Cutting to soundtrack

Cutting to soundtrack

Cutting to the soundtrack is when a scene relies on the soundtrack to carry the viewer's interest. The cut's made by the editor will be influenced by this music to get the maximum effect from the audience.
It can be used with other sounds not just music, for example, if in a classroom the focus is on two people chatting and then we hear nails being scraped on a chalkboard, the next cut will be on the chalkboard.
Another example of cutting to soundtrack is matching the cuts with the sounds.Music videos and trailers are good for this because the editor can cut them to fit in with the sounds.

Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7MGUNV8MxU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3IWwnNe5mc&t=1s

Choosing the right soundtrack for a movie is vital to get the correct look. Soundtracks could be everything for a movie like Guardians of the Galaxy which relies on their popular soundtrack to carry the movie.

When adding a soundtrack to a shot or scene, the editor will be given a list of songs to place at certain periods. Getting this wrong however can result in hilarious or disastrous consequences.

Star wars:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PpuXXpajuE

Crosscutting

Crosscutting

Crosscutting or parallel editing is when the editor mixes two events that are happening at the same time in different locations. It is used to establish suspense or to show events unfolding. It can also help build the scene up and make it more dramatic.

Example:
A little girl is skipping down the street.
A car is driving along the road, the driver is applying lipstick.
The girl crosses the street.
The driver gets close to the girl.
The little girl screams.
The driver sees the girl last second and swerves out of her way.
The car mounts the curb and smashes through the bridge.
It falls off the bridge and crashes into the water.
The little girl carries on skipping.

Inception:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmptU7vEkNU

American Sniper:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQgtu2rEGvM

Providing and withholding information

Providing and withholding information

An editor has the power to take information from the video files and add them later to create a surprise or twist in the story. This is to make a storyline seem like it is going one way and then turns it around.

This withheld information may not be viewed at the same time by the audience and the characters, meaning the characters might see something the audience won't. But when this hidden information is bought back in at the end then the story will make sense again.

Murder mysteries are good at withholding information until the killer is revealed. Although in some mystery tv shows, the audience is allowed to view the killer from the beginning. This gives the audience the upper hand to the detective.

M.Night Shyamalan's movies are typically like this, revealing twists at the end.

An example of providing information-

Alfred Hitchcock: "There's two people having breakfast and there's a bomb under the table. It it explodes, that's a surprise. But if it doesn't..."

Reverse shot

Reverse shot

The reverse shot or shot reverse shot is a technique usually used when there is dialogue between two characters and we see a shot of each of them. These shots will mostly be mid shot to close up.
During production, filmmakers will need to stick to the 180o rule and keep the cameras to one side or it will distort the viewers image on who is where.

In this scene we can see that the cameras stand just behind the second actor's shoulder and their line of sight crosses over each other.

It doesn't have to be just between two people, it can be between a person and a view, place, object or animal. As long as the cameras stay within the 180 degree line then the scene will make sense.

When placing the cameras over the 180 degree line the actor's eyeline will seem like they are looking in the same direction.

Point of view shot

Point of view shot

This type of shot shows the audience the perspective of the character or object. This shot will rarely be stabilised to seem more realistic.


Hardcore Henry is a movie that is shot all in first person so throughout the film the audience feel that they are the lead character.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTdvngWQwHU

Quentin Tarantino uses this shot in a few of his films, usually from in the trunk of a car.

Examples:
http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2016/10-movies-with-the-best-uses-of-point-of-view-shots/

POV shots can be from a person's or an object's point of view.

These shots will show what the person or object is looking at or pointing towards.

Cutaways

Cutaways

A cutaway is when two shots are edited together to show two different events happening simultaneously. There are several ways a cutaway can be used.

A character could be shown chatting to another and then look away or towards something such as an object, scenery or another person. This will be the cutaway.

• In the first shot we see the male character.
• The second shot we see the female character. 
• We then cut away to another shot away from the action.
• And then back to the male character.

It can be used to show actions happening to a different person or location but it will be at the same time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtKWxOgpQPs

Two storylines may be merged together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvUbv4iwbDs

A cutaway will be used to give the audience a small break from the main action and show a shot of something that will be happening at the same time.

Transitions

Transitions

There are many transitions an editor will use through her or his time as an editor. They will use these transitions to combine two or more shots and add to their project. The transition will show how one shot ends and another begins and how they merge together.

• Cut-

The cut is one of the most common used transitions. It is when one shot has finished and is immediately replaced with another. All full length movies involve using cuts, even movies such as 'Rope' or 'Birdman' have well hidden cuts in them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCU6eNU6cck

The cut is the most important transition used in film, it can make one simple shot look completely different depending on what other shot it has been mixed with. Lev Kuleshov, a soviet filmmaker, experimented with shots and made what is now called 'The Kuleshov Effect'. In his experiment Kuleshov found that if he put certain shots together he could achieve different reactions from the audience. He put together a shot of a man with three different shots of subjects, a coffin, a bowl of soup and a pretty woman. When shown to an audience, they remarked on how the man looked sad in the first shot, hungry in the second and lustful in the third.

Alfred Hitchcock-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCAE0t6KwJY

• Dissolve-
A dissolve will be used to show a gradual change from one shot to another. It can be used in many scenarios from dreamlike to note a change of place of time. Older classic movies used this transition often.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTPctDhOCzE


• Fade-

A fade happen most often at the beginning and/or the end of a scene. It will fade from black or white and at the end fade back. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k7DWeR1hfY

• Wipe-

The wipe, most commonly found in the 'Star Wars' films, is when one shot is replaces with a second as it swipes across the screen. Wipes are used for a change of scene or location. There are various types of wipe from, left to right and vice versa, centre wipe, clockwise wipe and many more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGqAu9gj_F0