contents contents
full screenprintcontentsfull screenprintEDITING
34 VIDEOMAKER >>> NOVEMBER 2019
There’s a science behind our art
that’s based on theories postu-
lated throughout cinematic his-
tory. We’ll learn that history,
the terms of the craft and how
to put them into practice in
your own editing work.
“stop trick,” in which you stop the
camera, change something and start
up again, thus making it seem like
objects appear and disappear. He also
experimented with other techniques
like hand-painting frames, multiple
exposures and time lapse. Méliès was
a fi rm believer that fi lms could use a
series of tableaus, or complete scenes
captured in single shots, to form lon-
ger stories. “Linked tableaus” as they
were referred to, were scenes placed
in progression to connect events. His
1898 short, “A Trip to the Moon,”
incorporates these ideas. Building onIn the earliest days of cinema, when
fi lm was new, no one clearly per-
ceived the options and limitations of
the genre. The camera was placed in
an optimal position to capture activity
and then turned on. Cinematogra-
phers quickly realized, however, that
the camera could provide more than
just one perspective without confus-
ing the audience. The camera could
be moved and irrelevant moments
could be dropped. Both time and
space could be compressed. But what
worked and what didn’t? What felt
right and why? Let’s look at the evolu-
tion of editing theories and what they
mean to us today.Evolution of editing theory
George Méliès was an early fi lm
cinematographer and theorist. Many
recognize him for discovering theAn editing theory primer
by Peter Zunitchthis concept were artists like Edwin
S. Porter, who learned to tell multiple
stories at the same time and cross-
cut between them, forming a larger,
overarching plot. The 1903 short “The
Great Train Robbery” uses simultane-
ous action to show what’s going on in
two places at the same time.
By 1910-20, the fi lm bug had spread
across Europe and Asia, giving rise in
particular to a massive movement in
Russia. Lev Kuleshov and others like
him broke down the scene into mon-
tages of smaller shots, all different and
yet related. This allowed the viewer toAs cinema developed, filmmakers developed longer narratives conveyed through linked tableaus. Films like Méliès’ “Trip to the Moon”
may seem simplistic today, but these were the first steps in understanding the powers and possibilities of editing.390 C01 Editing.indd 34 9/24/19 2:18 PMEDITING
EDITING NOVEMBER 2019
VIDEOMAKER >>> NOVEMBER 2019 35
An editing theory primer
by Peter Zunitchapproach the action from many angles at once
and thus gain greater of insight into the story.
Kuleshov found that the audience could be
emotionally manipulated through the planned
juxtaposition of shots, but how the information
was presented changed the perception of the
individual shots as well. Viewers would interpret
the look on a man’s face differently depending
on what shots were placed next to it. We refer to
this phenomenon as the Kuleshov Effect.
Vsevolod Pudovkin would later postulate
that there are essentially fi ve types of mon-
tage possible, each revealing different mean-
ing to the viewer. Cuts for contrast join one
shot against a dramatically different shot so
the viewer compares them. Cuts for parallel-
ism connect one shot or scene with another
that has similar elements so the viewer draws
a connection between both instances. Cuts
for symbolism present instances where an
item or feeling in one shot is used to explain,
emphasize or clarify an item or feeling in an-
other scene. Simultaneity is when two events
that are taking place at the same time are
intertwined. Finally, Leitmotif is the practice
of cutting between related concepts so that a
theme emerges among them. Pudovkin’s fi lm,
“Mother” (1926), is an important classic often
used to illustrate these theories.
At this point it’s obvious that there’s more
meaning to editing than just placing shots next
to each other. Sergei Eisenstein argues that
shots and scenes each contain their own ideas,
concepts and feelings, but when strategically
placed against one another, the viewer is able to
deduce a third and entirely new meaning. This
concept, which he termed the intellectual mon-
tage is well represented by “Battleship Potem-
kin,” which he made in 1925.In contrast to these artistic Russian postu-
lates, another philosophical movement took
place mainly in France and Italy arguing that
the best way to approach the true context is to
show as much as possible without interference.
That way, the viewer can draw their conclusionsfrom a more realistic perspective. Theorist and
critic André Bazin was part of this movement
and a fi rm believer of the long take, an editing
approach which fundamentally contrasts with
montage. His approach meant that the camera
should essentially act as the eyes of a neutral
viewer, and yet still portray the fi lmmaker’s
meaning. François Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows”
(1959) is a prime representation of this philoso-Montage in Sergei Eisenstein’s “Battleship Potemkin” constructs meaning out of disparate elements. The relentless onslaught of the sol-
diers marching down the steps into the unarmed citizenry is rhythmic and machine like, while the woman’s face is connected with that
of the lion, which, in the edited sequence, seems to rise up with the city against the injustice of oppression.THE MODERN MASTER
Edward Dmytryk (1908 - 1999) is considered an editing and direct-
ing legend in the film industry, and his book “On Film Editing”
is considered essential reading in most film schools today. In it,
he postulates that there’s only one perfect place to edit a shot,
and puts forth his seven rules of film editing. It’s true that he was
focusing on editing film and not video, and thus some of his state-
ments are less important today than others. Nevertheless his
theories are still considered essential knowledge in editing, and
indeed, they integrate seamlessly into the ideas we’ve discussed in
this article.IT’S OBVIOUS THAT THERE’S
MORE MEANING TO EDITING
THAN THE SIMPLE SEQUENCING
OF EVENTS.390 C01 Editing.indd 35 9/24/19 2:18 PM