Media Glossary : Editing...

Editing is the stage in the process of making a film where the sound and images are organised into a narrative order.

• Continuity Editing = this is the most common type of edits. It helps create a sense of reality and time moving forward. This is a technique that is also referred to as invisible edititng as it does not draw attention to the process. This process is often Linear Narrative which means events happen in chronological order (example = getting out of bed - breakfast - getting bus - school)
• Credits = This is the text at the beginning and end of a film, it gives details on the cast and crew
• Cross cutting = This is the editing technique of alternating, interweaving or interspersing one narrative action with another. This is usually shown in the use of different locations. This technique helps to suggest to the audience that the events are happening simultaneously (in parallel with each other). An example of cross cutting in 'The Hangover'
• Eye Line Match = This is cutting from the character to what the character is looking at (example = the character - the table that the character is looking at)
• Flashbacks and Flash forwards = A scene or a moment in a film where the audience is shown an event that has happened earlier (flashback), or a moment where the audience is shown something that will happen in the future (flash forward). Example of these techniques in films are 'Amores Perros', 'Lost' and 'The Hangover'
• Montage Editing = This is when different shots are used, that are sometimes unconnected are editing together to create meaning. An example of this is used in 'Rocky' in the training scene
• Fast Paced Editing = This is the rapid succession of many shots, which are usually less than two seconds each. This type of editing is used to emphasis tension. Two film example where it is used is 'Jurrasic Park' (46 shots used in a two minute sequence, built of the tension, increased the pace, involved the audience) and 'City of God' (quick cuts, rapid, tension building, also involved the cross-cut editing)
• Slow Paced Editing = This is opposite of fast pace, it involves long shots which tend to have dialogue. A shot can take from 10 to 15 seconds each. An example of where it has been used is 'Jurasic Park' (the long shots showed all the scenery, excoriated the reactions and emotions, four minute sequence only had a third of the shots that was used in the fast paced editing scene)