing example of the first ever film Exiting the Factory - ( source youtube )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPBuOAxOb2E - Digital editing example  from the Matrix - ( source youtube )

Other blog sources 

https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/8-essential-cuts-every-editor-should-know/ - Premium Beat - Film website blog

https://blog.pond5.com/11099-13-creative-editing-techniques-every-video-editor-should-know/ - Pond5 Blog

https://collegefilmandmediastudies.com/editing/ - College film & Media studies blog

https://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2008/12/16/12-tips-for-better-film-editing/ - Digital Films blog