{"id":290291,"date":"2023-05-18T16:35:24","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T14:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cined.com\/?p=290291"},"modified":"2024-02-23T12:57:07","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23T11:57:07","slug":"when-to-cut-and-why-unlocking-the-craft-of-precise-editing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.cined.dev\/jp\/when-to-cut-and-why-unlocking-the-craft-of-precise-editing\/","title":{"rendered":"When to Cut and Why \u2013 Unlocking the Craft of Precise Editing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To cut or not to cut? \u2013 a question every editor faces regularly. Or at least, they should. As the great Alfred Hitchcock once said, montage is not cutting the film, but rather the assembling of its pieces. Carefully choosing the right ones and putting them into a precise order not only tells a story but also creates a different impact on the viewers. There is no doubt that editing is a hugely powerful tool. Understanding when to cut and why can enhance your superpowers in filmmaking drastically. Here, we picked some helpful techniques for you to try.<\/strong><\/p><290291-inline-buylinks\/>\n\n\n\n

Before tackling any project and heading for the rough cut, it\u2019s essential to sit down and ask (yourself or the director) the right questions. That\u2019s what Tom Cross<\/a> always does, regardless of what movie footage awaits him, or which size or complexity the story has. Tom is an Oscar-winning editor, best known for collaborations with director Damien Chazelle<\/a> on four of his features: “Whiplash”, “La La Land”, “First Man”, and the most recent one \u2013 “Babylon”. Tom Cross is also the instructor of the MZed course titled “The Art & Technique of Film Editing<\/a>.” In this comprehensive course, spanning over 8 hours, he blends theoretical lectures with in-depth scene deconstructions from his own body of work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tom Cross. Image source: MZed.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Back to “asking the right questions”. First, think of the story in the script. What is the movie about? What\u2019s its theme? Is the essence concentrated around an idea or a person? The answers will determine whether you\u2019ll be editing for a character, a story, or a theme. As a second step, Tom recommends pulling out the \u201chow\u201d questions. For example, how does this character evolve over the course of the film? How can your editing support and symbolize his or her journey (gradually moving from wide shots to close-ups, or increasing the rhythm are just a couple of ideas)? Write the answers down and pin them near your desk \u2013 you will come back to them a lot during the edit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why cut in the first place?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a good question. You surely know how entire scenes or even entire movies can be told in so-called long takes (if not, we have a piece solely about this technique with the best film examples over here<\/a>). So yeah, why not? You can go for this style and avoid any visible cuts at all. But again, your style choice should be based on the answers we talked about before. Does this approach support the story or is it just a fancy tool you wanted to try out? Be honest with yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Tom Cross explains, sometimes you want the edit to be invisible, and other times the viewers should notice it continually. For example, in \u201cWhiplash\u201d they went for very high-speed dynamic cuts in most of the drumming scenes because they wanted to create this daunting feeling of not being able to keep up with the tempo. In \u201cLa La Land\u201d, on the contrary, the edit was slow-paced and flowy, relying on long takes. And even there, they would still use punch cuts to underline the statement when needed. Compare both examples for yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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