Continuity Editing and Montage Editing - Essay Example

Film Making 1. Frame by Frame- Editing Editing is one of the most important post production activities related to film making. It is the process of first selecting and then combining a series of different shots into a sequence of events that can be called a motion picture. As regards the style of editing, the two most talked about and distinguishable styles are Continuity Editing and Montage Editing. In the first, the film editor tries to film an image or event that is happening in continuity i.e. a single shot or back to back shots that tie in with each other- the second beginning where the first left off (Bordwell & Thompson, 2006). Filming sports events such as golf are a good example of continuity editing. In the second kind of editing called Montage Editing, the film editor tries to tie in random events in a sequence that suggest they have all been filmed at one time, or indeed very close to one another- but this is not necessarily so. It is the editing style that suggests the continuity of events. Coming to the film Psycho (1960) and the clip The Shower, we see that the film editor has used a continuity shot till the woman closes the door and steps into the bathtub- in the middle is a cut as she disrobes, naturally. Then there is a montage of sorts as she steps in the tub, starts the overhead shower and tests with her hand before proceeding to lather herself with soap. A break and we realize that even as she has busied herself in this fashion, the murderer is about to strike and does. As the victim falls, the camera is keenly focused on her, while it breaks away and shows that she is bringing down part of the shower curtain with her as she slumps to the floor. We then see her blood flowing into the outlet at the bottom. Then later her eye is in focus as the film backs out into a wider angle showing her face as she lies fallen. In contrast the clip She Wouldn’t Even Harm a Fly, a major part of the footage concentrating on Norman wrapped in a blanket is shot in continuity even as the camera moves in and out for focus as it shows him obviously trying to garner some sympathy by not even swatting flies that alight on his arm- the only break is towards the end when the car is pulled out of the water. 2. Music and Soundscapes- Reviewing Three Films Music and sound mixed with narrative dialogue also play a major part in film making- they can help create atmospheres of suspense, horror, comedy and the like. The three major types of sound in film can be classified as Dialogue, Music and Sound Effects. When Harry met Sally (1989) is a good example of just plain dialogue, with outside sounds audible and nothing else. The clip Opposites Do Not Attract is a clear example of this. The effect of music is clearly seen in various parts of Jaws (1975) where this element is used to heighten the suspense as well, as when the shark approaches the boat. In fact this can be seen all through the film. The clip Barrels or You’re Going to Need a Bigger Boat are instances in point. The tempo of the music, the variations in volume and the synchronization with the visible elements are clearly shown. It increases the suspense of the film. The sound is also used to form a bridge to what has gone before. For example, we see that images of increasing suspense are marked by the increasing tempo in music. In The Mask (1994) we have many examples of the interaction of witty dialogue, cartoonish antics and music with sound effects adding immensely to the joy of watching this film. The visual effects also help heighten the comical elements. This can be seen in Frisking the Mask, Balloon Animals and That’s a Spicy Meatball, among other clips. In the first mentioned clip, as the Mask is arrested in a public park and frisked by police officers, they come up with all kinds of surprising objects like a rubber chicken, glasses, a bazooka and to top it off, a picture of the police inspector Calloway’s wife. The last item really ticks off the police inspector, but his efforts to grab the Mask and make him pay for this misdeed are in vain as both he and his deputy are seen handcuffed with a dial style pair of manacles. In That’s a Spicy Meatball, the Mask is shown rescuing the damsel in distress by whisking away the ticking time-bomb that has been placed at her feet. After doing so, he promptly ingests the entire bomb-dynamite and all and digests it- only to have his stomach explode as the bomb explodes inside of him. That accomplished, he opens his mouth to exhale a pall of smoke after which he exclaims in characteristic style: ‘Now that‘s a spicy meatball!’ The clip entitled Balloon Animals converts a suspense scene into one of laughter as the Mask takes charge as a performer while caught in an alley by a bunch of street thugs. His first creation is a balloon giraffe, the second a French poodle which he subsequently dismantles, quipping ‘the dog was rabid- had to put him down’ and the third a Tommy gun of all things, which manages to convert into the real article and the Mask fires this on the bunch of crooks so that they disperse in a hurry, one even falling into a dumpster. All these are strong examples of the interplay of sound, music, visual effects, dialogue binding together in a film. References Bordwell, D. & Thompson, K. (2006). Film Art: An Introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishers. Read More