Editing

Editing and Film Making

Editing is the stage in the film-making process in which sound and images are organised to construct an overall narrative. It is how a film maker puts together and considers cuts/cutting and applies transitions, special effects etc. to communicate a narrative to an audience.

Continuity is to make sure things are continuous in editing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggFKLxAQBbc

Editing Techniques

Cut - Used to either change the position of the camera or frame or to add perspective. Cuts from one shot to another, but remains in the same scene.

Cut away - the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else.

Cross-Cutting - Cutting between two different shots. Used to add suspension to the scene.

Jump cuts - Used to show the passing of time. Jumps from one point of time to another. 

Match cut - Cuts to one shot to another where there is a similar feature within the frame. Can also be verbal.

Fade in/out - Simple face from or to black.

Dissolve - Used to change the scene and can show a passing in time.

Smash Cut - Usually shown to transition into or from a nightmare. Use for dramatic effect.

Iris Cut - Used to show a transition. Mainly only for show.

Wipe Cut - Swipes across the frame to transition to a different scene.

Invisible Cut - Hides a cut within a black screen to give the impression of a single take.

L-Cut - Audio is in a frame where it isn't visually present.

J-Cut - Where the audio starts before the scenes visuals appear.

The Matrix

- Cut 0.13

- Cross-Cutting 0.10

- L Cut 0.02

- Dissolve 0.27

Continuity Errors

A     At 0.03 theres coke in the glass, in 0.05 there isn't.

       At 0.21 he has orange juice, and at 0.30 he has water.

      At 0.36 a bottle of wine appears in the shot.

      At 0.37 the tv is on in the background.

At 0.40 a second bottle of wine appears in the shot. 

The 180 Degree Rule - Purpose is to orientate the viewer, to establish the placement of characters.

Breaking the 180 degree rule will disorientate the viewer

as the characters will appear incorrectly placed. 

Match On Action is multiple cuts to show one continuous action. 

•Match on action is part of invisible editing which creates flow when watching a scene.

•The cuts MATCH together so that the audience know it is one action.

Shot Reverse Shot

•Shot reverse shot is when a shot goes from shot A, shot B, shot A, shot B etc.

•It goes continuously back and forth between the 2 shots to show there is a connection between them

•It is often used in conversations so you see what both characters are saying

•It is a form of eye-line matching if the character is looking at someone and the next shot is what they look at  

Eye Line Match

Shot A: character is looking off screen

Shot B: what character is looking at 

Is a following shot that follows what character is looking at, makes cuts smoother the audience expects the cut to happen and is eager to see what happens next/what character sees.

Cross Cutting

•Technique of continuously alternating 2 or more scenes that often happen simultaneously (at same time) but in different locations.

•As they cross, pace gradually gets faster and fast and tension builds

•Often the parallel scenes will intersect to create a climax.

Insert Shot

•In film, an insert is a shot of part of a scene as filmed from a different angle and/or focal length from the master shot (original/establishing shot). Inserts cover action already covered in the master shot, but emphasize a different aspect of that action due to the different framing. 

•An insert differs from a cutaway as cutaways cover action not covered in the master shot.

–CLOSE-UP of the gunfighter,

–INSERT of his hand quivering above the holster,

–TWO SHOT of his friends watching anxiously,

–INSERT of the clock ticking.

Evaluation of my First Production

I think that my first production went relatively good for a first time video, however there were still some errors. One of the shots that was filmed wasn't in focus, which was at the fault of the camera man. However, I felt like the clips all merged together rather smoothly, and I experimented with several different transitions when editing the video Although some I used were tacky and seemed very unprofessional and unappealing to look at, it helped me to learn how the effects and transitions work in Adobe Premier Pro. I personally quite liked the fade out to black effect best as it was simple yet very effective. Another thing that didn't quite go so well was that the video was expected to be roughly a minute long, and my finished and edited video only made it to forty-eight seconds. 

Stereotypes and Countertypes

The first image contains a woman holding her fist raised high. The image could be interpreted as the woman perhaps standing up for something, as she does not appear biolent, but very passionate. I believe that this is a non-stereotypical image and is, rather, a counter type, and women are stereotypically portrayed as not being able to stand up for themselves.

The second image contains a group of men holding what one could assume to be alcoholic beverages in what appears to be a pub or bar. One could interpret from this image that it is a group of laddish pals gathered in the pub together for a night out. I believe that this is a stereotypical image as one would usually expect middle aged men to go to the pub a lot with their friends.

The third image features of group of men and women standing outside a building in formal business attire. One could interpret from this image that they are all powerful businesswomen/men, perhaps rich. I believe that this is in fact a countertype due to the equal gender representation in the image, as media usually only portrays men in high up working positions.

The fourth image features a visibly crying women bent backwards by a menacing looking man in a hoodie. One could derive from this image that the man is perhaps attacking the woman, as she appears helpless and in emotional peril. I believe this is a stereotype as stereotypically, women are presented as weak and "damsels in distress" in popular media.

Gender Representation

Gender Representation

These two images are separate GO Covers for two artists. This relates to gender representation due to the different ways in which the pair are represented. For example, in Lana's cover she seems to be completely naked, and in Tinie Tempah's cover he is dressed very formally, and looks rather dapper. This could lead a viewer to decide that that women are represented as purely sexual objects and that the magazine wouldn't get attention unless Lana was naked. However, Tine is depicted in a suit and tie, which could lead to the viewer interpreting that men are more powerful and smart.

What is the Gaze?

The concept of gaze is one that deals with how an audience views the people presented.

The Male Gaze 1975

In film, the male gaze refers to when the viewer is put into the perspective of a heterosexual man. It is only the male gaze if these curves are highlighted with specific conventions, such as slow motion, deliberate camera movements and cut aways. 

Blurred Lines

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyDUC1LUXSU

The video very strongly complies with Laura Mulvey's theory of the Male Gaze. For example, the video features many close up shots emphasising the curves of the female body, as seen in the picture above. The woman is also making a very shocked expression which makes her appear innocent, and therefore more seductive. The men in the music video contrast with the women in that they are all dressed in smart attire, which makes them seem much more important, powerful and dominant over the women (even though there appears to be more women than men in the video).

Visual pleasure and Narrative cinema:
• Women are presented as sexual spectacle (show) objects of pleasure for the characters and audience. She believed that in films audiences have to view characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male.
• Stating that the way women are viewed in cinema is ‘unequal’.
• The camera necessarily present women as ‘sexualised for the pleasure of men.
• Men fetishies women which she referred to as ‘fetishistic scopophilia.
• Men have this gaze to avoid being ‘castrated’.

       In this short clip from transformers the actress megan fox is portrayed as both intelligent and objectified. Although she speaks a lot of smart stuff about cars, the male character still finds it difficult to focus on the words she says and is instead more focused on her body. This can be seen as he does't look at her in the eyes when she speaks; he instead looks at her body. This suggests that men care more about women's looks and bodies than their intelligence. This complies with the male gaze due to the emphasis on the female body and camera shots of it. Also, due to editing. Whenever the camera is on Shia LaBeouf, part of Megans midriff and bottom is always visible. This shows that Megan is being objectified as the shots are more focused on her body than her face and speech. This also links to Mulvey's idea that women are presented as a sexual spectacle - i.e objects of pleasure for both the male character and the audience. 

This is an advertisement for a   new burger king meal.  

In this advertisement  there is a woman with parted 

lips opposite the burger, captioned "IT'LL BLOW 

(your mind away). I think that advertisers decide to 

portray women in this way because "sex sells"- 

meaning a man is more likely to buy a product if it is

advertised in a sexual nature. This helps advertisers to

better attract the male audience to their product as 

stereotypically, men are perceived as all "sex

obsessed". 

Facial Expressions

Women :

•Chocolate box

•Invitational

•Super-smiler

•Romantic or sexual

Marjorie Ferguson (1980)   

Men :

•Carefree

•Practical

•Seductive

•Comic

Trevor Millum (1975)

EXAMPLES OF EMPOWERMENT IN CHARLIES ANGELS

1. The women do a lot of combat and fighting

2."I work for myself"

3. All of the main protagonists are seemingly female

4. Handling weapons

5. Dangerous sports

SEXUALITY

1. Lots of strippers

2. Women in bikinis, seem to be intimate.

3."ride it rough and hard"

4. The angels stripping

5. Tight revealing outfits

I personally believe that female representation has somewhat changed over the years, as nowadays there are many more films featuring female protagonists and demonstrating female characters as strong and independent. An example of this could be Frozen, in which the main protagonist is female, and the other character is saved by her sister, not a male love interest.

Jonathan Schroeder (1998)

“to gaze implies more than to look at – it signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze.”

Fetishistic Scopophilia: deriving pleasure from viewing women

Stereotype: a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

Counter Stereotype: an idea or object that goes against a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment.

There is a difference between someones sex and their gender. A persons sex is in reference to a persons physical characteristics - whether they are male or female. A persons gender is in reference to the socially constructed expected behaviour of a certain sex, for example girls are expected to wear dresses and boys are expected to be unemotional. 

Misogyny: dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women.

From a media perspective, these magazines would suggest firstly that to be a boy you must be aggressive. This is implied from the "Fight!" cover line featured in the bottom right hand corner, and also from the fist that Ben is making in the top right corner. A lot of dark, dull colours are used, which makes the magazine look less exciting. It also suggests that boys should be intelligent as in the skyline at the bottom of the magazine it is detailed that there will be "facts" featured in the magazine.

As for the "Girl Talk" magazine, it is much more bright than the boys magazine. It suggests that females are a lot more excitable, for example a cover line reads "eek!". It also suggests that girls would perhaps be more focused on materialistic themes, for example theres an article about "celeb style", which leads to young girls focusing more on their appearance. 

Can gender representations change over time?

I personally believe that gender representation will change as society changes. What is expected from both genders in society is rapidly changing as certain behaviours become more acceptable (female sexuality, male emotion, transgender/agender). This means that in order to keep up with the times media will need to update their representations in order to meet social expectation.

'Masculinity' is a concept that is made up of more rigid stereotypes than femininity. 

Representations of men across all media tend to focus on the following:

•Strength - physical and intellectual

•Power

•Sexual attractiveness (which may be based on the above)

•Physique

•Independence (of thought, action, finances)

Earp and Katz (1999) studies male representations in the media and found “a widespread and disturbing equation of masculinity and pathological control and violence.”

They claim that the media is responsible for a steady stream of images that define ‘manhood’

 as connected with violence, dominance and control - and create it as a normal and accepted 

part of masculinity.

The Metrosexual

•One recent development in the representations of masculinity is the Metrosexual ( mid

 1990’s)

•The young single man with a high disposable income, living in the city - as it is near to

 the best shops. Metrosexual man is not gay but is often confused with being homosexual.

He is objectified and sexualised (turned into a sex object) which goes against traditional 

representations of masculinity    

The Fool/ Buffoon

•The fool stereotype is a tried and tested formula  e.g. the bungling father in TV ads and Sitcoms. Usually well intentioned and light hearted, these characters range from slightly inept to completely hopeless in work or parenting and domestic situations.

•On the surface it may seem a very pejorative representation of men However they still always come out on top

Representations of women across all media tend to

highlight the following:

•beauty (within narrow conventions)

•size/physique (again, within narrow conventions)

•sexuality (as expressed by the above)

•emotional (as opposed to intellectual) dealings

•relationships (as opposed to independence/

  freedom) 

•Women are often represented as being part of a context (family, friends, colleagues) and working/thinking as part of a team. In drama, they tend to take the role of helper (Propp) or object, passive rather than active (Mulvey).

•Often their passivity extends to victimhood. Men are still represented as TV drama characters up to 3 times more frequently than women, and tend to be the predominant focus of news stories.

In Advertising and Magazines

They are shown as…

•Young

•Slim

•Overwhelmingly white

•Conforming to our image of ideal beauty (perfect skin, hair and alluring gaze).

In non Fictional Media

•women’s roles tend to be smaller and fewer than their male counterparts.

•Due to the Patriarchal nature of our society - women are less likely to be the source of leading news stories (politics, business, law and religion stories.)

•Since their roles in these areas tend to be fewer in number.   

Pitbull Music Video

In the music video, the male characters are presented as powerful and dominant, and are often surrounded by multiple females, almost as if they own them. Female characters are presented as highly sexualised, all dressed in either their underwear or bikinis and posing lustfully. They also come across as quite submissive as the male characters seem able to easily influence and control their behaviour. 

College Magazine

Media Glossary

Media Glossary

Textual Analysis: The process of decoding a media text.

Mise-en-scene: The most recognisable attributes of a film; the setting and the actors. (includes props, makeup, costumes, scenery etc.)

Media Text: The media text is any media product we wish to examine.

Language: The method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way.

Aural: Relating to the ear or sense of hearing.

Media Representation: The way in which the media portrays particular groups, communities, experiences, ideas or topics from a particular idealogical or value perspective.

Stereotype: A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

Archetype: A universal type or model of character that is found in many different texts. e.g ingenue, anti-hero, wise old woman, hero-as-lover, hero-as-warrior, shadow trickster, mentor, loyal friend, temptress etc.