There are three technologies of editing in the cinema. In the given paper, each of them will be discussed in more detail. However, looking at the Joe Wright's picture "Pride and Prejudice", we found that not all technologies are present in this film. This fact complicates the analysis of the above-mentioned three technologies due to the lack of specific examples in the picture, which we analyze.
So, I would like to start by saying that in the cinematography there are three main areas or schools of editing. The first of these is the French school of editing that most closely matches the generally accepted concept of editing. The essence of this trend is that the captured images are collected in a single film through alternately connection of one frame after another, that is, the way, how it was intended when shooting. The word “editing” or “montage” comes from the French word “montage”, that is, to collect or to connect. Certainly, because of this, when referring to the editing process, ordinary spectators get a view, that shows exactly the French direction of this phenomenon. The next direction, which is the most extensive in content, referring to the number of theoretical works on the theme of editing is the Soviet direction. This area is characterized by associative editing technique, which we describe below. In short, the essence is to give a new meaning to the original shot due to the arrangement of shots in a given sequence by using the editing. The third one and perhaps the most diverse and unique destination is Hollywood area, which has absorbed the best elements of French and Soviet areas. However, the hallmark of classic Hollywood trend is montage sequence, in which the frames carry certain information for the viewer and are displayed in a concise, but creative way. A striking example is the scene workout of Rocky Balboa from the movie "Rocky", where the pictures are shown one after the other with musical accompaniment. However, despite a compressed narrative, the viewer is clear that the athlete trains every day and becomes stronger.
Let us analyze the three editing techniques, most known to us, on the example of the movie "Pride and Prejudice", directed by Joe Wright. Paul Tothill, who also participated in other works of Wright, was responsible for the editing in the film.
The first technique that we discuss is called the linear-time editing. More than 90% of the film is built on this technology. As the name implies, its essence is a sequential narrative of the plot, as it is done in classical literary works. Immediately, it should be noted that the majority of the scenes of the film is long enough and shot in one double. It is worth noting the skill of the cameraman, who, without breaking the shot, followed this or that character, but then switched to the other, following him in another place. Thus, it was created without the use of solid scene editing. However, we shall not deny that the bonding still occurred on bends, corners, columns, but this can only observe an experienced viewer, or the man himself assigned to the editing. Some theorists of cinema and filmmaking call this cameraman’s reception, when the camera is in motion, frame rate, when shooting happens in one take, the internal editing. The British director with Czech roots, Karel Reisz, clearly describes this editing technique in his book “The technique of film editing” (1960). Due to the fact that the camera is in motion, for example on the set of the tap or the vehicle, the cameraman may carry out the so-called internal editing himself directly in the process of shooting, approaching and moving away from the object and combining with panoramic shooting. Equipment for the linear-time editing was used in the film Double Indemnity, directed by Billy Wilder except for nuance that storyline is presented in the movie as a flashback, that is, the memories of the protagonist. And then, we gradually move on to the next the second technique, known as parallel editing.
In his work “The technique of film editing”, Karel Reisz describes the essence of this technique (Reisz and Millar, 102). It consists in the fact that using one editing action alternates with another by putting two viewers simultaneously in parallel with the current events. Typically, these two steps may occur either at one time and in one location, or, on the contrary, there may be different places one time and different place another time. In the film "Pride and Prejudice", this technique was not used. Remember that almost all the scenes in the film are consecutive, while the sense of parallelism of two simultaneously occurring actions is created by the director not with the help of the editing, but with the help of camera work. In the film “Double Indemnity”, the parallel editing was used several times. The first time it is, when there is a wide range of successive frames of the present and the past of the characters. The second time, this technique was used for involving the audience in the first act, gently bringing to the second, which is about to come across the first one in the same place. Well, the third time that the parallel editing was used in the film “Double Indemnity”, we can consider a call. The characters were in different places, but they were united by a single action, namely a telephone conversation. It is obvious that the characters talk on the phone, and in most cases need only one speaker to show such an effect. However, the director decided to use the parallel editing, alternating shots from different locations, so that the audience could clearly see the emotions of both characters.
The third technique of editing, which we will discuss, is called associative montage. In his book, Karel Reisz describes this technique as the rarest of the three, but more creative than the rest of the editing tricks (Reisz and Millar, 235). The essence of associative editing is to connect frames of different internal content, which creates a completely new meaning. That is, two frames are different in form and content, place, time, but united by a single idea, a thought, or an external sign, can convey a different meaning through the work of viewer’s associative thinking. For example, in the film "Pride and Prejudice", to show the fact that the characters have gone forever from their home to another city, instead of explaining it to the viewer by using the dialogues, the director shows the viewer frames of travelling coach, interspersed with shots, where the servants are laying a new tablecloths in an empty (no personal belongings of the characters) living room. Hence, we can say that as a rule, associative montage is used in tandem with parallel. The associative montage is used to emphasize individual details, highlight the episode or some trait of the character, his current mood, etc. In the film “Double Indemnity”, associative montage is noticeable in the episode, which compares an angry protagonist with a barking dog from rabies, using the frame sequential.
So, we understand that there are at least three editing techniques, namely: linear-time, parallel and associative montage. The first type of editing is used in all the films, and is the most common. Most of the frames in the movie "Pride and Prejudice" are connected to a linear time-editing technique. Parallel editing is used to engage the viewer's attention in two parallel actions, thus creating a different and a better perception of the story. Finally, associative montage is used more as an artistic device in the film, and usually goes in tandem with a parallel editing. As for the picture "Pride and Prejudice", while watching, we found out that an associative montage had been never used in the film, and the parallel had been noted by us only once. Almost all of the functions that are executed in parallel and associative montage have been successfully replaced by other cinematic techniques. One of these methods is the camera equipment of continuous shooting, using a mobile camera mounted on the wearable Steadicam stabilization system in motion. Some experts in the field of cinema call the given method internal editing. In this case, in the film "Pride and Prejudice" there were more than five scenes with the use of internal montage. The most striking of these are the first scene, where we visually get acquainted with the main characters of the film, and the scene at the ball, filmed in the style of continuous shooting, which lasts a total of about 10 minutes. Among other things, there are still a lot of nuances, associated with the editing, different subspecies and small techniques, which are usually inherent to one or another editor. In our paper, we revealed three of them and along with the technique of interior editing, four major techniques on the example of the movie "Pride and Prejudice", directed by Joe Wright, and made a parallel comparison with the classic film noir “Double Indemnity”, directed by Billy Wilder.
Works cited
Reisz, Karel and Gavin Millar. Technique Of Film Editing, Reissue Of 2Nd Edition. Burlington: Elsevier Science, 2009. Print.
