Early editing techniques in film

Porter, an early film pioneer, experimented heavily on the two main principles of editing. Movement can be used extensively by film makers to make meaning. An editing technique that allows the audience to first hear audio from a shot. The great train robbery not only was the first narrative film, it also introduced several new editing techniques. The exhibited 34second film, blacksmith scene 1893, was viewed on dicksons kinetoscope viewer, and was shot using a kinetograph at the black maria. The art of film and video editing part1 videouniversity. Edison envisioned the camera as a kind of home entertainment machine in which motion pictures would be accompanied by sound. Pudovkins 5 editing techniques are contrast, parallelism, symbolism, simultaneity, and leitmotif. Provided in this alphabetised list of film techniques used in motion picture filmmaking. For example, rather than staying on one set, porter took his crew to ten different locations, including edisons new york studio, essex county park in. Other early films consisted of vaudeville performances, but it wasnt until the turn of the century when the narrative potential of film was discovered.

By pasting together multiple shots and connecting them through the narrative sequence, filmmakers could create more complex plots that spanned different sets and characters and allowed. After the raw footage is logged and organized usually by an assistant editor, the film editor will. But this was a huge gamble made by filmmakers in the early days of cinema, who were blazing the trail of postproduction and experimenting with continuity a concept that didnt even exist back then, shot. The best music and audio techniques for film, like all other elements within a film project, relies massively on attention and a high level of detail. Sergei eisenstein the theory of montage film editing. It is not about technology the audio and music in a film 30 years year is still as good as it is today. He was one of the first to film fictional narratives, and he is regarded as the inventor of special effects in movies. The great train robbery was a short 10 minute film that was created and edited by edwin. A famous example of this, which uses dance extensively to communicate meaning and emotion, is the film, west side story. Still provided by museum of modern art film stills archives. Hollywood films made use of continuity editing, only breaking the illusion of reality when a certain effect was desired, though whole movements of avantgarde and art cinema far too numerous to go into here experimented with new and exciting techniques in film production. The different types of editing techniques and principles used today. The action is bigger, every year, it seems like the bar is pushed just a little higher with films and television. Feb 11, 2014 a short video i made for film school about the history of editing techniques and their creators.

No longer used in todays films but very common in early cinema. His films were among the first to use such techniques as double exposure, stopmotion, and slow motion. Music and audio techniques for film liftoff global network. Lion cinematographer grieg fraser was moved by the childs story at the start of the film and shot it from a childs perspective. On its most fundamental level, film editing is the art, technique and practice of assembling shots into a.

Griffiths intolerance reached russia in 1919 and it was a massive hit all over the country. Match cut a match cut, also called a graphic match, is a cut in film editing between either two different objects, two different spaces, or two different compositions in which an object in the two shots graphically match, often helping to establish a strong continuity of action and linking the two shots metaphorically. The film s revolutionary use of special effects, sound editing and music had led it to become widely regarded as one of the single most important films in the mediums history, as well as the most influential film of the 1970s. However, unlike film, the images recorded on videotape are not visible. Why arent moviegoers completely thrown for a loop when they see an edited film. In this video essay, joey lists and defines the different cuts and transitions available to you as an editor, with examples from classic and modern films. Griffith and the feature length film nosferatu harold lloyd and special effects 3. Dec 19, 2017 such early editing techniques allowed filmmakers to better tell their story by emphasising certain narrative aspects that they wished the audience to focus on. Like film, early videotape editing involved physical splicing.

This course is an introduction to the history of film and video editing including not only an indepth look at more than a century of essential editing techniques, but also an interesting exploration of the tools and technology that have made editing possible. While taking years to master, great film editing can give your characters life, making us visually feel their wants and desires. Although the earliest films in cinema were done in one shot without any editing. As with most other film techniques, editing has evolved over time as the technology and. This course is an introduction to the history of film and video editingincluding not only an indepth look at more than a century of essential editing techniques, but also an interesting exploration of the tools and technology that have made editing possible. I guess you could say its because they dont really see itthe editing, anyway. Griffith was one of the first to use revolutionary editing an cutting techniques in film, such as the jump cut or match on action cuts. In most hollywood films, editing helps determine at least four dimensions of film narrative. It is essential to the creation of narrative space and to the establishment of narrative time.

This was a manual process and in order to make an edit the film had to be physically spliced then attached back together again, this is where the term cutting from one. Often called the invisible art, editing has made movies possible since they first began, but the field still struggles to gain the appreciation from the general public that it. It is not clear that he means for the parallel editing to establish that the two lines of action are in fact happening simultaneously. Weve set this corner of the internet aside as a museum of early video editing equipment and techniques. Like almost every basic idea about movies, the idea of editing has its precursors. An audio professional on a filmset is highly skilled.

What these early theorists did was crea te film equivalents for proven literary forms while, at the same tirrie, mining the new medium for yet undiscovered techniques. Learning objective the lumierre brothers georges melies edwin porter the kuleshov effect eisenstein and montage d. We see an early version of this technique in eisensteins battleship potemkin, where the battleship fires a mortar round and we watch the destruction as various angles jump cut from one to another. Film editing is often referred to as the invisible art because when it is wellpracticed, the viewer can become so engaged that he or she is not aware of the editors work. As michael says, in those days it wasnt video that was edited, it was film. A good example of all kinds of cutting techniques is in the film spring breakers. The action is bigger, the drama is more dramatic and the suspense is. Editing has advanced a lot since the start of the film and television era due to certain editing techniques and people. Many of these early films consisted of unedited, continuous footage of actual. It is how a scene is put together to produce an image. Nov 09, 2011 montage is an editing technique that sequences short shots together in a manner that implies condensed information for the audience to interpret. Crosscutting is a deceptively simple editing technique that delivers a big dramatic punch. Apr 17, 2020 he also wrote extensively about film ideas and eventually taught a generation of russian directors.

Editing describes the relationship between shots and the process by which they are combined. He also used new types of shots which were never before featured in film, such as extreme close ups of characters faces in order to show emotion. It was introduced to the cinema primarily by sergei eisenstein and early soviet directors used it as a synonym for editing the montage. Videot ape could be cut and reattached with adhesive tape. With the first rough cut, the editor takes one scene at a time and works through. Star wars is home to some of the most memorable characters in film history, and also some of the best film editing. Most early films were not much more than short, filmed stage productions or records of live events shot with a static camera. Griffith and his american contemporaries used film and editing techniques to enhance emotional impact almost as an extenstion of 19th century theatrical method, whereas eisenstein used editing to break free of the confines of time and space and communicate abstract ideas in a new and modern way. Finally, a montage is a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.

The development of editing editing actor, film, voice, cinema. Griffith, a pioneer in technique who helmed the infamous birth of a nation. Now get to cutting, and dont be afraid to experiment. The development of editing editing actor, film, voice. Using moments from the empire strikes back, well show you three simple film editing techniques. Editing in early cinema in 1888, the famous inventor, thomas edison, commissioned a young laboratory assistant named william kennedy laurie dickson to develop the first motion picture camera. Film editing silent early years 2 linkedin slideshare. Both techniques contributed for his achievements with the movies life of an american fireman 1903, the great train robbery 1903 and dream of the rarebit fiend 1906. Oct 23, 2012 editing has advanced a lot since the start of the film and television era due to certain editing techniques and people. The relationship between shots may be graphic, rhythmic, spatial andor temporal. Griffith introduced or refined the techniques of motionpicture exposition, including the closeup, a film shot in which a single object or face filled the screen. Filmmakers and editors may work with various goals in mind. The history and techniques of editing explained in less.

Montage is an editing technique that sequences short shots together in a manner that implies condensed information for the audience to interpret. The first two people who invented the film industry were the lumiere brothers although they only created the camera not the actual editing. In 1934 the academy awards introduced a new category. Each of these techniques is in every editors arsenal and used in virtually every film made around the world. Oct 07, 2019 while taking years to master, great film editing can give your characters life, making us visually feel their wants and desires. An intercut is a type of edit where two or more actions in distinct locations are edited together into one scene. The film school led an intense study to examine the impact of the films editing. Editing is an extremely important process with tv and film because it allows the addition of sound effects, special effects and smoothens out footage to create a picture an audience will enjoy. Cinematic language has evolved tremendously since the early days of film, but many of todays most relevant filmmaking techniques originated in classic films many common visual techniques such as the jump cut or whip pan were first used in experimental filmmaking before eventually finding a place in mainstream cinema. In this very early version of the jump cut, contemporary audiences were introduced to a new way of time passage in film. Development of editing and techniques andy with the film goop. It evolved into the soviet montage theory, where they determined that the editing of shots constituted the force of a film. A short video i made for film school about the history of editing techniques and their creators. As with most other film techniques, editing has evolved over time as the technology and audience expectations change.

But the very earliest filmmakers were afraid to edit film shots together. This course is an introduction to the history of film and video editing including not only an indepth look at more than a century of essential editing techniques, but also an interesting. In a reel of film, each frame is visible as a miniature photographic image. The pioneering film was a crucial influence on future surrealist films. Porter also developed the process of film editing a crucial film technique that would further the cinematic art.

One scene early on in the film, in act i, shows the crew surrounding a large piece of rotten meat. For those that have been there, done that, to give you a chance to revisit that time and. Nov 07, 2018 although every situation is different, top editors have a reliable arsenal of timetested techniques for increasing the pace of the film and keeping the viewer on the edge of their seats. History and development of editing multimedia assignment content page1. The appearance of videotape does not change throughout a reel. Oct 27, 2015 this course is an introduction to the history of film and video editingincluding not only an indepth look at more than a century of essential editing techniques, but also an interesting. This allows the same action to be seen from multiple angles without breaking its continuous nature.

A rough cut receives further polishing and editing before making its way out to audiences. Motion film tools have changed but its still about a great story. Both techniques contributed for his achievements with the movies life of an american fireman 1903, the great train. The former sentence is not entirely accurate as an assembly cut is the first editing pass done for a film, but it depends on how one defines editing, so i think this is o. Match on action is an editing technique used in continuity editing that cuts two alternate views of the same action together at the same moment in the move in order to make it seem uninterrupted. He used crosscutting editing method to show simultaneous action in different places. These early film directors discovered important aspects of motion picture. Our first goal is to save a bit of the history before it all goes into a land fill. George albert smith was a stage hypnotist, psychic, magic lantern lecturer, astronomer, inventor, and one of the pioneers of british cinema, who is best known for his controversial work with edmund gurney at the society of physical research, his shortfilms from 18971903 which pioneered film editing and closeups, and his development of the first successful colour film process, kinemacolour. Using moments from the empire strikes back, well show you three simple film editing techniques thatll make your characters resonate on screen. Lion cinematographer shot early part of film from child. David wark griffith was an early adapter of intercutting, using the technique as early as 1909.

A montage is an editing technique that, again, signifies the passage of time or. S porter and was the first film to use modern film editing techniques. How photos were edited in the darkroom days fstoppers. A jump cut is a cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the. In the early 1920s, however, he was a young, committed filmmaker. The art of movie making and the art of editing are parallel to the art of composing a symphony. The lumiere brothers called these films actualities or documentary views where the static camera simply records whatever action is in front of it from beginning to end. Which magician and early filmmaker used editing to create tricks like the image of a rocket striking the moon. If you want one last example of all the types of cuts, let our friends at rocket jump film school help you out. It is not clear that he means for the parallel editing to establish that the.

Dec 15, 2016 the first editing pass done for a film. Early in the learning process learners should be encouraged to. The following is a brief history of this technique. Film historians commonly cite this as an early example of parallel editing, showing two lines of narrative action happening at the same time, although porters use of this device here is ambiguous. Its fantastic and is under appreciated by the general public. At the most significant level, editing form determines meaning in a film in the same way that the sonnet form helps determine meaning in poetry.