Editing

Editing is the process of going through all of the footage that has been made and placing it in the order desired, joining it all together. There are two areas that are the main focuses: speed and style.

Speed

In a film each scene could last for a few seconds or minutes. The time of the shot may vary according to what the mood of the film is making. If the pace of the film is heightened with quick editing this illustrates suspense and frequent action taking place. The scene shots will change frequently also, this speed of editing occurs mostly with thrillers and action films, for example The Avengers Assemble and The Bourne Ultimatum. 

If a more chilled mood is wanted, the scene will be considerably longer with less cuts and not so frequent scene changes. This speed of editing occurs widely with romantic comedies, for example (500) Days of Summer and Crazy, Stupid Love. 

Style

The transition from one scene to the next can be conducted in different ways.

Straight Cut

Most common when trying to subtly change from one shot to the next. Straight cuts are not acknowledged  by the audience, which helps maintain a sense of reality.  

Dissolve
This is when one shot fades out while the other shot gradually fades in. The audience is able to see both shots in one frame at the mid point of the dissolve. The dissolve effect is used to show how a period of time has passed between these two scene. 

Fade
When a shot is fading it progressively lightens or darkens the image until it become completely black or white, This can signify someone passing out, dying etc. Fade ins occur during the start of the film and fades out are the opposite.






Wipes
One image is replaced by another in the frame
with a vertical/horizontal line or any other shape. The most famous use of this transition was George Lucas' Star Wars franchise.

Jump Cut
This style of editing breaks the continuity method. Jump cuts are not favored by directors this is because of the continuity error it comes across. When a jump cut is used it can be seen profoundly as it looks like a large section of the movie has been removed.


Graphic Match 
This technique is used to transition one scene to the next fluently, using two shapes or objects that look similar to each other. It's designed to be subtle, so the audience can't see the change of scene.
                           












Shot/Reverse Shot
This editing skill is often used to portray conversations or arguments happening between characters. One character is shown looking at another character, then in the next shot the character is looking at the initial character.













Match-on-action
This is when the editor takes two separate shots of an action, that starts in one scene and finishes in the next, and places them together seamlessly.













Eye-line Match
When we see a character looking at something that is off screen. The camera then follows the characters gaze at the thing they are looking at.










Continuity
The initial establishment of this style of editing is to create a realistic coherency. That gives a logical sense of time moving forward, this is achieved with smooth cuts between shots.






The 180 Degree Rule
A guideline that illustrates how a scene should be taken when two characters are in the same scene. It states how the characters should always stay at the same position as they were from shot to shot, whether that be left or right from each other. If the camera should pass over the dotted line shown in the diagram this is called crossing the line.