Unit 12 brief
Secondary research about my specialism
First use of film editing
The first use of film editing to create continuity, which involves moving from one scene to another, is attributed to British film pioneer R.W.Paul's film come along do!
In the first shot, a couple are eating their lunch outside an exhibition. The couple then notice people gathering inside the gallery, so they decide to follow. The second shot, showed the man taking a large interest in a nude statue, until he is pulled away by his wife. referenceMichael Brooke. (N/A). Come Along, Do! (1898). Available: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/444430/. Last accessed 18th Sep 2017.
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35mm, black and white, silent, 80 feet (surviving fragment)
Director: R.W.Paul |
Film editing technology
The initial editing of all films, before the widespread use of non-linear editing systems, was done with a positive copy of the film negative called a film work print.
This consisted of physically cutting and pasting together pieces of film. Strips of footage would be hand cut and attached together with tape and then later in time, glue.`
This consisted of physically cutting and pasting together pieces of film. Strips of footage would be hand cut and attached together with tape and then later in time, glue.`
History and development of editing (timeline)
Beginning of editing in Motion Picture
January 1900: Actualities was the name for the very first films produced. They consisted of short, single-shot films using a stationary camera, viewing a scene without any kind of editing. |
Le Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip To The Moon)
1902: This was a 14 minute science fiction film which was ground-breaking in it's time. With 30 separate scenes, it was one of the earliest experiments in film. It included illusionary cinematic 'editing' techniques (trick photography with superimposed images, dissolves and jump cuts). |
The life of an American Fireman
1903: Edwin s.Porter helped move film production toward narrative story, including 'The life of an American Fireman'. This was the first realistic (or documentary) with continuity editing. Features included, overlapping action and cross cutting editing, |
First animated cartoon
March 1908: Émile Cohl's short black and white film, 'Fantasmagorie' is composed of 700 drawings that illuminated on a glass plate. He photographed black lines on white paper and then reversed the negative to make it look like chalk on a blackboard. |
Psycho
1960: Alfred Hitcock's film 'Psycho' was famous for its well known brutal shower murder scene. It was the most famous murder scene ever filmed. The scene took a week to complete, using fast-cut editing of 78 pieces of film, 70 camera setups, a naked stand-in model in a 45-second impressionistic montage sequence, involving the inter-cutting of slow-motion and regular speed footage. |
Apocalypse Now
1979: Francis Ford Coppola's visually beautiful, ground-breaking masterpiece with surrealistic and symbolic sequences, detailed the confusion, violence, fear, and nightmarish madness of the Vietnam War. |
reference
Daniel cardoso. (N/A). HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF EDITING KEY DATES. Available: http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/362918/History-and-Development-of-Editing-Key-dates/. Last accessed 18th Sep 2017.
Film COLOURISATION
The birth of Technicolor in 1915 is remembered as a decisive event in the history of coloured films. Founded by Herbert Kalmus, it introduced film-makers to the two-colour subtractive process, where two negatives capturing red and green lights were placed back to back.
Warner Bros used it in 1929 for On With The Show! and other studios started to follow suit, but the lack of quality in release-printing and its cost halted Technicolor’s rise. Consequently in 1932, it released a three-strip process where two 35mm strips of black and white film negatives, one sensitive to blue and the other to red, ran together through an aperture behind a magenta filter. A separate strip allowed the green light to pass through behind a green filter. The lights were divided through a prism and refracted by mirrors through the different filters, all in a single camera. One of the biggest problems studios like Warner bros faced while using Technicolor was to to produce enough light. Keeping the lighting consistent was a complex matter, it needed a brighter lighting and a narrower latitude Reference
Rachel Elfassy Bitoun. (2015). A History of Colour Film. Available: https://the-artifice.com/history-of-colour-film/. Last accessed 19th sep 2017. |
Montage
Kulshov effect
It all started when the Russian director Lev Kuleshov realised that an actors expression wasn't enough to convey an specific idea, therefore juxtaposed must. The 'Kulshov' effect was then introduced which meant inter cutting shots of faces with related images to create an emotional response in his audience. This technique changed the way film integrated time and space and evolved in the 'montage' we know today. Modern Montage Montages today are an evolution of the 'Soviet Montage experiment' of editing. |
The kulshov effect has been used in many films since the 1910s in films such as 'Shame'. There is an iconic scene in this film on the subway where Brandon's (Micheal Fassbender) unflinching stares exudes a women sitting across from him on the subway. The emotional impact is intensified by using the 'Kuleshov effect' to convey deep emotions through editing. The 'Kuleshov effect' is a phenomenon by which viewers obtain more meaning from two sequential shots instead of the single shot.
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REferences
N/a. (2016). Movie movements that defined cinema: Soviet Montage.Available: https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/soviet-montage-movie-era/. Last accessed 17th Oct 2017.
N/A. (N/A). The Kuleshov Experiment. Available: http://www.elementsofcinema.com/editing/kuleshov-effect.html. Last accessed 19th Oct 2017.
N/A. (N/A). The Kuleshov Experiment. Available: http://www.elementsofcinema.com/editing/kuleshov-effect.html. Last accessed 19th Oct 2017.
PRoductions
Apocalypse Now
The editing in Apocalypse Now had a huge impact in illustrating this bizarre and unique story. While the story increasingly approaches insanity, the editing techniques used, eloquently maintains a sense of structure and cohesion from start to finish. An example of an editing technique used in his film is during the cavalry helicopter attack. The sequence begins with a dramatic jump cut from the noisy music blaring helicopters to the quite and peaceful village square. As the attack continues, there are many examples of parallel editing, including inter-cutting. One of the most widely used techniques in this movie is dissolve, which helped establish unity between various aspects of certain scenes. With the help of dissolves, the specific documents and photographs are smoothly transitioned with Willard’s eyes so that the audience can observe his reactions to his voice-over thoughts. |
The wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz wasn't the first film made in colour, but was the first to prove that colour could add fantasy and draw audiences to theatres, despite it's release during the Great Depression. Technicolor filming required very bright lights while filming on set, and MGM over a quarter of a million dollars on electricity alone. Scenery and costume designers were encouraged to use as much colour as possible to take full advantage of the expense format and to emphasise the difference from the use of sepia tone at the beginning in Kansas and the fantasy world of Oz. Despite being an early film, the Wizard of Oz employed the use of different unique editing techniques. First, and most notably, just the absence of colour in the beginning (and ending) of the movie help to set the mood and overall feeling for Dorothy when she is in Kansas, and the issues and lack of ‘colour’ that she faces there. Different types of editing transitions are used throughout the movie, mostly the dissolve and fade in-out type. However, a unique type of transition, or it could even be considered a cross-cut (as it shows events occurring at the same time but in two different locations), is used as well. |
Reference
Ryan Lintelman. (2010). The Technicolor World of Oz. Available: http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2010/06/the-technicolor-world-of-oz.html. Last accessed 19th sep 2017.
Christopher Sands. (2015). Eloquent Editing: A Movie Analysis of Apocalypse Now. Available: http://vcvoices.org/2015/04/eloquent-editing-a-movie-analysis-of-apocalypse-now/. Last accessed 19th sep 2017.
stephyski. (2010). The Wizard of Oz – Editing Techniques. Available: https://mvccfilm.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/thewizardofoz/. Last accessed 18th Oct 2017.
Ryan Lintelman. (2010). The Technicolor World of Oz. Available: http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2010/06/the-technicolor-world-of-oz.html. Last accessed 19th sep 2017.
Christopher Sands. (2015). Eloquent Editing: A Movie Analysis of Apocalypse Now. Available: http://vcvoices.org/2015/04/eloquent-editing-a-movie-analysis-of-apocalypse-now/. Last accessed 19th sep 2017.
stephyski. (2010). The Wizard of Oz – Editing Techniques. Available: https://mvccfilm.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/thewizardofoz/. Last accessed 18th Oct 2017.
development and technology of editing
In Camera Editing
In camera editing was used before they had editing, this meant that they had to film the shots they wanted in sequence and when this was done the production process was usually left out.
In camera editing was created by the Lumiere Brothers. Before anyone could film using this technique, they would have to plan their shots in advance because there was no editing available.
The introduction of offline editing
It all changed when offline editing became common in the 1980s. Offline editing was basically a case of recording from one machine to another. This meant that it was a linear process (to change two shots around or to trim a couple of frames off a shot in a sequence).
Liberation of non- linear
Non-linear editing is a method that allows you to access any frame in a digital video clip regardless of sequence in the clip. The freedom to access any frame, and use a cut-and-paste method, similar to the cutting and pasting text in a word processor, and allows you to easily include fades, transitions, and other effects that cannot be achieved with linear editing.
When using modern editing platforms, processed negatives are scanned to become digital files. When doing it the old school way, processed negatives are used to print the rushes using positive film print (also called the workprint or the cutting copy).
There was a technological development in America, created in 1924 by Iwan Serrurier, the Moviola was introduced. His original concept in 1917 initially intended the Moviola as a home movie projector to be sold to the general public. The Moviola cost around $600 in those days during its release in the 1920s. It was too expensive for the regular consumer so not many people bought them. An editor at Douglas Fairbanks Studios suggested to Iwan that his invention can be more useful if redesigned to service film editors. By 1924, the editing machine called Moviola was born.
Today, most films are edited digitally (on systems such as Avid or Final Cut Pro) and bypass the film positive work print altogether. In the past, the use of a film positive (not the original negative) allowed the editor to do as much experimenting as he or she wished, without the risk of damaging the original.
In camera editing was used before they had editing, this meant that they had to film the shots they wanted in sequence and when this was done the production process was usually left out.
In camera editing was created by the Lumiere Brothers. Before anyone could film using this technique, they would have to plan their shots in advance because there was no editing available.
The introduction of offline editing
It all changed when offline editing became common in the 1980s. Offline editing was basically a case of recording from one machine to another. This meant that it was a linear process (to change two shots around or to trim a couple of frames off a shot in a sequence).
Liberation of non- linear
Non-linear editing is a method that allows you to access any frame in a digital video clip regardless of sequence in the clip. The freedom to access any frame, and use a cut-and-paste method, similar to the cutting and pasting text in a word processor, and allows you to easily include fades, transitions, and other effects that cannot be achieved with linear editing.
When using modern editing platforms, processed negatives are scanned to become digital files. When doing it the old school way, processed negatives are used to print the rushes using positive film print (also called the workprint or the cutting copy).
There was a technological development in America, created in 1924 by Iwan Serrurier, the Moviola was introduced. His original concept in 1917 initially intended the Moviola as a home movie projector to be sold to the general public. The Moviola cost around $600 in those days during its release in the 1920s. It was too expensive for the regular consumer so not many people bought them. An editor at Douglas Fairbanks Studios suggested to Iwan that his invention can be more useful if redesigned to service film editors. By 1924, the editing machine called Moviola was born.
Today, most films are edited digitally (on systems such as Avid or Final Cut Pro) and bypass the film positive work print altogether. In the past, the use of a film positive (not the original negative) allowed the editor to do as much experimenting as he or she wished, without the risk of damaging the original.
Reference
N/A. (2010). Old School Film Editing Machines: Moviola and Steenbeck.Available: https://itchyfish.com/old-school-film-editing-machines-moviola-and-steenbeck/. Last accessed 20th sep 2017.
N/A. (2010). Old School Film Editing Machines: Moviola and Steenbeck.Available: https://itchyfish.com/old-school-film-editing-machines-moviola-and-steenbeck/. Last accessed 20th sep 2017.
Editing today
But the past 20 or so years has also seen the rise of "digital editing" (also called nonlinear editing), which makes any kind of editing easier. The notion of editing film on video originated when films were transferred to video for television viewing. Then filmmakers used video to edit their work more quickly and less expensively than they could on film. The task of cleanly splicing together video clips was then taken over by computers using advanced graphics programs that could then also perform various special effects functions. Finally, computers convert digital images back into film or video. These digital cuts are a very far cry from Méliè's editing in the camera.
Green screen - 1940
Early digital compositing started in the 1940s with the 'travelling matte' - a process that was used to superimpose backdrops with actors performing against a blank, coloured wall. These screens’ colours have changed throughout the decades, but the process and effect have remained the same. It is a time-consuming technique in which a scene is filmed against the colour green screen, then re-filmed with a filter on the lens that removes all the coloured (green) areas of the film.Lastly, the layers are composited together in a final recording by laying them over each other one frame at a time. It allowed actors to be 'anywhere in the world' and also create optical illusions, while saving production costs. Avengers The production process: Jason Smith (who worked on the digital creation of NYC at legendary visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic) said that the first step they took was they got a map of New York and decided on which buildings they would see in the movie and which streets they would see characters like Iron Man fly down. They then sent four teams of staff to New York for eight weeks to shoot the photography needed for the movie. They managed to shoot 275,000 photos, which they then used to create a VB sphere. A VB sphere is a 'virtual reality background' sphere. It's the same as a 360 street view that you can look around in all directions. They captured the shots in high resolution, and then got to work on creating a digital city. |
Camera rigs: the dolly and Steadicam
The steadicam had the smoothness of a dolly camera, but with the freedom of hand-held shooting. Effectively a rig that places the camera on more than one point on the human body, the steadicam utilises the cameraman’s back, shoulders and chest/stomach to support the camera as well as his hands. Camera advancements Drones As camera gear is getting smaller and lighter, aerial filming isn't always including helicopters and static cranes. Production companies are increasingly using drones to get those shots that require dramatic panoramas, action sequences, 360 view of subjects and bird's eye views. Chappie In the film Chappie drones have been used intensively. The camera was used as a POV of one of the robot characters. That scene was filmed using his drone, and while this shot (impossible to take with a helicopter) would have been traditionally done on a cable camera, the quadcopter gave the shot a greater sense of speed and organic movement. |
REferences
UNA HENNESSY. (2016). Drones In Movies: 7 Hollywood Movies Filmed With Drones. Available: https://skytango.com/drones-in-movies-7-hollywood-movies-filmed-with-drones/. Last accessed 18th Oct 2017.
Adam Tanswell . (2012). 'Marvel Avengers Assemble': Behind the scenes on the blockbuster's VFX. Available: http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/the-avengers/feature/a404869/marvel-avengers-assemble-behind-the-scenes-on-the-blockbusters-vfx/. Last accessed 17th Oct 2017.
Adam Tanswell . (2012). 'Marvel Avengers Assemble': Behind the scenes on the blockbuster's VFX. Available: http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/the-avengers/feature/a404869/marvel-avengers-assemble-behind-the-scenes-on-the-blockbusters-vfx/. Last accessed 17th Oct 2017.
Documentary
Evaluation
Development
My chosen specialism was editing. Throughout my research on my specialism, I have learnt many things. I learnt about the first films ever created to give me an overview of how film started. For example, In 1888, Louis Le Prince directed the very first motion picture film called the "Roundhap Garden scene". This was only 2 seconds long but this revolutionized the cinema world and more and more short films were created. I then went on to research the first use of editing in film and came across British film pioneer R.W.Paul who made the first film with continuity editing called come along do! It involved moving one shot to the other. In the first shot, a couple are eating their lunch outside an exhibition. The couple then notice people gathering inside the gallery, so they decide to follow. The second shot, showed the man taking a large interest in a nude statue, until he is pulled away by his wife. I later went on to researching the technology of editing and how it has developed. I discovered that the initial editing of all films, before the widespread use of non-linear editing systems, was done with a positive copy of the film negative called a film work print. This consisted of physically cutting and pasting together pieces of film. Strips of footage would be hand cut and attached together with tape and then later in time glued. Once I got an understanding of the history behind editing, i then went on to look a some film productions with good uses of editing. One film which uses incredible techniques to make it one of the best films of all time is Apocalypse Now. There was one particular scene which caught my eye, and that was the helicopter attack. Francis Ford Coppola starts the sequence with a dramatic jump cut from the noisy music blaring helicopters to the quite and peaceful village square. As the attack continues, there are many examples of parallel editing, including inter-cutting. I think this scene is very thought provoking because it shows two sides of the story (and the war) in a matter of seconds using the dramatic jump cut.
I think that the research I have found will help me develop more and i will have a much better understanding when it comes to my own productions because I can use elements of editing techniques that i have found, in my productions. I feel i will also be more confident when it comes to shooting scenes and how i will be able to transition from one scene to another because I have researched films which use a variety of techniques which i think i could adapt to my work in the future.
My next step using the information that i have found is to adapt certain aspects into my FMP because i have a strong, confident feel of the types of editing techniques that are being used and also how these techniques can change viewers emotions which i personally feel is something very important in film production. I also want to widen my knowledge above and beyond editing to create something that will look professional, effective and something which nobody has seen before.
I think that the research I have found will help me develop more and i will have a much better understanding when it comes to my own productions because I can use elements of editing techniques that i have found, in my productions. I feel i will also be more confident when it comes to shooting scenes and how i will be able to transition from one scene to another because I have researched films which use a variety of techniques which i think i could adapt to my work in the future.
My next step using the information that i have found is to adapt certain aspects into my FMP because i have a strong, confident feel of the types of editing techniques that are being used and also how these techniques can change viewers emotions which i personally feel is something very important in film production. I also want to widen my knowledge above and beyond editing to create something that will look professional, effective and something which nobody has seen before.
feedback response
I personally think that my documentary could do with some changes such as the music being a little too loud and also my voice in this production is a little too low. However, I personally think that i have included appropriate film clips to do with editing such as the helicopter scene from 'Apocalypse Now'. I don't feel as if i did cover all aspects of editing such as the advancements and developments due to the lack of research but i feel confident that i had a strong narration which was relevant to the clips and photos that i used. I also do need to work on sound balance as they were not exactly on point and i could have maybe changed the music to something more soothing and ambient. I did also end quite abruptly and at a strange point in the documentary. Next time i will include a short conclusion to make sure that my production is consistent throughout and so that the audience feel comfortable and satisfied after watching.