Editing

Strangers Analysis

Editing is the way in which a film is put together by the use of shots. Editing builds emotions which connects the audience and creates understanding. Editing is the major feature that makes a thriller run smoothly and create various effects.

The first editing style I analysed was 'slow editing'. Slow editing is when clips are juxtaposed together at a slower rate to create suspense. In this particular editing style it shows the women walking to the door, while an anonymous character knocks. The slow edit makes the audience believe that her slow movement is contributed by her hesitation to be close to the door. It adds tension as the audience are curious to know who it is at the door. This is conventional to a thriller film as it creates mystery due to the audience questioning themselves.

The second editing style that I identified was a 'reaction shot'. A reaction shot is any shot in which a subject reacts to a previous shot. It portrays the women checking the window in another room after leaving the door, which was being knocked on by the unknown character. This unseen character had supposedly left the scene as clear footsteps are heard to fade into the distance. The purpose of this shot is to reveal her emotions- nervousness, as she fears the character has not actually gone. This is conventional as it clearly connects the audience to her emotions which make them feel a sense of sympathy, as they imagine themselves in her position.

The third editing style I analysed was a 'linking shot'. A linking shot is where a number of shots are linked together to add emotional impact. Within this shot her fireplaces fire starts to produce smoke which triggers the fire alarm. While standing on a chair trying to reset the alarm, it unclips and drops to the floor creating a bang, at the exact time as another loud knock at the door. This shot creates high levels of noise to create a jumpy atmosphere. This is conventional as the sounds created, with numerous things happening at the same time builds tension for the audience; this is because the audience begins to struggle on when to look as they feel something suddenly going to jump out.

The final editing style I analysed was a 'jump cut'. A jump cut shot is when the film suddenly focuses on something. The camera is focused on the two large, wooden doors in the middle of the shot, as the mysterious character knocks. This scene continuously goes back to the doors as it seems to be the main focus of the scene, with sound being added each time. The purpose of this shot is to build intuition that something’s going to come through the door at any moment. This is conventional to a thriller film as it constantly keeps the audience on the edge of their seats waiting for this mysterious character to reveal itself.

To conclude, I found that editing styles were hard to pick up on as their aspects make the film run so smoothly. The importance of understanding why each editing style is used is something I learnt; as I focused I tended to pick up on it more easily. Analysing each of these editing styles has shown me how I use them to portray different emotions and create interesting effects, to which I will use in my own thriller.

To make your analysis more detailed you need to expand on the points that you are making on conventions by considering the hidden meanings of the film. Finally add a video link/screenshot to support the points that you are making.