Film and Video Editing Theory: How Editing Creates Meaning

Description

Film and Video Editing Theory offers an accessible, introductory guide to the practices used to create meaning through editing. In this book, Michael Frierson synthesizes the theories of the most prominent film editors and scholars, from Herbert Zettl, Sergei Eisenstein, and Noël Burch to the work of landmark Hollywood editors like Walter Murch and Edward Dmytryk. In so doing, he maps out a set of craft principles for readers, whether one is debating if a flashback reveals too much, if a certain cut clarifies or obscures the space of a scene, or if a shot needs to be trimmed. The book is grounded in the unity of theory and practice, looking beyond technical proficiency in a specific software to explain to readers how and why certain cuts work or don’t work. Cover Title Copyright Dedication Contents List of Figures Preface Acknowledgments 1 Herbert Zettl, Approaches to Building Screen Space and Vectors Approaches to Building Screen Space Graphic Vectors and Index Vectors: Continuity and Discontinuity 180° Rule: Continuity at the Production Stage Motion Vectors: Continuing, Converging A Special Case: Continuity with Z-axis Index Vectors and Z-axis Motion Vectors Broader Views for Building Screen Space Ways of Looking: Looking at, Looking into, Creating an Event Inductive Versus Deductive Approaches to Building Screen Space Deductive Versus Inductive Sequencing and Screen Resolution Conclusion 2 Noël Burch, PMR Versus IMR and Continuity Editing in a 5 × 3 Matrix IMR versus PMR Edwin S. Porter and the PMR Découpage and Burch's Matrix The Temporal Axis: Temporal Relations between Outgoing Shot A and Incoming Shot B Temporal Continuity Temporal Reversal Temporal Ellipsis The Flashforward: A Relatively Rare Occurrence The Spatial Axis: Spatial Relations between Outgoing Shot A and Incoming Shot B Applying Burch's Matrix to Welles and Scorsese Conclusion 3 Hollywood Theorists: Edward Dmytryk and Walter Murch Edward Dmytryk Six Rules for The Ideal Cut Walter Murch: Six Criteria for the Ideal Cut March and Blink Theory Conclusion: The Tradition of Dymtryk and Murch 4 David Bordwell, the Narrative Functions of Continuity Editing and Intensified Continuity Neoformalism Versus Interpretation: Building on Russian Formalism Story Construction Editing and Canonic Hollywood Narration The Temporal Order of Narrative Events Case A: Simultaneous Events, Simultaneous Presentation Case B: Successive Events, Simultaneous Presentation Case C: Simultaneous Events, Successive Presentation Case D: Successive Events, Successive Presentation Narrative Functions of Manipulating Temporal Order The Frequency of Narrative Events The Duration of Narrative Events Equivalence: FD = SYD = SCD Reduction: Ellipsis FD > SYD and SYD = SCD Reduction: Compression (Fast Motion) FD = SYD and both FD and SYD > SCD Expansion: Insertion FD < SYD and SYD = SCD Expansion: Dilation (Slow motion) FD = SYD and both SYD and FD < SCD Using Slow Motion for Violence Bordwell on Intensified Continuity Conclusion 5 Eisenstein and Montage Eisenstein's Contemporaries Dziga Vertov (1896-1954) Lev Kuleshov (1899-1970) Vsevolod I. Pudovkin (1893-1953) Pudovkin Versus Eisenstein What is "Montage"? Six Usages of the Word "Montage" Eisenstein's Early Theorizing: The Attraction and Seizing the Spectator Eisenstein's Later Work: Making Films and Theorizing in the Age of Stalin Eisenstein's Later Theorizing and Vertical Montage Conclusion 6 Realism and André Bazin Early Life, Philosophical Influences and Ciné Clubs Theorizing Film Bazin on Rossellini and Paisan Bazin on De Sica and Bicycle Thieves Bazin on Welles and Citizen Kane Bazin on Welles and The Magnificent Ambersons Bazin on Renoir Conclusion 7 Dream and Ritual: Andrei Tarkovsky and Maya Deren Andrei Tarkovsky Tarkovsky and Time Pressure Maya Deren Maya Deren and Meshes of the Afternoon Conclusion 8 Rhythmic and Graphic Editing Rhythmic Relations in Editing Music: Internal or External Rhythm? External Rhythm: Cutting Rhythm and the Decrease in Average Shot Length Factors that Control Internal Rhythm Internal Rhythm: Tempo of the Action Internal Rhythm: Pattern of Movement and Lens Usage Internal Rhythm: Camera Placement Internal Rhythm: Scope of the Shot Internal Rhythm: Camera Movement Internal Rhythm: Color Internal Rhythm: Repeated Forms External Rhythm: Modification by Transitions External Rhythm: Dissolves External Rhythm: Fades External Rhythm: Wipe External Rhythm: The Iris Graphic Relations in Editing Conclusion Glossary Index