planning editing styles- miss Georgiou

Why is editing important within a thriller film?
 Editing is very important within a thriller film as various techniques make an effective thriller film/opening. Various techniques create the element of suspense, tension and shock/surprise which are the main elements of the thriller genre.

What editing styles will you include within your sequence & why? what effect will this create?

• Reaction shot- We will include this editing technique in our sequence as we feel that it will show the reaction of the man which will give a shock to the audience, and show how the character are reacting to the shock, which in turn will create suspense. The reaction shot will be used when the girl vanishes in front of the man.

• Straight cut- We will include this editing style in our sequence as it is the most effective at leading to a panning shot of the setting of the opening sequence. In this panning shot we will see the girl very briefly so the audience has an idea of the character in the scene. The character will be shown at a distance, which will give the audience the effect that they should distance themselves from her, then as the opening sequence carries on they get closer to her, showing that they can trust her, then she turns on the relationship that the audience had with her, like she did with the character in the scene. The shot will be on the pavement of the street and not down the alley way where the main part of the opening sequence will be.

• Jump cut- We will include this editing style when the scene focuses on the Blonde female when she disappears we want the scene to suddenly focus on the girl because it gives the audience a sense of shock that it is important we create because it is one of the key elements to a film in the thriller genre. The jump shot is a quick way of editing into the shot, which builds suspense as the scene is fasted paced.

• Timing of Shots - We will include this editing technique because we want to create the element of suspense and also surprise when we are creating our scene, as this is conventional to the thriller genre as it helps to build suspense. We will use this technique through the whole of the scene as we want to create a atmosphere the audience will recognise from other thriller films. We will use this to show the venerability of the man and the girl and to show the change of the roles that the audience will see through this editing style and also the camera angles.  

 How are your editing styles conventional to a thriller film?

All of my editing styles are conventional to the thriller genre as they are widely used across the genre and are effective at creating suspense and building a relationship between the audience and the characters. some of these editing styles are taken as inspiration from films that I have analysed, such as Seven and The Shining.

Reaction Shot-This is conventional to the thriller genre because it is used to show the audience the characters reaction to something that has happened in the film. this shot can be effective at creating a relationship between the audience and the characters, which is important for adding suspense.

Jump Cut-This editing style is used to suddenly focus on something. This editing styles show the audience what the character may/may not see and shows in detail something that it important to the scene that the audience needs to focus on, which can help build suspense in a scene, which is conventional to the thriller genre.

Timing of shots-This is conventional to the thriller genre as thriller films use timing of shots to add suspense or a tense atmosphere.  A slow use of timing of shots gives a slow pace to the film which then the audience have time to create a relationship with the characters, which can give the audience a chance to keep up with the narrative, which can build suspense slowly. Whereas fast pace creates shock for the audience but they don't have time to build a relationship with the characters, so the narrative might not create as much sock or suspense as it is supposed to.

How will your editing styles appeal to your audience?

Reaction Shot-This editing style will appeal to the audience because the audience like to see how the characters react to the events in the film, for example when the girl disappears the audience will want to see what the character is feeling so they know which character is in control of the situation, this is especially important in our opening scene as we have a role change so the audience will want to know how the character is feeling. This shot is also use to create suspense in a scene.

Jump Cut-This editing style will appeal to the audience as they will suddenly see a change of setting or character. It will suddenly focus on a particular item sending the audience into a sudden state of shock. This will appeal to the audience because shock is one of the main elements of a thriller film and is what most of the audience want from a thriller film. It is conventional to the thriller genre as it can create suspense. we are using this in our opening sequence when the girl comes out from behind the shadows, and when the point of view of the male character can see he clearly ready to attack him, we feel this shot is effective as it shocks the audience.

Timing of Shots-This editing style will appeal to the audience because slow timing of shots will engage the audience and build up tension getting the audience prepared for something shocking to happen, which is what appeals to the audience in a thriller film. Alternatively fast timing of shots can have the same effect but doesn't give the audience a chance to keep up with the narrative and can be confusing sometimes. This is also a conventional style of editing and can create suspense as the frames can be used to build anticipation. We will be using this editing style towards the end of our opening scene when the male character can see the girl and the fast editing builds a high level of suspense for that scene.