History of Editing Blog

Developement of Editing

Flatbed editors is a type of device used to edit film for a motion picture. The picture and sound rolls are loaded onto a motorized separate disk which are called 'plates'. Each set of plates either move forwards and backwards separately or are locked together to maintain the synchronization between picture and sound. A prism that is inside the device reflects the film image onto another screen, during this a magnetic playback head reads the magnetic audio tracks.

A Moviola is a device that allows a film editor to view a film tape whilst editing the film. This was the first machine for motion picture editing, it was invented by Iwan Serrurier in 1924. The concept of this machine in 1917 was a home movie projector to be sold to members of the public. The device name came from the Name 'Victrola'. There was very few Moviolas sold as it cost around $600 in 1920 which is equivalent to £20,000 in the 2000s. The first Moviola was sold to Douglas Fairbank. The Moviola allowed editors to study individual shots in their cutting rooms, thus to determine more precisely where the best cut-point might be. The vertically oriented Moviolas were the standard for film editing in the United States until the 1970s, when horizontal flatbed editor systems became more common.

Steenbeck is a brand name to a type of flatbed film editing suite, this is usable with both 16mm and 35mm optical sound and magnetic sound film. The Steenbeck company was founded in 1931 by Wilhelm Steenbeck, Wilhelm was from Hamburg in Germany. Since then, the name Steenbeck has become widely known in the film editing community, there is over 25,000 machines that are in operation around the world. The company relocated in to Venray in The Netherlands in late 2003, where it still manufactures editing tables. Despite the move away from the physical film stock, the main way of editing is now based on digital media.

The beginning of cinema is linked to the word of Eadweard Muybridge. Eadweard was an English Photographer who was important for his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion, nd for his early work in motion-picture projection. He was interested in how things move, he used a sequence of cameras to create still so that he could find out how both animals and humans move. He then played his stills back at speed to create the illusion of movement. This created the illusion of movement because if you play a series of connected images at a 24 frames per second the human brain will automatically think that they are all images of one single thing, rather than a series of images.

Frame Rates which is often referred to as the frame frequency and frames per second, is the frequency of which an imaging device produces unique back to back images called frames. Thefrequency at which film frames are captured lower than what will be used to play the sequence back. Film is often shown at 24 frames/s (this is where 24 images appear on the screen per second). Since the projection speed and recording speed are set to the same, the images appear to move at normal speed. When a film is recorded at 12 frames/s this will appear to move twice as fast. The change in speed of the on-screen image can be calculated by dividing the projection speed by the camera speed. 

The exposure time can be calculated based on the desired shutter angle effect and the frame interval.

The speed that the camera must move to create a perceived normal camera motion can be calculated by inverting the time-lapse equation.

Post production and production

The first actual film cameras was a roll of film moved frames mechanically past a shutter and lens system, this was invented in France by the Lumiere Brothers and in America by Thomas Edison at about the same point in history.

The Lumiere Brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean are believed to be the first film makers in history. They patented the cinematography which unlike Edison's kinetoscope, the former allowed viewing by multiple parties at once, like the current cinemas. The Lumiere Brothers invented the first film camera where the frames mechanically moved past the shutter and lens system. Their first film 'Sortie de l'usine Lumiere de Lyon' was shot in 1894. This is considered to be the first real motion picture in history.

Thomas Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He has developed any devices that have had a good influence on life around world the world, including the phonograph and the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Edison is one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production and large-scale teamwork to the process of invention. Edison invented the kinetographic and the kinetscope. He also developed the 35mm standard film strip, eventually he developed a projector to play it back on.

The first films that were created with the first cameras were not edited. They were usually one single shot, from a single point of view. A point of view shot is a short film scene that shows what the character (the subject) is looking at (represented through the camera). Many of the early cameras were shot with a POV as technology wasn't as advanced in the early days of film. The point of view shot needs to be aimed exactly at a single character in a film. The point of view shot can be taken over the shoulder of the chacaters who remains seen on the screen. The one single shot technique is done by using one camera, this camera is then placed on the set. and each shot that is took is taken independently. Sometimes there is two cameras that that are placed on set, so that one of them captures a medium shot and the others captures a close up shot, two cameras is used so that they are both took at the same time, which saves time for the film maker.

 

 

Linear editing is a technique that is often used in editing, this is where you cut the film and reassemble the pieces, this can be done by hand and with the help of a machine. The clips are assembles one after the others.

Digital editing is a technique that is used in editing, this is done with a computer so its a much faster and more effecient way to edit film clips together. Many of the software programmes that this can be done in are called; Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premier and iMovie. The selected footage that you have chose to edit is simply put onto the keyframe timeline and then can be cut and pasted into the order that you want it in, effects over the top are easily applied using this software.

                                                

Analogue editing is a technique that was popular in the days before editing on a computer came around. The film was cut down to where you wanted and pasted back in the order that you chose. 

Invention of Video Editing

In 1951, the idea of video editing came along, the first actual video editing machine wasn't invented until 1956. 

The Ampex VR- 1000 wasn't the first video tape recorder around but it was infact the first pratical, broadcast quality recorder. It recorded a black and white picture with a mono audio channel which was on a 2inch wide video tape. The video tape ran at 15inches per second, the picture was recorded across the tape from the top too the bottom using 4 heads which were on a rotating drum. This face the video a recording speed of 1560inches per second.

The VR-1000 could edit videos on the machine itself aswell, it did this by splicing the tape in the same way an audio tape would of been. This technique took more time and care to cut the tape because if it went wrong then you can't really correct it, also it you're editing both the audio and video together. When it came to splicing the tape, the splice had to be made at the exact spot that you wanted on the tape. A microscope was used so that film makers knew which part of the tape they were cutting.

The Ampex introduced the 'electronic editor', this  let the tape get electronically splice, before the actual edit took place you had to press the record button 1/2 second before.

Eventually, a time code was added too the machine. This allowed you to identify a specific frame and do repeatable edits and synchronising of the video with the audio.

Linear Video Editing was a post production proceeds of selecting, arranging and modifying the images that you had and sounds in an order that you wanted too. The content of the video has to be accessed sequentially. Instead of physically cutting the video, the data that was stored on one tape was copied across to another one through a control deck which allowed the film maker to control the in and out points of the clips that they wanted to copy across.

Julie and Julia (1987) was the first feature film that was shot on Video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EjVWYG1E_c

Non- Linear Editing Systems 

During the 1970s, it was the first time that one had attempted to create a NLE system. Everyone who had attempted the development of one didnt have success with is as commercial system. It wasnt until the 1980s when Lucas Film did develop one, unfortunately this didn't turn out to be a commerrcial system. The first successful system was in 1989 when AVID launched the Avid 1 Media Composer editing system. This was one of the first actual computer based systems that changed the data that has been taped into data on files. This meant that the files coudl be moved about on a timeline quite easily.

Non Destructive Editing

This is where the video or film can be changed into digital data which then could be edited without destroying or misplacing the original file. The original film content is not changed whilst the actual edit is happeneding, the edits are took place on a specialized editing software.

Purpose of Editing

Editing is used for a range of different things, one of the main purposes of editing is storytellings. A good edit means a good piece of footage that you use. Any sequences in a film needs to tell a story so that the audience is engaged and drawn into the film. Editing is also used to build up drama in a film sequence, the way the footage is edited determines the intensity of the clip. If you edit a sequence of clips together that have been shot with different camers shots and angles, this can really benefit a film as it builds up the drama in the clip.

For example

In an action film, fast editing is used. This is because it shows the fast pace of the film to build up the suspence, e.g, in fast and furious they use pace and rhythm, this is to control the tension of the scene and the more cuts that you use in the edit the faster the pace of the clip. Action films normally use three cameras or more at the same time, this is so that they can catch a scene from a range of different angles, this is easier for the film makers as it takes time to create only a few seconds of footage in an action scene.

In a Horror film, fast editing is also used. This is used to build up the suspence so that the audience don't  know what is coming next. This leaves the audience feeling anxious of the next shot that is going to be used. Editors also used low shots so that they can connect the audience with the actor by using fear and intimidation.  

In a Romatic Comedy (rom-com), the editing is at a slower pace, this is so that the audience feel relaxed and can relate to the scenes on screen. The clips are always upbeat and happy, they also combine shots together so that the audience is engaged. In a romantic movie they don't use as many cuts as they would in an action movie as the pace of the movie is more calm and doesn't need to be fast.

Pace and Rhythm 

This is where the pace of cutting clips is used to control the tension on a scene. The more cuts that you make per minute, the faster the pace of the scene. The shots will be in a certain arrangement, each shot will have a certain duration, this will produce the desired impression that the filmmaker a wants to make with a maximum effect.

Combining shots into sequences 

This is the process of editing together all the shots and making them flow. The shots will each be individually edit before being placed together on a sequence. If the sequence is a good edit then the edit should be invisible to the naked eye of the audience, all they should see is just one long sequence. An easy way to do this technique is through software programmes such as; Final Cut Pro, Windows Movie Maker and Adobe Premiere Pro.

By combining the correct shots the editor is able to position the audio to where they want them, they are able to put at path and dear where it belongs.

This technique was successful in the 2008 film 'Changeling' starring Angelina Jolie. The reason too the success of this technique is because the plot line of the film was based up on a mother who was grieving for her missing child, in result she  takes on the LAPD where they attempt to pass of an imposter as her missing child. The audience knows that the imposters isn't her missing child and with the camera shots and editing techniques this creates the audience to gain sympathy for her. 

Conventions and Techniques

Shot- Reverse- Shot

This is a film technique that is Mainly used in dialogue sequences, this is where character 1 is shown looking at character 2 who may be off screen at the time, then it flips to character 2 looking back at character 1. Since the characters are shown facing in the opposite direction of each other the audience automatically assume that they are looking/ talking to each other.

The 180 Degree Rule is one of the most basic guidelines to follow when it comes to film making. This shows the on screen relationship of two characters or objects within a scene. Think of it as an invisible line that connects the characters together called the axis. This is done by keeping the camera on side of the axis for every shot that is made in that scene. The first character is always frame right of the second character, and the second character is always frame left of the first character.

Montage

This is a film editing technique that is hard to show a characters development through time. To get this effect, a series of short shots are edited together into one sequence, this condenses space, time and information all in one scene/sequence.

How to cut up a clip by setting in an out points

In Premiere Pro, to set a 'in' and 'out' point you double click onto the clip that you are wanting to use, this then loads up a preview of the clip on the source panel on the left hand side of the screen. Once the preview clip has loaded up, you then can move the curser over the top of the clip and scroll through until you have found the part of the clip where you want to set a 'in' point. When it comes to setting a in point you can either click on the left bracket on the keyboard or the letter 'I', to set the out point you click can click on the right bracket on the keyboard or the letter 'O' on the keyboard. Once you have placed the in and out point you can the select the bit of the clip and drag it onto the timeline and place it in the order that you want it to go.

How to make a dissolve transition between two clips

How to make a wipe transition between two clips

How to edit in a cut away into an interview

An example of cutting a soundtrack