Natasha Lloyd | Pace of the Editing

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Pace of the Editing
Natasha Lloyd
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Messages Values

• What are the main subject areas of interest in
  this film and what are the main themes and ideas
  being addressed?
• Could it be said that there are certain key
  messages and values that underpin the film?
• You need the ability to be able to stand back
  from the narrative and attempt to see the film
  from an objective distance. but we can make it
  seem to be much more difficult than it actually
  is.
• Of course, you need to go further than this and
  ask in some detail exactly how men and women, or
  different races, cultures and creeds are
  represented in any particular film.
• Do they comply with stereotypical role models, or
  defy the conventional and challenge social norms
  in some way?
• Exactly how are ideas of democracy and freedom
  being represented and with what relationship to
  the politics of the real world?

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Genre

• Is this film typical of any particular genre
  (e.g. sci-fi, horror, action, comedy, musical,
  road movie) or sub-genre (e.g. dystopia, alien
  invasion, slasher vampire, zombie)? In what ways
  is it typical and in what ways is it not typical
  (or atypical)?
• Could this film be said to use several genres
  (hybrid), and if so which ones and why have they
  been combined in this way? Does it demonstrate
  the current trend towards hybrid genres?
• More importantly, how does the chosen genre
  relate to views and perspectives in society in
  general, and how does it reflect the period in
  which it has been made?

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Narrative

• How is the story being told is a narrator used,
  and if so, why? Does s/he have a marginal or
  important role in the story itself?
• What effect does using a narrator or not have on
  the perspective given to the viewer?
• How effective is the opening, and what makes it
  so? How effective is the ending, and what makes
  it so?
• Are there clear moments of complication and
  climax within the film? Could you plot as if on a
  graph the rising tensions and climaxes of the
  story?
• Could you usefully complete a diagram, or
  diagrams, representing the relationships between
  characters within the story?
• Are conventional aspects of storytelling, such as
  the confrontation between good and evil, or the
  use of a journey as a narrative device (Titanic
  as Love Story), being employed? Most importantly,
  what are the meanings being created for us by the
  particular narrative structure and devices being
  employed?

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Mise-en-scène

• What would be your evaluation of the performances
  of the actors? Are the characters created complex
  or simple to understand? Is their motivation
  clear? Are they rounded and complex, or flat and
  stereotypical?
• What is the social status of each character and
  how dominant are they? Does their use of language
  reflect their character? What tone or attitude
  does each character adopt? What ideas or feelings
  are being expressed?
• What can you tell about the character from the
  body language and delivery of lines? How long
  does each person speak and what does this tell us
  (in different circumstances it could convey
  different things)
• What is the significance of costume in
  particular scenes? Does it help to convey
  character and/or oppositions? Does it operate to
  mark out particular groups? Is it used simply to
  suggest period and place? Are the costumes
  wonderfully authentic but actually used to little
  effect in terms of conveying meaning to the
  audience?

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• Are there any significant uses of props? Are
  there any props used in such a way as to become
  recurring images? Do the props remind us of
  themes or ideas in the film, or tell us something
  about character?
• How is the setting or location used? Is it used
  to create a sense of realism? Is it used to
  create mood? Is it used to create a sense of
  certain states of mind or feelings?
• Is it used to stand for, or symbolically
  represent, other things?

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Cinematography

• Are there any scenes or single shots in which you
  think the camerawork has been particularly
  effective? If so, how and why do you believe it
  to be successful?
• What significance do particular shots or camera
  movements have in terms of creating meaning for
  us? (Referring to particular shots and scenes to
  illustrate meaning in this way will be a key
  skill.)
• What is the significance of the lighting in
  particular scenes? Are some scenes particularly
  light or dark? If so, why? How is shadow being
  used? Is it being used in particular ways in
  relation to particular characters?
• .

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Sound

• Do any extracts from the dialogue seem to be
  especially important? In what ways might these
  lines be seen to be significant? Why have
  particular words or phrases been chosen?
• Are sound effects used simply to create a sense
  of place, or do they in some way contribute
  towards meaning over and above this?
• What is the significance of the music chosen for
  particular scenes? How does it work to contribute
  to the creation of meaning? Is it diegetic or
  non-diegetic, and what difference does this make?

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Editing

• Is the pace of the editing in particular scenes
  giving us images that are flashing quickly before
  us, or images that we are able to survey in a
  leisurely way? Why has this style been chosen?
• How do the shots as they are structured into
  sequences via editing work to create meaning? Is
  the manner in which one shot follows another used
  in such a way as to allow one to comment on the
  other?
• Which images are stressed? Why? Are there
  repetitions of certain visual images, or
  parallels between individual shots or sequences?

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Thank You