Research into editing

Introduction

I think a variety of editing styles are used in thriller films because it helps build up suspense for the audience making them more wary of what's going to happen. I also think they are used to show their facial expressions more clearly which helps the audience understand the film more.
Some examples of editing terminology are:

• Montage - the speed of editing, where shots are quickly juxtaposed together to create excitement.
• Wipe cut - one part of the screen moves away to wipe another.
• Linking of section - is where one section of a film is linked to another scene, which has significance.
• Linking shots - is where a number of shots are linked together to add emotional impact.

I will be analysing a clip from Annabelle:

One editing style used is slow editing which is when clips are juxtaposed together at a slower pace and this is to create suspense. This is done when she has just entered the storage room in the basement and she is looking around. This shows that she can sense another presence in the basement with her. As she looks round slowly, it builds up suspense for the audience. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it makes the audience believe that something bad is going to happen and someone else is around. This also creates an enigma because it helps the audience build a relationship with the character as they are also wondering what the presence is.

A second editing style used is the reaction shot which is any shot in which a subject reacts to a previous shot. This is shown when she is walking towards the pram where the sound of crying is coming from. The camera is moving behind her as she walks up to the pram then goes onto her face which shows her facial expressions. This is important because it tells the audience how she is feeling which in this clip is that she's frightened. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it helps the audience to relate to the character by feeling scared for her and the baby. This also builds up suspense because the audience don't know what the presence is going to do next to make her more feel more scared.

Timing shots are used which are when shots are either edited slower or quicker to add emotional impact or to create suspense. This is shown when she is running towards the elevator. The scene is edited quicker so that the audience know she is very frightened. This helps the audience build a relationship with the girl because they are worried for her safety and the babies safety. It also builds up suspense as the audience don't know whether the antagonist is going to chase after her or not. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it makes the audience very scared. This also creates tension as the speed she is running is faster so it shows how worried she actually is.

A final shot used is the kuleshov effect. This is when two shots equal a one meaning. This is shown when she is running up the stairs then she falls over. As she stands back up she looks down onto the banister. The camera then gives a point of view angle where she's looking at the banister. On the banister is a hand or an object moving. By her scared facial expressions, it shows that someone is chasing her. This tells the audience that something bad is going to happen which is conventional to the thriller genre because it creates tension. As the object moves slowly, it builds up suspense making the audience become more frightened of what's going to happen. This also helps the audience build a relationship with the girl because they feel like they are also in her position as they don't know what it is either creating an enigma.

Conclusion

This research will help me plan my own sequence because it has shown me how different techniques create different reactions rom the audience. I will probably use the slow editing as it builds up suspense which is what the opening sequence of a thriller scene should do. I have taken an inspiration from this clip when they use the kuleshov effect as dialogue don't need to be used to create one meaning. I like this as dialogue won't need to be used in my sequence so I can create a good meaning from using it.