Development of editing
Editing is perhaps the most fundamental aspect of film, it enables directors to manipulate
audiences perspective and establishes the pace of which events unfold throughout the narrative. Modern editing continues to advance with the introduction of new technology but it is imperative to understand where it all began and the impact of editing on film.
In 1895 the Lumiere brothers introduced the first camera known as the cinematographe, a three way machine that recorded, captured and projected a motion picture. It produced one long roll of film, essentially a continuous shot. On the 28th December 1985, the first public screening took place, it inspired the magician, George Méliès to become involved in film. After being refused a purchase of a cinematographe from the Lumière brothers, who saw him as a direct competition, he took it upon himself to purchase an animatograph from which he was able to create his own camera. Along with owning a theatre company, Méliès began to show his own films. It is from this experience that he began to use jump cuts in his films to create an appearance of things disappearing and reappearing in shots. This effect can be seen in the film The Haunted Castle (1986).
Méliès also introduced effects known as overlaying dissolves, fade in & fade out and stop motion photography. It is from this that Méliès was able to adapt film in to a storytelling form, something which would both engage and entertain audiences and continue to increase the popularity of film. Méliès theatre background hugely influenced his work, throughout his career he made around 500 films and all were shot from the same angle. Viewing his films was almost like being a spectator in a theatre audience, lots of detail was taking place in the scene but the audience could only see this a single perspective.
Edwin S Porter is another figure who was emerging around a similar time. He had a background in vita scope projection and went on to become head of production at Edison Skylight Studio. In 1901 Edwin S Porter took a more experimental approach to editing by putting different parts of film together. This produced an image which consisted of several shots and increased in length. Porter was greatly influenced by Méliès and in his film Life of an American Fireman (1903) he combined stock footage and staged scenes to form a narrative. Similarly to Méliès, each shot was a complete scene and used a technique known as temporal overlaps to combine the two together. It is here that he began to understand the importance of the arrangement of shots to create meaning. This breakthrough in editing allowed Porter to create something more complex, a story that exists beyond the image produced. This idea of editing shots in to a sequence is known as 'primitive editing'.
At the time D.W.Griffith had dreams of becoming a writer and started to write stories for films. He submitted his work to Porter who refused and instead gave Griffith a role in his film as an actor. Griffith then went on to work with the production company Biograph and went on to make around 450 films. In his film Greaser's Gauntlet he used a technique known as the 'cut in', this consisted of cutting a medium long shot to a full shot in the middle of a scene to emphasise the emotional reaction from the two actors within the scene. He also created the term 'continuity editing' a technique which allows scenes to follow a continuous and smooth pace which creates a sense of time and space within a narrative. From this the 180 degree rule was born, he discovered that by keeping the camera on one side of the 'axis of action' he could avoid any conflicts to continuity when cutting from one angle to another. Another technique established by Griffith is 'cross cutting' which allowed him to cut between different scenes in a parallel action which can be first seen in his film After Many Years (1908). Griffith used this techniques to experiment with the pace of the cuts to create a sense of urgency during particular scenes to build a cinematic climax.
After this, filmmakers went on to establish techniques such as matching eyelines, cutting on action, establishing shots, reverse shots etc. A new wave of cinema was created. Griffith's blockbuster film The Birth of a Nation, used all of these experimental techniques and determined its success despite its controversy for being racist. However, it was soon banned due to its controversy causing riots to take place. Griffith never recovered from this setback and would not make another successful film in his time. Griffith was a hugely influential figure in the world of film and is responsible for the style of continuity editing used in mainstream cinema today.
At the time D.W.Griffith had dreams of becoming a writer and started to write stories for films. He submitted his work to Porter who refused and instead gave Griffith a role in his film as an actor. Griffith then went on to work with the production company Biograph and went on to make around 450 films. In his film Greaser's Gauntlet he used a technique known as the 'cut in', this consisted of cutting a medium long shot to a full shot in the middle of a scene to emphasise the emotional reaction from the two actors within the scene. He also created the term 'continuity editing' a technique which allows scenes to follow a continuous and smooth pace which creates a sense of time and space within a narrative. From this the 180 degree rule was born, he discovered that by keeping the camera on one side of the 'axis of action' he could avoid any conflicts to continuity when cutting from one angle to another. Another technique established by Griffith is 'cross cutting' which allowed him to cut between different scenes in a parallel action which can be first seen in his film After Many Years (1908). Griffith used this techniques to experiment with the pace of the cuts to create a sense of urgency during particular scenes to build a cinematic climax.
After this, filmmakers went on to establish techniques such as matching eyelines, cutting on action, establishing shots, reverse shots etc. A new wave of cinema was created. Griffith's blockbuster film The Birth of a Nation, used all of these experimental techniques and determined its success despite its controversy for being racist. However, it was soon banned due to its controversy causing riots to take place. Griffith never recovered from this setback and would not make another successful film in his time. Griffith was a hugely influential figure in the world of film and is responsible for the style of continuity editing used in mainstream cinema today.
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| The Lumiére Brothers |
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| Edwin S Porter |
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| D.W.Griffith |
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