Cut with purpose

I see editing is a huge aspect of my future, it's something I enjoy doing and it's one of the things that came most naturally to me when I started University. It's also something that recently became part of my professional life - like a proper paying job, so I can't be that bad at it. For Year 3 I'll be editing Megan's film 'Wallpaper' as well as being the 1st AD on set, but before we get to Monday I need to do some research which is what this post will be about.

'The film editor is responsible for what you see, and how long you see it, for what you hear, and how long you hear it. We are orchestrators of picture and sound. That's pretty overwhelming, but infact that is what we do and it starts to give you an idea of the significance of the contribution' - Craig McKay (Editor of Silence of the Lambs)

Case Study 1 | Fargo.

Reccomened by Megan as an inspiration for the split screen aspect of the script. Having watched the first two episodes of season 2 all the way through I can see the appeal, whilst I was a bit confused (probably due to missing a season) I do like the use of split screen throughout the show. 

Fargo Season 2 Episode 2

In this particular scene you see two characters who have just committed the same crime yet one of them is a bit better at cover up their guilt than the other. The split screen gives the audience different perspectives on the situation whilst still driving the story at the same pace it would have gone had their only been one character in this situation.  

Within Wallpaper I want the split screen to appear within reason,  for instance I feel that currently most of scene 4 could be in split screen. Within the scene Logan set's up her investigation through a montage yet I imagine it as a montage within a split screen. One side showing the actual 'evidence' and papers whilst the other side shows her body language, her eyes, her face something showing the person behind the madness. Yet when she picks up the play papers (script) she picks it up in the left frame as a close up yet it turns into a long/medium shot showing her and the script, with the right frame going black until her phone rings when her father calls her and appears in frame.  When the phone call ends the left (with Logan in shot) goes black as she abruptly hangs up with her father remaining in the right frame as he sighs before having up and going to a full frame black-out. 

Case Study 2 | The Fall

First airing on BBC in 2013 The Fall see's crime drama favourite Gillian Anderson return to her iconic role of police detective and just ingulf you in this mind-blowing physiological mystery in which you start relating to the bad guy. That's exactly what they want you do because 'he's far too human' which is what makes him terrifying. 

I've been waiting for Season 3 of The Fall for 2 years and now it's here I can barely contain my excitement so if I talk about it too much - I'm not even sorry. The storyline is impeccable and the editing is amazing. I say the editing amazing because crime dramas tend to be very dialogue heavy, as this show is, but you never get bored. A lot of the time dialogue has this tendency to tell and not show however that's not the case here, they tell the audience enough for them to make their own educated opinion on the visuals they are about to see. Which as I mentioned earlier makes it scary. Human minds have this ability to jump to the worst possible conclusion when coerced into it, the editing of this show puts you in the mindset of a serial killer driven by the compulsion to feel god-like, when given that power your brain can make scarily accurate connections to motivation and even show empathy towards the guy. All signs of which are shown through Anderson's character wether she likes to admit it or not.

There is also a strong use of metaphorical imagery (for a BBC primetime slot) some obvious ones, between life and death and imagining the light at the end of a tunnel, but also some interesting ones as seen above. This episode hasn't aired yet but knowing the character I can imagine this is her stress release but also her drowning under pressure. Visuals of evidence are used a lot within the show but in Season 3 Episode 1 the is a prolonged montage of an empty hospital room that (SPOILER) the killer had just been in. It lingers a bit too long and in that moment you just see the brutality of attempted murder seemingly forgetting that the guy almost killed is a serial murderer himself.

The Fall Season 3 Episode 1

I speak of empathy a lot because I think it's key to telling a good story, if you get the audience in the mind of your protagonist then you're set. Empathy and observation can get you far in life, especially as a storyteller. Here the shot of the empty room looks in itself like a crime scene which is why it lingers so long - Steve Singleton (Editor) always shows you close-ups of evidence. At this point the audience has forgotten why he was injured in the first place because they've become caught up in the fast pace 'gotta-save-his-life' montage. They need this moment of reflection to come to terms with the fact they're sympathising with the man that get's a kick out of strangling women to death.

Also this TV show came out with my favourite quote, when a detective suggests that Stella is sexually attracted to the killer her response is;

"A woman, I forget who, once asked a male friend why men felt threatened by women. He replied that they were afraid that women might laugh at them. When she asked a group of women why women felt threatened by men, they said, 'We're afraid they might kill us.' He might fascinate you. I despise him with every fiber of my being."

But that's a different conversation, this article 'Woman, Subject: The Fall Is The Feminist Crime Show We've Been Wanting' may be of interest however.

On being an editor

Reading interviews with editors is always a nice thing to do, especially when you're in the limbo I'm in currently where I know there's an idea but there's no material for me to physically work with. So I'm preparing for it instead. 

I think something that a filmmaker can get caught up in is the production itself and because of this we  (as a production team) don't really give editors the recognition they deserve or the power they have earned. So the realisation that post-production is where I felt most comfortable came with a whole new set of rules and a new way to communicate with directors/producers. As an editor you feel a certain ownership of a film and that can be taken away from you very quickly if you gloat about it to the wrong person. Something I want to be sure of this year is making my opinion heard at the same volume of the director/producer/talent, obviously I know that people are higher than me in the grand scale of things but this is my thing. I don't have an extortionate amount of talent but I can tell a story.

And that is essentially what an editor is a story teller, someone who takes pieces film and brings out the narrative. So right now I'm annotating the script, I'm watching films and TV shows, passing ideas to different people and all in all preparing for the day I get the rushes in my hand. Until then it's back to AVID and lynda.com to prepare for the madness that ensues after filming wraps.