Offline Editing | Editing Department

In a large-scale production, editor doesn’t work alone. Just like any other department, they have a team which consists of:

• 1^st Assistant editor
• 2^nd Assistant editor
• On-set editor (who deals with assembly card)

They can also have a post-production supervisor who is the head of all process that happens during post-production and is responsible of getting everything done in time. To guarantee the film stays on schedule, a post-production supervisor will have to deal with the following people:

• Supervising sound editor
• Editor
• Music composer
• Online editor
• VFX Supervisor

Editing is indirectly introduced at the same time as matte painting. We might be more familiar with the term “rotoscoping”. In older times, the negative side is filled with part of the picture that is underexposed (transparent). Some techniques used in early moving picture that contributes to current editing techniques are as mentioned below:

• George Melies, A Trip to the Moon: theatrical, fade in - fade out, single shot, long take

1.1 A Trip to the Moon (1903)
source: themoviedb.org

• Edwin S. Porter, The Life of an American Fireman: mixing staged and real life footage (fiction x documentary)

1.2 The Life of an American Fireman (1903)
source: fandor.com

• Edwin S. Porter, The Great Train Robbery: matte painting, running time of 10 minutes

1.3 The Great Train Robbery (1903)
source: greelane.com

• D.W. Griffith, Enoch Arden: shot type, parallel editing (with title card to help audience understand)

1.4 Enoch Arden (1911)
source: imdb.com

In the basic storytelling of moving picture, a massive distinction exist between what is called a story and a plot.

• Story: the set of all events in the narrative, both the ones explicitly presented and those the viewer infers, the sum total of all the events in the narrative.
• Plot: everything visibly and audibly present in the film before us, including all the story events that are directly depicter, audience create the story in their mind on the basis of cues in the plot.[1]

2.1 Story vs plot
source: en.wikipedia.org

Scene’s Grammar

Film editing has a standard grammar that can be used in a scene, such as long shot, medium shot, and a closeup.

3.1 Long shot, medium shot, closeup progression
source: photoinf.com

Herbert Zettl’s Editing Approach

There’s two ways of approach in constructing screen space through editing, that is according to Herbert Zettl. The first one would be ways of looking (whose eyes the camera has become).

• Looking at
• Looking into
• Creating an event

And the second one would be ways of structuring.

• Scope of shot
• Framing composition (off screen, on screen)
• Shot sequencing*

*Shot sequencing includes another two ways that doesn’t have to stand alone. Meaning that both ways can be interwoven.

• Inductive/Constructive Editing: series of close-up (detail) -> wider shot, like building using small bricks
• Deductive/Analytical Editing: establish/long shot -> closer shot reveal, like taking a lup glass to see details that can’t be seen before

Editorial Thinking on Cinematography (5C)

• Cutting
• Continuity
• Composition
• Close-up
• Camera angle

“Only good editing can bring life to a motion picture! The various shots are just so many odd pieces of film until they are skillfully assembled to tell a coherent story.”[2]

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[1] Bordwell, David, et al. Film Art: An Introduction 11^th Edition, page 75-76.

[2] Mascelli, Josep. The Five C’s of Cinematography, page 147.