Discussing Our Film Editing Project:
Backup YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/nioyZvnhZC8
Reflection:
Throughout planning, filming, and editing our project I gained a very clear understanding of what the common transitions and effects used in film are, and what unique purposes they each serve. In the planning phase of our editing project, we decided on six transitions that we thought would be most interesting, the match cut, freeze frame, dissolve, jump cut, iris-in/out, and the simple fade-in/out. There was less planning on the execution side of things, as much of the techniques were filmed on a whim with impromptu ideas for locations and setups being contributed from all group members. My specific role was to film the footage for us to edit these transitions into, aside from extra shots that Kaytlynn filmed in her free time. One problem we ran into in filming the scenes necessary for this project was the amount of context and time needed for each shot. Whilst all of our clips effectively demonstrated what each transition is defined as, I felt as though our clips didn't fully utilize the impact the transitions could create. However, for the sake of brevity, and simply getting our point across, we didn't want to try to form a narrative or establish too much context on such a small project. Filming at school did provide its own unique challenged for establishing an effective match cut. We didn't want to default to using a person's eyes for the match cut, so we had to improvise with what he had in our environment. This led us to choosing the elevator to use for our match cut. Overall, our project led to enlightening discoveries about how the overall cinematic process functions with editing, and allowed us to hone our skills in utilizing these transitions and techniques.
Transitions: Examples in Film!
Citizen Kane (1941) - Dissolve: https://youtu.be/DTPctDhOCzE
The dissolving transition used in this scene, whilst very subtle carries a significant effect in creating an air of mystery that the movie being in the film noir genre needs to utilize well. As the man leaves through the door, it slowly fades into a geometrically similar scene of a newspaper headline. This headline shows an important result that's integral to the plot and the dissolve transition brings us this realization in a slow-burn style that allows the viewer to digest the events of the story. The dissolve transition is most often used to create this effect, allowing the viewer to take in the events of a story, in a more gradual, smooth fashion. The subtlety of this effect in this specific context reinforces this idea with the clever framing of both scenes.
Hot Fuzz (2007) - Jumpcut: https://youtu.be/Y2T43oYuz-Q
The purpose of the jump-cut used in this scene is meant to symbolize the passage of time. Unlike an ellipses, the jump-cut is instant, and done with the purpose of quick, straight-forward, montage-like series of scenes and shots for the viewer to take in. In this specific context, its used to create a theme of the monotonous process that moving to a new place gives. Some shots are repeated, with the intent of reinforcing the idea of a monotonous loop. Overall, the entire point of the jump-cut in this context is to establish a theme of an apathetic loop that characterizes the focus actor.
Out of Reach (2004) - Fade-in/out: https://youtu.be/R2XKMuvXBYQ
The purpose of the fade-out transition in this scene is used to symbolize relief. It effectively establishes the ending of the film, and suggests a happy ending where the characters are content. The fade-out transition is used very often in this way when there's nothing visual in the scene that definitively signals the end. The fade-out is then used in replacement of an visual match-cut in order to smoothly end the film and fade-in to the credits. Overall, fade-in/out transitions are extremely common in film for a good reason, they're easy to use and highly utilitarian.
James Bond: No Time To Die (2021) - Iris-in/out: https://youtu.be/JwcMIhDcX3Q
The use of the famous iris-in gun barrel transition of the James Bond film is an extremely eye-catching transition that acts as a visual hook for the reader. The iris-in/out transition is much more uncommon in film as its been reduced to a sort of novelty. It's difficult to execute this transition effectively without it being considered "cheesy" or non-sensical. However, with the James Bond series having already established this transition in a unique way, using this transition becomes a staple in the film's intro, and creates viewer expectations surrounding it as a result. Overall, the effect of the iris-in transition in this intro, is that it creates a sense of mystery, danger, and class.
The Big Short (2016) - Freeze Frame: https://youtu.be/FbQYMRZ1CWo
The use of the freeze frame in this clip is used in order to create a realization, and moment of self-reflection. The freeze frame in this case places emphasis on our actor’s close-up and immediately interjects the character’s monologue into the scene in order to reinforce this introspective theme. This also manipulates time as the audience is now under the impression that the conversation is essentially frozen in time. Overall, the freeze frame is an extremely valuable tool in guiding the viewer’s focus, and this aspect is used to great effect in this scene. Moments of introspection are deeply characterizing in a film, so it makes sense why the freeze frame is deliberately placed at that specific moment.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) - Match Cut: https://youtu.be/o7PprKOaEkA
The match-cut used in the clip cuts on-action and instead of placing emphasis on an aspect, it breaks the focus of the audience and pulls it elsewhere. We cut from this clip where Scott is infatuated with Ramona and into a clip where he’s on the spot, and needs to perform in his band. This effectively places focus on the audience understanding Scott’s inner-thoughts with the absence of an internal monologue. Overall, this transition acts in a similar way to the focus-pull concept in cinematography, creating a theme of starstruck love, characterizing Scott as scatter-brained in the process. The match-cut is an incredibly dynamic and variable transition in film, and it can be used to create so many different meanings and characterizations, as it was used in this specific clip.
