Week 7

    For the past few days now, I have been focused on editing the project. Camila finished up filming for our video recently and I've been working on compiling the clips, cutting them, and adding techniques to help amplify our films message. One of the most important techniques for our project is the "Match on Action Cut". This editing technique can do two things. The first is move the story along and introduce a seamless cut through keeping the audiences eyes busy, or tying meaning between two things, be it symbolically or literally. 

    The two examples shown above are examples of Match on Action Cuts. The first is a scene from Scream. During a dramatic sequence, Casey is frantically going around the house and locking doors. By using a Match on Action Cut, the film stays focused on the action and does not remove the audience from what is happening on screen. The next example, from 2001: a Space Odyssey, is a symbolic scene, showing how humans have evolved from "bone" (primitive technology) to being able to reach space. 

    In our film, I used this editing technique a few times, the most prominent way was during the scene where Isabel, our lead, is about to inject herself with heroin. Before she does, the scene cuts to a memory of her little brother drawing. This juxtaposition of a depressing scene to a happy one is contrast that leads the audience to make inferences on the story. The audience's eyes are focused on the movement on the screen of the needle slowly moving towards Isabel's arm. This allows the following cut to be almost seamless and instantly direct the audience to the next scene. I'm going to add an audio-shift along with lighter colors to show that the scene is from the past.

    SOURCES

Craven, Wes. Scream. Dimension Films, 1996.



Geduld, Carolyn. Filmguide to 2001: a Space Odyssey. Bloomington :Indiana University Press, 1973.