Film Editing Techniques: Timing Your Cut to Enhance the Drama

[00:00] (upbeat music)

[00:03] - This quick edit tip will

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[00:07] "All movies are or should

[00:11] You start it at one

[00:13] and then you have to come

[00:17] If you stay at one

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[00:23] The best way to create these

[00:26] time to laugh, think and

[00:31] Essentially you're

[00:34] the proceeding action or

[00:38] giving it more dramatic power.

[00:40] Let's dive deeper into some situations

[00:42] where you'd wanna give

[00:44] First, after a dramatic moment.

[00:47] It gives the audience a chance

[00:49] reaction and possibly empathize

[00:51] with that character's feelings,

[00:53] further investing your

[00:56] In this scene from Jack Reacher,

[00:58] Jack and Helen are going

[01:01] for gathering evidence for the case

[01:02] that they're investigating.

[01:04] After Jack gets tired,

[01:07] but not before an ambiguous moment

[01:09] where there may or may

[01:12] Here's how that could play.

[01:15] - You have his credit card statement.

[01:17] - I can get it.

[01:18] - Why?

[01:19] - I need the list of all

[01:21] bars, bowling alleys,

[01:25] anywhere someone would remember him.

[01:27] - What do we hope to find?

[01:29] - I need some sleep.

[01:32] You too.

[01:34] - You don't really think I'm gonna-

[01:35] (keys jingle)

[01:40] (footsteps recede)

[01:42] - You're back to pick me up at seven?

[01:44] (door opens)

[01:48] - Yeah, absolutely.

[01:52] (intense music)

[01:59] - It's not bad.

[02:00] Helen's reactions as she

[02:03] Jack standing over her,

[02:06] Then she exits the room and we switch

[02:09] to the wide shot of the car

[02:12] But there's an even better option.

[02:14] In the theatrical version of the film.

[02:16] The editor added an extra

[02:20] to give us more time to mull over

[02:21] exactly what that somewhat

[02:24] might mean to Helen.

[02:27] - You have his credit card statement?

[02:28] - I can get it.

[02:30] Why?

[02:31] - I need the list of all

[02:33] bars, bowling alleys,

[02:38] anywhere someone would remember him.

[02:39] - What do we hope to find?

[02:40] - I need some sleep.

[02:44] You too.

[02:46] - You don't really think I'm gonna-

[02:48] (keys jingle)

[02:51] (footsteps recede)

[02:54] - You're back to pick me up at seven?

[02:56] (door opens)

[03:00] - Yeah, absolutely.

[03:11] (intense music)

[03:19] - The range of emotions Helen is feeling,

[03:21] the amusement, embarrassment, attraction,

[03:23] is much more robust with that added shot.

[03:26] This solitary moment with

[03:29] that the audience has with the character.

[03:32] Next you'll wanna give your audience time

[03:34] after a comedic moment.

[03:36] In this scene from Van Wilder,

[03:41] will experience some pretty

[03:43] distress in a rather public setting.

[03:46] In the next scene, Van is

[03:49] listening to his professor.

[03:50] Let's see how this broad

[03:54] - You look like you wanna

[03:56] (stomach rumbles)

[03:58] (son farts)

[03:58] (intense music)

[04:01] (violent fart)

[04:02] - Oh my God.

[04:03] (violent farts)

[04:04] - Ah.

[04:07] (violent fart)

[04:11] - Vile.

[04:13] - Ah.

[04:16] (loud fart)

[04:16] - I'm bleeding.

[04:18] - Dear God, that's wretched.

[04:20] (farts)

[04:21] - Oh, I kept the first for another day.

[04:25] Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

[04:27] I doubted if I should ever come back?

[04:30] - It's an outrageous gag.

[04:32] That's sure to cause

[04:35] in a theatrical setting.

[04:36] As a matter of fact,

[04:37] the laughter and

[04:40] that any lines occurring

[04:43] in this case, the professor's

[04:46] So let's do what the editor

[04:50] of the film and add several shots

[04:52] between the end of the scene with Richard

[04:54] and the start of the professor's dialogue.

[04:57] - You look like you wanna

[04:59] (stomach rumbles)

[05:00] (son farts)

[05:01] (intense music)

[05:03] (violent fart)

[05:05] - Oh my God.

[05:06] - Ah.

[05:10] (violent farts)

[05:12] - Vile.

[05:13] - Oh, it burns.

[05:16] - Ah.

[05:18] (loud fart)

[05:19] - I'm bleeding.

[05:21] - Dear God, that's wretched.

[05:22] (farts)

[05:30] (upbeat music)

[05:46] - Oh, I kept the first of another day.

[05:49] Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

[05:51] I doubted if I should ever come back.

[05:55] - Now we've got an

[05:58] including an entirely new short scene

[06:00] with Gwen writing Van's father.

[06:03] And we've added some

[06:05] before the professor starts talking.

[06:07] Since these shots are visual only,

[06:10] in that they include no dialogue,

[06:11] we have time to get

[06:14] before we're bombarded

[06:17] that we might miss.

[06:18] As an editor, most of the time,

[06:20] you're sitting alone in an empty room.

[06:22] So don't lose sight of the fact

[06:24] that there's gonna be many occasions

[06:26] where you'll wanna take

[06:28] into account when you cut a scene.

[06:31] Finally, you'll wanna

[06:33] after a frenetic action sequence,

[06:35] where high stakes or high

[06:40] In this scene from Once

[06:43] we're gonna see a very

[06:45] between Harmonica and three bandits.

[06:47] It's gonna release the

[06:50] over the first 13 minutes of the film.

[06:53] Let's see how that could play out.

[06:55] (dramatic music)

[07:05] (gunshots)

[07:09] (horse neighs)

[07:12] (thudding)

[07:15] (windmill squeaks)

[07:26] (birds chirping)

[07:31] Now there's nothing wrong

[07:33] in a narrative sense.

[07:35] The last band at collapses,

[07:36] and we cut to a closeup of a

[07:40] But in the theatrical version,

[07:42] the editor cut in a shot of a windmill

[07:45] slowly turning before we see

[07:50] (dramatic music)

[08:00] (gunshots)

[08:04] (horse neighs)

[08:06] (thudding)

[08:08] (windmill squeaks)

[08:16] (air swooshing)

[08:45] (birds chirping)

[08:49] The tranquil windmill shot

[08:52] to catch its breath and

[08:55] It's very common to see shots of nature

[08:58] or similar still life shots

[09:01] The windmill shot has the bonus

[09:05] as to whether Harmonica has

[09:09] Don't feel bound to whether or not a shot

[09:11] provides new story information.

[09:13] Sometimes a shot can just

[09:16] of letting the audience

[09:19] When you're editing,

[09:22] to deliver information

[09:24] so that your audience won't get bored.

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[09:28] But remember there are

[09:30] the audience to think about something,

[09:32] laugh out loud or otherwise

[09:35] Be sure to allow ample

[09:38] to regain composure after these moments,

[09:40] before presenting any

[09:43] or dialogue.

[09:44] (tranquil music)

[09:48] Hey there, for tons more

[09:50] head over to our website at

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[10:21] I'll see you next time.