Scribd
Upload
198 views2 pages

Rules of Thumb For Video Editing

This document provides guidelines for editing video, including not stringing together moving shots, varying camera angles and positions between shots, changing perspectives when filming buildings, making cuts during motion to be less noticeable, and ordering sequences deliberately to convey messages through different types of cuts like associative cuts that trigger associations, parallel cuts that show parallel actions, and contrast cuts that point up differences. It discusses six main methods of conveying messages through cuts.

Uploaded by

genas7265
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
198 views2 pages

Rules of Thumb For Video Editing

This document provides guidelines for editing video, including not stringing together moving shots, varying camera angles and positions between shots, changing perspectives when filming buildings, making cuts during motion to be less noticeable, and ordering sequences deliberately to convey messages through different types of cuts like associative cuts that trigger associations, parallel cuts that show parallel actions, and contrast cuts that point up differences. It discusses six main methods of conveying messages through cuts.

Uploaded by

genas7265
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Page 1 of 2

Rules of thumb for video editing


Here are some guidelines that may be helpful when you come to edit your movie. Of course, there are no hard and fast rules, especially if your work is humorous or experimental.
Do not string together scenes in which the camera is moving. Pans, zooms, and

other moving shots should always be separated by static shots.


Shots that follow one another should be from different camera positions. The

camera angle should vary by at least 45 degrees.


Sequences of faces should always be shot alternately from varying angles of

view.
Change perspectives when shooting buildings. When you have similar shots of

the same type and size, the picture diagonal should alternate between front left to rear right and vice versa.
Make cuts when persons are in motion. The viewer will be distracted by the

ongoing motion and the cut will go almost without notice. In particular, you can cut to a long shot from the middle of the motion.
Make harmonious cuts; avoid visual disjunction. The less motion there is in a shot, the shorter it should be. Shots with fast

movements can be longer.


Long shots have more content, so they should also be shown longer.

Ordering your video sequences in a deliberate manner not only permits you to produce certain effects, but even enables you to convey messages that cannot or should not be shown in pictures. There are basically six methods of conveying messages through cuts. Lets look at each in turn.

Associative cuts
Shots are strung together in a certain order to trigger associations in the mind of the viewer, but the actual message is not shown. Example: A man bets on a horse race and, in very next scene, we see him shopping for an expensive new car at a car dealership.

Parallel cuts
Two actions are shown in parallel. The film jumps back and forth between the two actions; making the shots shorter and shorter until the end. This is a way of building suspense until it peaks. Example: Two different cars drive from different directions at high speed toward the same intersection.

mk:@MSITStore:C:\Program%20Files\Pinnacle\Studio%2012\Programs\Studio.chm::/207T... 2/9/2013

Page 2 of 2

Contrast cuts
The film purposely cuts unexpectedly from one shot to another, very different shot, in order to point up the contrast to the viewer. Example: A tourist lying on the beach; the next shot shows starving children.

Substitutionary cut
Events that cannot or should not be shown are replaced by other events (a child is born, but instead of childbirth, the blossoming of a flower bud is shown).

Cause and effect cuts


Shots are related by virtue of cause and effect: without the first shot, the second would be incomprehensible. Example: A man fights with his wife and, in the very next shot, winds up sleeping under a bridge.

Formal cuts
Shots that vary in content can be strung together if they have something in common the same shapes, colors, or motions, for example. Examples: A crystal ball and the earth; a yellow raincoat and yellow flowers; a falling skydiver and a falling feather.

mk:@MSITStore:C:\Program%20Files\Pinnacle\Studio%2012\Programs\Studio.chm::/207T... 2/9/2013

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy