{"id":11536,"date":"2014-07-18T10:15:02","date_gmt":"2014-07-18T14:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/?page_id=11536"},"modified":"2023-12-07T10:08:52","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T15:08:52","slug":"mockingbird-editing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/mockingbird-editing\/","title":{"rendered":"To Kill A Mockingbird: Editing"},"content":{"rendered":"

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD:\u00a0SEEING THE FILM THROUGH THE\u00a0LENS OF MEDIA LITERACY<\/h3>\n

\u00a9 2006 Frank Baker<\/em><\/p>\n

download this page<\/a> as an Adobe (pdf) document<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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What is editing? Why is editing important? Do most students know that\u00a0films are shot out-of-order? After photography is completed on a film,\u00a0the work of the editor can begin. But what does an editor do? What guides\u00a0his\/her decisions? How does an editor learn this skill?<\/p>\n

These, and other questions, might be considered by your students as they start to understand the role and function of the film editor. Here is some background:<\/p>\n

To an editor, everything that happens during the production process is\u00a0merely the creating and collecting of raw materials that the editor,
\nwith great skill and artistry, will make into a viable film or video. The editor\u00a0is the one who ultimately creates the production……The editor has to
\nanalyze the given material and make intellectual and aesthetic decisions\u00a0that will result in the finished work.”\u00a01<\/p>\n

“Aaron Stell’s editing (on\u00a0To Kill A Mockingbird\u00a0), carrying out the fluid design of director and cameraman, moves\u00a0forward without apparent pace, but inexorably.”2<\/p>\n

“In the editing process, the editor does not usually attempt to create an\u00a0exact record of what happened as viewed through the eyes of one
\ncharacter. Rather, the editor–in collaboration with the director and\u00a0in keeping with the vision of the writer–must ‘translate’ the events
\nof each scene into the most effective images, placing each one\u00a0in the order and length most appropriate to telling the story. Timing
\nis indeed everything for the editor.<\/p>\n

One approach to editing is\u00a0continuity.\u00a0Continuity editing generally\u00a0represents the action in a logical, chronological sequence. Even though
\nthe time and space of a sequence may be manipulated, it has the\u00a0appearance of ‘real’ time to the viewer. A long shot of a person sitting
\ndown is ‘matched’ to a close-up of the person sitting down into the frame.\u00a0In essence, the editor is focusing in on the scene in much the same manner
\nas the human eye–jumping from place to place, farther or closer. In actuality,\u00a0the action appears more natural if two or three frames are deleted by the\u00a0editor at the splice.”3<\/p>\n

One of the tools of the film editor is the actual edit itself. An editor must decide\u00a0whether to “cut” from one scene to the next or whether to “dissolve,” in which one scenes slowly fades into another scene.\u00a0 What are the differences and why would an editor use one over another?<\/p>\n

Editing: Cut:\u00a0\u00a0The cutting apart of 2 shots at the frameline, or the point where the shots have been cut apart.4<\/p>\n

Editing: Dissolve:\u00a0a transition between two shots, where one shot fades away and simultaneously another shot fades in.4<\/p>\n

DVD Chapter 10\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ” A Look At Boo”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Running Time\u00a0\u00a0 23:45<\/strong>
\nThe scene to notice here starts at 25:13:\u00a0\u00a0Notice how the frame slowly dissolves between the shot of the house, to the shot of the kids approaching the house. Here a dissolve indicates the passage of time, and change of location.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n1\u00a0we see the house in a static shot
\n\"\"
\n2\u00a0the dissolve begins: and we can see the children slowly
\nbegin to appear in the left center middle of the frame
\n\"\"
\n3\u00a0the house is now hardly visible; as the scene with the
\nchildren is revealed a bit more
\n\"\"
\n4\u00a0the dissolve is complete: now we see the entire setting
\nof the children approaching the back of the Radley house
\n(the entire dissolve lasts only 5 to 6 seconds)<\/p>\n

DVD Chapter 34\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 “Death In The Dark”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Running Time\u00a0 1:54:55
\nIn this scene, students will be asked to notice how a scene is edited. This is an intense scene, in which the children, heading home through the woods at night, are attacked by an unknown assailant, who we later learn to be Bob Ewell. Music is an important element, but it is the chosen shots (by the cinematographer) and the editing that are worthy of study and analysis. Notice how quickly the scenes are cut, thus increasing the pace of the scene. Some shots last just a few seconds, not giving your brain an opportunity to comprehend what is happening to Jem, Scout, the assailant, or the person who eventually fights the assailant, who we later learn to be Boo Radley.<\/p>\n

“During the d\u00e9nouement (after the climatic trial) Scout is dressed as a ham on her way to a school function.\u00a0\u00a0When Jem is attacked Scout is unable see everything that is going on.\u00a0\u00a0Likewise, the audience is forced to view the attack from Scout\u2019s point of view.\u00a0\u00a0The montage of shots confuses the moment and emphasizes the difficulty of comprehending reality when the entire picture isn\u2019t clear.”\u00a05<\/p>\n

Teaching suggestion:\u00a0have students take on the roles of directors, cinematographers and editors.\u00a0In groups, they have to design this scene. They have to decide where the cameras\u00a0 are positioned, and how the scene will be shot. Using\u00a0blank storyboard sheets<\/a>, and a\u00a0storyboard organizer<\/a>, they draw the scene, after which they explain it to the class.\u00a0(Other classes may decide, with the proper equipment, to re-enact the scene and to videotape
\nand edit it)<\/p>\n

Recommended Links<\/strong>
\nFilm Analysis (see editing)\u00a0http:\/\/classes.yale.edu\/film-analysis\/<\/a>
\nFilm Language: Use of Editinghttp:\/\/www.filmeducation.org\/secondary\/concept\/filmlang\/docs\/lang7.html<\/a>
\nPutting the Pieces Together: What Does It Mean to Edit a Movie?http:\/\/scenariosusa.org\/educators\/makingmovies\/ch5.pdf<\/a>
\nFilm Editing Glossary\u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/www.learner.org\/exhibits\/cinema\/editing2.html
\n<\/a>Film\/Editing Terms\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/www.zerocut.com\/tech\/film_terms.html
\n<\/a>A Glossary of Film Terms\u00a0
\n<\/a>http:\/\/homepage.newschool.edu\/~schlemoj\/film_courses\/glossary_of_film_terms\/glossary.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Recommended Readings<\/strong>
\nFilm Editing: A Hidden Art?\u00a0http:\/\/imv.au.dk\/publikationer\/pov\/Issue_06\/section_1\/artc2A.html
\n<\/a>Film editing (history)\u00a0http:\/\/www.factmonster.com\/ce6\/ent\/A0859784.html
\n<\/a>Film Editing\u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/www.filmmakers.com\/features\/editing\/
\n<\/a>Introduction to Film Editing (Lesson Plan)\u00a0http:\/\/www.thirteen.org\/edonline\/lessons\/editing\/b.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Recommended Video\/DVD<\/strong>
\nThe Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing
\n<\/a>
\nRecommended Texts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cinema Editor Magazine\u00a0http:\/\/www.ace-filmeditors.org\/news.htm<\/a>
\nPoints of View: Three Hollywood Film Editors Discuss Their Art
\nThe Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film, Michael Onda
\nFilm Editing: The Art of the Expressive, Valerie Orpen
\nFilm Art: An Introduction, David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson
\nFirst Cut: Conversations with Film Editors, Gabriella Oldham
\nIn The Blink of an Eye, Walter Murch, Francis Ford Coppola
\nKey Concepts in Cinema Studies, Susan Hayward
\nThe Technique of Film Editing, Karel Reisz, Gavin Millar
\nWhen the Shooting Stops, The Cutting Begins: A Film Editor’s Story
\nRalph Rosenblum and Robert Karen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: SEEING THE FILM THROUGH THE LENS OF MEDIA…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[202],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11536","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-to-kill-a-mockingbird-popular"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11536"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36915,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11536\/revisions\/36915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}