Task 13: Manipulating Time and Space

Editing effects are a really important part of film making. They allow film makers to effectively manipulate time and space to show that a time period has changed. They can be used to for flashbacks or flash-forwards,  to show a location is different or to show that time is moving quicker or slower than normal.

 An effect can be something simple such as using a colour filter. An example of this is in a scene from Magic Mike shown below.

Or it could be altering the saturation of an image to either enhance colour or to remove it. Making an image black and white is often used for flashbacks. An example below from Memento.

In The Wizard Of Oz, it starts of with a Sepia effect and then changes to colour to give the affect of 'over the rainbow.

https://youtu.be/NA42WWfh1xQ 

One common technique is to alter the speed of the footage. An example of where this is used is in the 'Time Machine.' The time traveller enters the time machine and he stays in the same position but the environment changes around him as he travels through time. It also happens in the third of the harry potter films.

https://youtu.be/M0qR7BiIWJE

https://youtu.be/lqTLETOYkQg

Our task was to demonstrate how editing can be used to manipulate time and space. We had to film and edit a short sequence that included either a memory or flashback and use post-production techniques to make it clear to the audience that the time and space in the sequence had been changed.

For my sequence I decided to include a flashback. I included a dissolve to show the start and end of the flashback and the flashback is in black an white. At the end of the flashback I decided to include a graphic match, matching the first image of the bottle lid, to the next image of the characters eye. My sequence features a flashback where the character drops her bag down the stairs and as she is picking her things up she gets pushed by another character.

https://youtu.be/tn3pOIM8B0A

Screenshots

Uploading Footage

Using a Range of Editing Tools








Exporting Footage

Task 12: Transitions and Effects

The movement from one shot to the next is called a Transition. Different Transitions suggest different ideas to the audience. 

The four main Transitions are:

·       Straight Cut's

·       Dissolves

·       Fade's

·       Wipes

Straight Cut

A Straight cut is the most common and 'invisible' form of transition. It is when one shot moves to the next without attracting the audiences attention. They help to retain reality, they are used in continuity editing as they do not break the viewers suspension of disbelief.

Dissolves

A Dissolve fades one shot off screen while another shot is fading in. The audience will be able to see both shots at the mid-point of the dissolve. It suggests the shots are connected in some way. It might be two characters, places or objects and may suggest that some time has passed between the two shots. An example of a movie that frequently uses fades to create suspension is the opening sequence to 'Citizen Kane.'

https://youtu.be/-r0b_XeRkG4

Fades

A Fade is a graduate darkening or lightening of an image until the screen becomes black or white.Normally a white fade is used to symbolise the end of something and a black fade is usually used to symbolise the beginning of something. An example of  a fade to black is the music video below.

https://youtu.be/umINbAf846Q

Wipes

A Wipe is when one image is pushed off the screen by another image. They can be pushed off in any direction but its more common for the image to be pushed off the left hand side. It gives a sense that time is moving forward. It can signal to the audience that they are being shown different locations that are experiencing the same time. It is the visual equivalent of saying 'meanwhile.' 

https://youtu.be/lVW_fdPVQHQ

Graphic Match

A graphic match is a specialised type of transition. It is not something an editor adds between two shots but more a decision about which two shots to put next to each other. It is created when two shots that are similar in shape are placed next to each other. It tells the audience that there is an important link between what they are seeing in the two shots. A good example of a graphic match is at the end of the shower scene from 'Psycho.' It matches the circular image of the plughole with the next image of Marion's eye.

https://youtu.be/8VP5jEAP3K4

Following the action

Following the action is where you follow all the movements made by the actors or the subject. Where ever the subject moves, the cameras will follow it. There is usually more than one camera when this is happening and they will switch between different angles to create a more interesting and exciting effect.  

Multiple Points of View 

Multiple points of view is where something is happening in a scene involving multiple characters. We will see what is happening with one character and then the camera will cut to another character and so on. It shows a scene from the point of view of all the characters involved. An example of this that I found is in a deleted scene from Iron Man.

https://youtu.be/GWnCg88GmTI