Period 5 - Week 2 - Glossary of Editing terms

Glossary of editing terms

Continuity editing – This is a form of editing which maintains spatial relationships in a film – it makes the viewer aware of specific objects. It also allows the film to have a rhythm and shows action and reaction.

Transitions – this is how two shots are put together in a film. The most common is a straight cut, where one shot cuts straight to the next. It keeps a pace with the film.

Dissolve – this is a gradual transition from one shot to another – the first shot fades into the second shot.

It can help the continuity, and is often used to show a transition of locations or events in a passing time.

Fade to black/white – This is when one shot fades (gradually or quickly) to black or white. It creates a sense of time passing if done gradually, or if done quickly, is used for flashbacks.

Fade in/out – a shot is faded in from a blank screen or fades out to one. It shows progression of time or a sense of chaos. Is often used for a montage effect       often shows peace.

Cross-cutting – action cuts between two sequences to create links, parallels or contrasts between two storylines and their settings. It can create tension. Often used in action films.

Wipe – A line moves across the screen showing a transition from one shot to another. It is a signifier of change, can be in terms of location or time.

Jump cut – an abrupt cut between two shots. It is used to be dramatic, perhaps at the beginning or the end. It often looks poor if done badly!

Analysing editing – When analysing the way something is edited, three questions should be asked.

1. When does the shot change?
2. What is the effect of the editing?
3. How fast/slow is the editing?

Visual effects – this can range from using black and white images to a CGI (computer generated image). A lot of effects are used such as making a new film seem old using a graining effect or CCTV style image.

Digetic sound – this is heard on and recorded from the location of the film, for example speech or ambient sounds.

Non-digetic sound – this is added when the film is edited to add to atmosphere, such as sound effects or music.

Montage – Allowing the audience to make meaning from the sequencing of images. Also used to show passing of time and progression of a character or relationship.

Shot Reverse Shot – edits together two shots from two different camera positions to give an impression of a conversation taking place.

Match on action – When shots are edited together to shot how actions progress through time – shows cause and effect.

Mise-en-scene – means anything in the shot. Could be characters, outfits, props, or location. Consider where it is set and what does it tell us about genre?

Period 5 - Week 1 - Glossary of Media Terms

Glossary of Media Terms

Composition – where objects are placed or arranged in a shot.

Rule of thirds – when looking at a shot imagine a grid over the top of it – the points of interest are often when the lines cross. In the picture, the lines cross where the tussle is going.

Again in the picture on the left, the points of interests occur when the lines cross. This is called the Golden Mean.

Framing – this is what you choose to include in the shot and what you leave out. What you leave out can be more important, as in thriller films there is a lot left out to increase the tension.

Extreme Long Shot (ELS) – the subject is not clearly visible but it shows the surroundings of the subject. It shows the audience where the action is going to be taking place and can be good if said action is going to be widespread.

Long Shot (LS) – In this shot the subject of the picture takes up almost all of the shot – the person’s feet are almost at the bottom and the head is almost at the top. It is most often used to show the character in their environment, for example in this picture you can see he is sitting on a bench in front of a wall, possibly in a public place.

Mid shot (MS) – this shot shows the subject in some detail while still allowing the audience to see some surroundings. It’s almost like having a conversation as you focus on the top half of their body as the bottom is irrelevant. It is a good shot to have someone speaking without too much emotion. This is often used when you see someone making an announcement like on the news, and also allows for hand movements and gestures.

A medium close up is half way between a mid shot and a close up, and it shows the face more clearly without getting uncomfortably close to the subject.

Close up (CU) - makes the face or a part of the subject take up most of the frame, and is useful for taking up most of the frame. It emphasises their emotional state and shares the feelings with the viewer.

Extreme Close Up (ECU) - used to get right in and show much more detail. There would have to be a specific reason to come in this close, for example reaction to dramatic scenes, or to show important detail on a subject.

Cutaway (CA) – A cutaway shot is one that is used to show something other than the current action. It could be a different subject or a close up of a different part of the subject. It is used as a buffer between shots or to add interest/information.

Two shot - A two shot is mostly used to show a relationship between two people, like in this picture. If you see two news presenters together then they are going to be co-hosts. If they are next to each other it normally implies that they will equally contribute to the scene.

It is a good way to follow interaction between people without getting distracted by their surroundings.

An Over the Shoulder shot is framed behind one person who is looking at the subject. The person who you see from behind normally takes up about 1/3 of the shot so you’re still able to see them clearly. It establishes the expression and feelings of the other person being looked at and quite often is cut from view to view during a conversation.

A Noddy Shot is common in interviews; it shows a person listening to the subject. It is also common in an interview to take videos of the listener nodding to keep the fluidity of the interview fairly clean.

Point of view shot – this is used to show what the subject can see and there is often a clear indication of this, for example in this picture, the biker’s hand.

Low angle shot – it is taken from below the subject looking up at it. It gives a scale of power, size or authority. It makes the viewer feel inferior.

High angle shot – it is taken from above the subject and gives them a sense of inferiority, it puts the viewer in a position of power and superiority.

A pan shot is used to show the subject moving along; it gives the viewer a sense of particular action and speed. It always tends to go from left to right and is mostly done on a tripod to give a smooth movement.

A tracking shot is a camera that moves on a dolly and follows the subject. Like a pan, it also gives a sense of moving with the action or the speed.

Tilt – a tilt is when the camera pans up and down on a particular shot, it gives a sense of size and height.

Dutch angle shot – it is not straight towards the subject, and it often gives a sense of chaos, insanity or things being out of the ordinary.

Arial shot – The camera is positioned in a plane or helicopter to get an extra long shot/high angle shot. It gives a sense of location, scale and size. 

Crane shot – The camera takes a high angle shot looking down on the subject. The crane can track, pan and tilt.

Psycho Shower Scene Assignment

Media lesson - 09/09/2011

The lesson today was more of a taster introduction to the course that we are going to be doing, a basic start to the AS Level of Media.

First we were given the sheet to show us how the lessons would be planned out and some of the expectations in terms of time frames for the things we would have to do in the lessons to follow. I now know alot of the tasks ahead of me and can plan my time both inside and out of the lesson accordingly.

After this we learned some of the theory behind media and some detail behind film. We covered nearly all of the camera angles that we are (hopefully) going to use in all of the practical films we create. Most of them I had heard of before but was interested in the one I hadn't used or heard of in the past.

In the lesson before we had learned alot about different genres of films and had taken notes about them. A list of genres is as follows:

Romance

Comedy

Zombie

RomCom

RomComZom

Horror

Thriller

Fantasy

Sci-fi

Western

Fiction

Slasher (such as scream)

Anime

Musical

Documentary

Gangster

I had not heard of some of these. In today's lesson we summarised everything we had learned in the lesson before and the lesson today.

A short analysis of perfection, or the closest thing yet!

The Dark Knight - probably rated as one of the greatest thrillers of all time. A film that is so much more than a  movie based on a comic book. Drama, action, horror and dark humour all included to create a stunning 150 minute wonder to the eyes; or something to hide from depending on your tastes! 


Brilliantly written, perfectly timed and exquisitely performed, this flick has something to cater to the likes of every fan you can imagine. 





In the above image you can see all of the conventions that make the perfect thriller. What comes to mind when you think of such a film? Dark or contrasting colours that bring the word 'scary' to the mind are oozing from this film in both appearance and name. 


Of course there are some things you won't get from just looking at a picture, you'll see everything typical done in a new and pioneering way! From start to finish you'll see everything.


When you first watch the film you'll be watching a traditional film - titles done in white over a black screen with some incredibly non-diegetic music that forces you onto the edge of your seat: a position you'll probably be sitting in for the duration of the film. Similarly in movies such as Se7en you'll see alot of close ups combined with high and low angle shots. Straight away you'll know who the good guys and the bad guys are, in case you didn't already know!


Editing and sound are probably the next biggest conventions that make this film a thriller. Disconcerting music that certainly sets you on edge and creates the atmosphere thriller fans are accustomed to. The editing is enthralling because of the jump cuts leaving some events to the imagination - multiple things going on at once that we're unaware of. This, however, doesn't mean you won't be treated to the uniqueness we look for in modern cinematics. These techniques are often used to define relationships between characters and motives for action, which is a massive part of how the film plays. 


Traditional yet different, simple yet complex, conventional yet unique - everything imaginable inside a little over two hours.