Planning Editing Styles - Miss Georgiou

Chloe Eustace

Planning Editing Styles

Introduction;

Editing Styles are important for our thriller films opening sequence, or any film opening sequence because it allows all the camera shots that you have created and brings them together to create effect for the audience. If there was no editing styles then the shots would come together and none of them would work or create effect as well as the fact that some of them when they are put together might not even make sense, and the audience may not be drawn to the film. For example if we use a fading edit from one scene to another, it will keep the audiences attention instead of just a black screen as the scene jumps from one to another. Editing is used to create shock for the audience when something happens that they weren't expecting, surprise is needed to be created again for the audience through editing and tension to make the audience get hooked to the scene or the film. The use of editing helps the audience to build a relationship with the characters and makes them see what the characters are seeing and makes the audience feel for the characters. 

Reaction Shot

We have decided as a group that we are going to use the editing style of Reaction shot within our opening sequence, this is mostly used in in films where a conversation is taking place and is when one shot quickly follows another. This is going to be used in our sequence when the victim is murdered, this will show our first victim when she is attacked by the antagonist. The effect that this will create the audience is sympathy for the character as it is made explicit that she has been attacked by the antagonist. The audience can build a relationship with this character because they feel sorry that she has been killed and it generates a lot of questions from the audience as to why she was murdered and what she did wrong for this to happen. The audience have already built a relationship with this character so when she is murdered they feel sorry for her and are shocked that this has happened. This is conventional to a thriller film because it creates shock and surprise for the audience as they have just seen her be murdered and wonder why this has happened. 

Slow Editing

We also decided that we would use slow editing in our thriller opening sequence, this is when clips are juxtaposed together at a slower paste and this is to create suspense. We will use Slow Editing in our opening sequence when the antagonist is seen walking away from the murder, where he has just killed the victim and the audience have witnessed this from his point of view. This will create tension for the audience and shock as we see him walk so calmly away from the moment where he has just killed someone and doesn't even give it a second thought or look back, so the audience will wonder what his motives are and why he has done this. Also there is shock and suspense created because this is the first time within the whole of the thriller sequence that the antagonist is seen by the audience because he has had a hidden identity behind the camera for the rest of the scene. This allow the audience to build a relationship with this character as they have seen everything that he has done from his point of view and then all of a sudden they can see what he looks like and try to determine from his back (as we only see him walk away from behind) why he has done this and what his motives where. This leaves a number of questions for the audience and helps to create enigma and keep the audience hooked to the rest of the film.

Jump Cut

Another editing style that we decided to use is a Jump cut. A Jump cut is when the film suddenly focus' on something in particular. We will use this editing style in our thriller opening sequence when Gemma has walked off on her own, she goes into the forest to see if there is anything around and to see if she can find anyone that might be able to help them with the broken down car, while the other victim Holly waits by the car, the jump cut will jump from Gemma to Holly too highlight there facial expressions, how they are feeling and show just how vulnerable they are. The effect that this creates is that it is now highlighted to the audience that they are separated from each other and are now more vulnerable, this then tells to the audience that something bad is going to happen to these girls and now that they are separated. It helps the audience to build a relationship with these two characters as they are two vulnerable girls who are separated from each other so the audience feel tense for them and feel sorry for them knowing that something bad is going to happen and that they are being stalked. It also makes the audience want to see what happens and makes them want to see if these two characters are okay and whats going to happen to them. This is conventional to a thriller sequence as you can see the emotions of the characters as the scene jumps backwards and forwards between the moments and builds up the tension to the audience as to which one of them now that they are separated is going to get hurt or be murdered. This will be conventional also because it strongly will create surprise for the audience because as the scene jumps from each of the two victims it will leave the audience wondering whats going to happen and which one of them will get hurt first, and if they are both going to get hurt. The surprise for the audience will be when the girls to get harmed which is conventional to thriller films. 

Conclusion

In conclusion we decided on these 3 editing styles because they are quite effective and they are conventional to thriller films. Without editing styles in a film then the story would not make sense to the audience and it wouldn't be very interesting for the audience to follow. Editing is important in thriller films because its the editing styles as well as other things like sound and iconography that is important for the film to create tension, shock, surprise and suspense. We decided upon these editing styles together in order to fit in with our thriller sequence, so that it makes sense to our opening sequence and we thought about them so that they would create the effect and leave the audience questioning at the end, the idea of the editing styles is to give a bit more effect to a thriller or film sequence and keep the audience questing and keep them hooked to the rest of the film.