#7 So, what is editing?

 Editing!

In our already long unit 2, another chapter was added: Editing! (yay…) Not that it is not important, it is just something known to be a long process, so I was expecting the chapter to be the same. 

Although, it was quite interesting, apart from the knowledge I already had because of my digital experience. So, let’s take a deep dive into editing. 

What is it?

So editing is the “... technical and creative process of media production. It is a post-production process and involves the enhancement and assembly of raw footage and sound.” Makes sense.

I initially took it as just cutting, placing transitions on your videos, and putting some sound and effects. But editing is a crucial part of the post-production process. It specifies the media text and brings the text to life. Just filming is one part of the process, the editing brings it all together. I am sure the directors of photography and other editing and visual supervisors during filming, constantly remind actors “imagination”, simply because it's hard to visualize being in another planet when you’re behind a bright green screen with 20 people staring at you. 

What do you do? 

Something standard in editing is transitioning from one scene to another. This can be done through a variety of cuts like standard cuts, eyeline match, and cross cutting. Although they seem like standard processes, it makes the texts understandable. 

For example, eyeline match is where the camera cuts from the person looking off-screen to who/what they are looking at, adding context behind the scene. An example of this technique is in the infamous candle scene in Barry Lyndon (1974), though an earlier film, it captured the feeling of uneasy-ness while the woman was looking up and down from the table to the man in front of her, signaling that there is some relationship between them. 

Another example is not a fictional film, but a reality tv show: DCC Making The Team. This surrounds the audition process and lives of prospective Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and their veterans. [Not to be confused with the latest docuseries America Sweethearts, about the cheerleaders that is airing on Netflix]. 

This type of media text does not require much special effects or technical editing, so it primarily uses standard cut and fade transitions. An aspect of reality television editing that is important, is where scenes are being cut and the sound effects added, to make it more “entertaining”. This show also uses plenty of slow-mos to accentuate the cheerleaders’ dance moves and look. Take a look at this clip to understand my drift. 

So how did I use this? 

In the recent editing assignment, we were tasked with creating a 30-second video utilizing what we learned in class. 

For my assignment, I chose to stay alone (again…lol), so I created a plot surrounding the idea of me coming home myself and going to water my plants. Techniques I used were standard cuts and fade outs to capture the simplicity and calmness of the video. Additionally, to make my video more eye-catching, I used different shots from different angles, such as a wide shot, point of view, and low-angle shots. Not only that, but something also that always caught my eye in films were trans-diegetic sounds (when sounds go from diegetic to non-diegetic in the same scene). Since I had a miniature radio in my room, I wanted to create a scene using it, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. When I wanted to “listen to music”, I used a POV shot of me turning on the radio with music playing from there, to then a standard cut to a wide shot of me walking as the sound plays in the background. 

This definitely could’ve used some improvements, but I had fun grabbing techniques I've learned and making it into a great product. Hope you enjoy it as well. See you next time!