Research Into Editing Styles - Miss Georgiou

Chloe Eustace

Research into Editing Styles

Introduction:

   A variety of editing techniques are used within thriller films to create tension, suspicion, shock, surprise and suspense, the variety of shots help the audience to understand whats happening and helps the audience react to the moment. If there was no editing styles within a film then the all the different shots would not have been moulded together which can and would make the film very boring and wouldn't keep the audiences attention. The different editing styles help to create tension in a film and make the audience aware of what is going on.

Thriller Scene - Saw - Reverse Bear Trap Scene

Editing Style 1 -  Straight Cut

There was a straight cut used within this sequence when they were in a room and the woman was being pressured into speaking and the jump from there to the woman in the room on her own. This shows the change in location and normally the jump to a different scene, the circumstances change suddenly to the audience because when she was being interrogated in the room it seems more normal until there is a change in location where she is then tied up and having to try to escape. The situation has changed and has suddenly become more tense as she is trying to escape. This has then made the audiences feelings change for the character because her situation has change and the audience may then feel more sorry for her and want to know what the background story keeping there attention. This is conventional to a thriller film because a typical thriller film will include suspense of the story, shock for the audience and surprise for the audience. This can be conventional to a thriller because actually by doing this it is highlighting that within the scene there is a female victim that is struggling and trying to get away.

Editing Style 2 - Timing Shot

The pace of the shot changes, either because the moment has been slowed or because the moment has been sped up. In this scene there is a timing shot when character who is sitting on the chair tries to move and because she is panicked the editing style reflects the panic in her as it picks up and is fast as the camera pans the room. This is effective because as it has been sped up it helps the audience to understand that she is panicked and wants to get out and so the audience get this and feel sorry for her. This is conventional to a thriller film because the victim is female which they normally are as she is looking vulnerable and stuck in the situation so the audience feel sorry for her.

Editing Style 3 -  Jump Cut

There is a Jump Cut when the scene suddenly focus' on the TV in the room that she is tied up in and then how it focus' back on her as well. It focus' on the TV and then jumps back to her because the audience will hear the TV behind her and then see her facial expressions as well and how she is reacting. This is effective because the scene jumps from one moment to another in the same scene. This makes the audience then feel sorry for her because in this scene she is tied up and forced to stay still and then the Television is telling her what to do. The audience then feel that she might not escape and they are completely aware of whats going on then whilst being able to see the characters facial expressions. This editing style is conventional to a thriller because this shows the jumps between a bad moment or tensions moment and makes the audience fully awarer of whats going on and suspicious of what might happen next.

Conclusion 

In conclusion the research that I have conducted into editing styles of a conventional thriller film will help me to decide what shots I will use in my scene. Editing Styles that I will consider when it comes to my thriller sequence is a Jump cut because it allows the audience to react to whats happening as they can see more than one facial expression within the scene and more than on thing that's happening within the scene. Another Editing Style that I may use is slow editing as this creates a number of effects such as tension because the character may be moving slowly as well as shock and surprise when something shocking happens at the end of the scene or within the scene. A final editing style that I might consider using is a straight cut where there is a change in location which can be brief to create suspense as to whats going to happen next or where it changes location quickly to create and give more effect of the scene to the audience.