OCR GCSE Media Studies

Guide to editing

 

 

Shot/reverse shot: almost always used during

a conversation to cut from one character to the

other. In the clip below from Lord of the Rings,

shot/reverse shot is used to create the illusion

of Gollum having an argument with himself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Juxtaposition: the ordering of shots to communicate meaning. See below…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Montage: this is often used to show the passing of time; for example, action adventures films often use montages when the protagonist is going through a period of training/planning ahead of facing the antagonist. But montage also just refers to many brief shots being edited together in quick succession, such as the famous example below from Pyscho.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-continuity editing: editing that does not follow the usual rules of clear storytelling. Examples could include cutting between seemingly unrelated events. See right (Luis Bunuel film) for a famously bizarre example.

 

Crosscutting: this is where the editors cut between

two or more locations to show the audience what is

happening. A famous example is the crosscutting in

Inception (right). Often it is used in action adventure

to establish dramatic irony, such as when we crosscut

between the antagonist setting some of trap and

the protagonist heading straight for it (or vice versa).

 

 

 

 

Slow and fast-paced editing: this is determined by the frequency of the cuts. Often, during an exciting action sequence, the editing becomes faster paced.

 

Dissolve cut: a type of transition

where one shot ‘dissolves’ into the next.

 

Wipe cut: a transition in which

the next shot ‘wipes’ in front

of the current shot. (See Star Wars scene

wipes video - far right)

 

Fade: a transition where

the shot fades to black or

white (or any colour).

 

 

 

 

 

Post-production effects: the most obvious being slow motion and CGI.