Editing
When editing the footage, cutting is the best way to assemble the pieces of film. Alfred Hitchcock explained montage when he said 'Assembly of pieces of film, which moved in rapid succession before the eye creates an idea'. A montage is a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time and information.
Michael Rabiger has directed and edited many films. He famously said “ Editing is not just assembly, as Hitchcock mythology
suggests, but more like coaxing a brilliant musical performance from a set of
imperfect, overlapping, and incomplete scores. This requires you to see,
listen, adapt, think and imagine as you try to liberate the best from your
films’ potential.” Ragiber, Directing, 2009. Page 439.
Time
Editing the time of a clip or a short video is really important because video is a time based art form. You have to condense the clip by cutting it down/shortening it. When editing and putting all the scenes together you want it to 'cut to the chase' instead of having scenes that are pointless and are going nowhere. You could even expand the clip and make it longer but it depends on how long you want it. You don't want it too long as it will get it boring, you want it to have quick shots between scenes.
Ellipsis
Alfred Hitchcock famously said "what is drama but life with the dull bits cut out." This means that when editing you want quick shots to make it interesting and cut out the boring bits otherwise the whole video will be boring and won't be interesting.
Transitions
Cutting is really essential especially for when choosing to do a juxtaposition in the video. The cuts need to be quick and interesting cuts, this is because the good and interesting cuts create a good flow within the video. Fading in or out is always best to be used at the beginning or the ending of the video. Any fading effect within the video needs to be timed perfectly otherwise the whole video will be a mess and it will look unprofessional.
Cross Cutting
Cross cutting is where the director shoots 2 separate scenes and intercuts between them. Due to seeing 2 different scenes at one time, it builds and adds suspense to the clips and makes the audience think of 'what is going to happen'. I think it's important to make the audience question the video because that means you have got to the audience and you've succeeded in engaging the audience. The audience view is greater than the protagonists' because it creates tension and drama within.
Reaction Shots
Reaction shots cuts away from the main scene to show the reaction of the character to what is happening and to what is being said. These shots can show conflict within the video and it helps the audience to understand the story a bit more. Without the shots, I don't think the audience would be able to get the storyline as easy with the reaction shots.
Audio
Audio is very important when editing the video and it is absolutely important to get the volume levels and any music/sound effects which are used, correctly. Audio can add subtext to the video and can add emphasis to the scene. It also dictates the mood of each and individual scene that music is used. A slow track will instantly make people think of a sad scene. It is vital to use it correctly otherwise the audience will be confused and won't actually understand what is going on. Silence is also key. Silence can easily add drama to the clip just like adding music can. I think it is important to have music in there but silence can work too and can be just as interesting.
RM
