Week 04 | Intro to Film Editing

"Editing is not merely a method of the junction of separate scenes or pieces but is a method that controls the ‘psychological guidance’ of the spectator."

-V.I. Pudovkin

Scene:#4 of 15

Shot:Extreme Wide

Action:Static

There is a lot more to Edwin S. Porter than just "The Great Train Robbery." "Dream of a Rarebit Fiend" may well have been another forerunner for the surrealist movement. ...[This Film] makes the breadth of Méliès work clearer; his discovery and implementation of ‘trick’ film-making not only heavily influenced all science fiction film but also the representation of dreams (and blurred drunkenness) in films." - Film AB. Initio

Watch the movie on Edwin S. Porter and try to imagine a world without the concept of parallel editing. That is, the idea of more than one thing happening at the same time in a film. Without this groundbreaking realization about how the human mind works, film would certainly have died.

Check out Porter's most famous work in The Life of an American Fireman (1903) and The Great Train Robbery (1903). The Great Train Robbery could quite possibly be the beginning of the Western genre that dominated American films for years.

After viewing the films, click on the "D" to the left to go to Moodle and take part in the discussion forum.

Project 1: "The Still Image Movie" Due

Project Overview
Premiere Tutorial Videos (Review)

Project 1: Still Image Movie is due this week by 11:55PM Sunday. Review tutorials on exporting, uploading and linking on the next tab.

When you're ready, click on the "P" to the left to go to Moodle upload forum for Project 1. There, you'll be able to submit the video link to your project, and critique your classmates projects as well.

Week 04 Reading & Assignment

Click on the "R" to link to Moodle where you can access the assigned reading for Week 04.

All films are comprised of shots. Regardless of the genre or language, all films are made of basically the same kinds of shots with slight variations and lengths. The language of film is based on understanding the power and the different ways to use shots to tell the story and influence the audience emotionally.

Take a look at the sample shots in the "Example" tab, then watch the scene from Doctor Who, paying attention to the shots used to describe the scene. After watching the film, click on the "A" to the left to go to Moodle where you'll find all your instructions. In this assignment, you will find a scene that is about the same length and break it down using the vocabulary we've established.

Week 04 Assessment & More

Quiz
Extra

Click on the "Q" to link to Moodle and the quiz for Week 04.