Unit 16 - History of editing

Editing impacts in filming 


Edwin porter 

The Great Train Robbery not only was the first narrative film it also introduced several new editing techniques. For example, rather than staying on one set Edwin Porter took his crew to ten different locations. Edwin Porter had also included a scene in which he panned the camera to follow the characters as they ran across a creek and into the trees to fetch their horses. Another editing technique Edwin Porter introduced in The Great Train Robbery was crosscutting. Edwin Porter had made a big impact on the audience when it was released, as people had never seen anything like this before. It became a popular movie and entertained the audience, as the scenes were shocking to them seeing this.  Edison had made such an impact for his audiences as he was able to engage his audience into films as a story would from from these cuts.

D.W Griffith 

D.W Griffith realised that emotions can be portrayed though camera angles and pace of editing. He realised it wasn’t just the actors that could make the audience feel emotions when watching. The effect this had on the audience was because he found this out he could make them feel different emotions when they were watching films. This is because films at the time only usually used long shot. However D.W Griffith introduces close up were he showed his audience the actors/actresses face which made a big impact as he could make movies more entreating with the close up shot. D.W Griffth also introduced another editing technique was parallel editing or cross cutting in his film the brith of a nation were he constantly cuts between scenes to heighten tension. This made it more entertaining for audience as it would excite them to know what would happen in the movie and keep them on the edge of their seats wanting to know what happens. 

Sergei Eisenstein

Sergei Eisenstein was that he was the first ever director/editor to create and produce a propaganda film which he was Known for his use of montage, Eisenstein was capable of directing audience emotions through juxtaposition of images that would collectively bear a given meaning. This is one of the most celebrated scenes in the film is the massacre of civilians on the Odessa Steps. This scene has been described as one of the most influential in the history of cinema, because it introduced concepts of film editing and montage to cinema. That scene was a dramatic effect and made the audience tense in anticipation for what would happen.

Jean luc Godard 

Jean Luc Godard is known for his movie Breathless which is known for its style of editing, which made the jump cut popular and acceptable. Films at the time were expected to follow a smooth way of editing, with every cut following a pattern. However, Godard used unexpected, quick jumps in editing. Jean Godard made use of jump cuts when the actor Michel passes a lot of cars on the road. The audience are then given a POV shot from his point of view on the street were quickly passing car there after car were. Jean Godard then shows us the same action over and over again, without fluidity or polish which gives the audience a thrill as its something new for them to see as it was something different from what the other movies were doing at the time. 



Alfred Hitchcock 

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho was the most famous murder scene due to Hitchcock using fast cut editing, montage cutting and inter cutting of slow motion. The famous shower scene in Psycho uses montage to hide the violence. You never see the knife penetrating the girl. The impression of violence is done with quick editing, and the killing takes place inside the viewer's head rather than the screen. The effect this had on the audience was suspense on the scene and waiting in anticipation to end up scaring them even if they didn’t see the murder they will jump in fright.