Editing Styles in Thriller Films
Editing in any film is used to create a certain effect and make the audience feel something. In thrillers, if used correctly, editing can be used to tell the audience who the villain/victim is. It can also help the scene to flow and/or build suspense.
I have analysed a clip called 'Here's Johnny' from the film 'The Shining', to show my understanding of how editing can be used in thrillers.
The first editing style I analysed was a straight cut, which can be seen from 0:07 to 0:08 in the above clip. A straight cut is a change of shot from one viewpoint/location to another, and is used to change the scene. It draws our attention to the woman trying to escape which shows her fear. Before this cut, we did not know what was going on in the scene, as we only saw the male character which we immediately associated as being the killer due to the iconography of the axe he was holding. Due to the lack of detail, the audience are left feeling confused and so this cut begins to make the scene clearer to the audience. It allows us to see the woman struggling to escape which tells the viewers she is the victim and so we feel sorry for her. Having a female victim is very stereotypical to the thriller genre. The struggle we see foreshadows that the rest of the scene will show her in further danger, and so this makes the audience sit on edge.
A straight cut is conventional to thrillers as it is a quick way to verify to the audience what is going on in the scene. It is commonly used as it can make the audience feel a variety of emotions from a very simple cut. It can make the scene realistic as before this cut, the audience may have found the killer funny due to his facial expressions, but the cut allows viewers to see the danger the girl is in and so they realise that it is supposed to be serious.
A straight cut is conventional to thrillers as it is a quick way to verify to the audience what is going on in the scene. It is commonly used as it can make the audience feel a variety of emotions from a very simple cut. It can make the scene realistic as before this cut, the audience may have found the killer funny due to his facial expressions, but the cut allows viewers to see the danger the girl is in and so they realise that it is supposed to be serious.
The next editing style I analysed was a Reaction Shot, which can be seen from 0:10 to 0:13. A reaction shot is any shot in which a subject reacts to a previous shot. In thrillers, this is a good way to introduce new characters, such as the boy in the above clip. We see the boy looking up at the victim who is desperately trying to escape from the killer, as shown by the frame opposite. It is here that we see the setting of the scene which appears to be in an abandoned house that has been snowed in on. This is conventional to thrillers as it makes the audience feel nervous for the victim as if she cant get out through the window then she will never escape in time. This reaction shot showing the boy, gives the audience a glimpse of hope that he will get help and save the woman. However, the viewers are also made aware in the same frame that even if he does find help they may not be able to get into the house. This creates a very nervous atmosphere for viewers as they watch on anxiously hoping that the victim will be able to escape. A reaction shot is conventional to thrillers as it can help the audience understand the characters better, enabling them to connect with them emotionally. The emotions discussed above are all shown through the reaction shot of the boys facial expressions, showing that this type of shot can be very effective.
Reaction shots are used vaguely throughout the clip to allow the audience to understand how the victim reacts to the villain, and vise verse. It is used a lot because it is a good way to clearly portray the characters emotions, which can lead to a certain atmosphere being created, such as one filled with suspense. It is a constant way of showing the audience how the victim is feeling which every time makes the audience feel even more sorry for her.
The next editing style I analysed was Slow Editing, which can be seen from 1:16 to 1:18 . This is when clips are juxtaposed together at a slower pace, in order to create suspense. In this clip, the slow edit is used to exaggerate the use of the axe which makes the audience 'gasp' as they wonder whether the killer will actually axe the door down. In these 2 seconds the audience can experience a 'heart stopping' moment as they realise the victim is in serious danger and cannot escape. They know what is to come but still in the few seconds hope that something will happen to change the events, which proves they have connected with the female character. The slow edit makes the scene scary from the build of tension, as during this edit the audience feel several emotions and a very nervous atmosphere is created. Without this edit, this scene would not have the same effect and so is conventional to thrillers as it is a quick way of building suspense.
The last editing style I analysed was a Jump Cut, which can be seen from 1:14 to 1:16. This is when the film suddenly focuses on something, which in this clip is the killer preparing to axe down the door, which is protecting the victim. They are usually used in thrillers when multiple things are going on that the audience may be unaware of, and so these jump cuts fill them in and allow the audience to make their own assumptions on what the story will be like. They are also used to speed footage up, such as showing a character walking down a path; it is not necessary to show the whole length of the footage, and so jump cuts save time and fasten the pace of the film, building suspense. In this clip, the victim has no idea the killer has an axe and this creates dramatic irony as the audience do know this. This creates tension for the audience, as they are worried about how the female will react and what will happen to her.
In the clip above, the jump cut is used to follow the path of the axe going into the door which draws our attention to the axe. This jump cut helps to increase the pace of the scene so that when the killer uses the axe, the audience jump. Using a jump cut is a very traditional trait to thriller films which is conventional as it builds tension for the audience and keeps them engaged
In conclusion, I found that editing styles are much harder to pick up on than camera angles, as when used correctly, they make the film run smoothly. Having looked at the editing styles, I would say the most common ones to a thriller are jump cuts and slow editing. This will help me when creating my own thriller clip as I now have a better understanding of the different types of editing used and the effect that they have.
For example, slow editing is a quick way of building tension, which allows you to manipulate your viewers as they can experience a variety of emotions. This inspired me to use this in my opening thriller; in my groups narrative, the slow editing could be used each time the little girl focuses on something, such as the tree and the scarf which triggers the flashbacks. This would build tension and would make the audience wonder what the girl is thinking, feeling and most importantly remembering before and in each flashback, which would create a very nervous atmosphere.
The use of jump cuts in this clip, gave me an idea to use in my thriller clip. During our narrative, the events that occur happen whilst the little girl is walking through the forest alone. Therefore, we do not need to keep seeing the girl repetitively walking, and so jump cuts would make the footage more interesting as well as increasing the pace of the clip, which would consequently help to build suspense.
The next editing style I analysed was Slow Editing, which can be seen from 1:16 to 1:18 . This is when clips are juxtaposed together at a slower pace, in order to create suspense. In this clip, the slow edit is used to exaggerate the use of the axe which makes the audience 'gasp' as they wonder whether the killer will actually axe the door down. In these 2 seconds the audience can experience a 'heart stopping' moment as they realise the victim is in serious danger and cannot escape. They know what is to come but still in the few seconds hope that something will happen to change the events, which proves they have connected with the female character. The slow edit makes the scene scary from the build of tension, as during this edit the audience feel several emotions and a very nervous atmosphere is created. Without this edit, this scene would not have the same effect and so is conventional to thrillers as it is a quick way of building suspense.
The last editing style I analysed was a Jump Cut, which can be seen from 1:14 to 1:16. This is when the film suddenly focuses on something, which in this clip is the killer preparing to axe down the door, which is protecting the victim. They are usually used in thrillers when multiple things are going on that the audience may be unaware of, and so these jump cuts fill them in and allow the audience to make their own assumptions on what the story will be like. They are also used to speed footage up, such as showing a character walking down a path; it is not necessary to show the whole length of the footage, and so jump cuts save time and fasten the pace of the film, building suspense. In this clip, the victim has no idea the killer has an axe and this creates dramatic irony as the audience do know this. This creates tension for the audience, as they are worried about how the female will react and what will happen to her.
In the clip above, the jump cut is used to follow the path of the axe going into the door which draws our attention to the axe. This jump cut helps to increase the pace of the scene so that when the killer uses the axe, the audience jump. Using a jump cut is a very traditional trait to thriller films which is conventional as it builds tension for the audience and keeps them engaged
In conclusion, I found that editing styles are much harder to pick up on than camera angles, as when used correctly, they make the film run smoothly. Having looked at the editing styles, I would say the most common ones to a thriller are jump cuts and slow editing. This will help me when creating my own thriller clip as I now have a better understanding of the different types of editing used and the effect that they have.
For example, slow editing is a quick way of building tension, which allows you to manipulate your viewers as they can experience a variety of emotions. This inspired me to use this in my opening thriller; in my groups narrative, the slow editing could be used each time the little girl focuses on something, such as the tree and the scarf which triggers the flashbacks. This would build tension and would make the audience wonder what the girl is thinking, feeling and most importantly remembering before and in each flashback, which would create a very nervous atmosphere.
The use of jump cuts in this clip, gave me an idea to use in my thriller clip. During our narrative, the events that occur happen whilst the little girl is walking through the forest alone. Therefore, we do not need to keep seeing the girl repetitively walking, and so jump cuts would make the footage more interesting as well as increasing the pace of the clip, which would consequently help to build suspense.
This post demonstrates a basic understanding of how editing styles infrom the audience of the conventions of a thriller and this is because you have not discussed the examples in enough detail and it is difficult to read, which sequence you are analysing.
ReplyDeleteThis can be achieved, by-
1) Reading over your analysis and ensuring that you have fully used the PEER format, as this will ensure that you have included detail within your analysis
2) Relate your points back to the conventions of a thriller in more detail
This post now demonstrates a good understanding of how editing techniques are used in the thriller genre. You have considered my comments well and have made the necessary changes, to demonstrate further understanding of terminology and conventions.
ReplyDeleteAim to expand on the summary that you have included, by considering your own thriller and what inspirations you have gained from your research.
The summary, that you have included, helps to demonstrate further understanding of how editing styles are used in the thriller genre. Which enables your research and analysis, to demonstrate an excellent understanding.
ReplyDelete