Parasite's Perfect Editing

[00:06] At the beginning of parasite Min shows up with the scholars stone

[00:11] Ki-woo is immediately attracted to the stone. He stares at it intently

[00:18] The next cut is a break in continuity, a jump in time

[00:22] The stone has already been lifted out of the box and ki-woo is looking in a totally different direction

[00:28] But this jump is barely noticeable

[00:30] the dialogue from this shot starts under the previous shot making the jump in time almost imperceptible

[00:39] Is this a landscape type?

[00:42] The transition from a closer shot to a wide shot also keeps us from being a jump cut but the subtle passing of

[00:48] time isn't accidental. We enter into Ki-Woo's subjective perspective in this moment

[00:53] we're experiencing his attraction to the rock and it's almost as if he and

[00:58] We the audience lose track of time and snap back to reality a moment later,

[01:04] Realising time has passed

[01:07] There are many examples of this kind of subtle and precise editing in parasite that we could examine

[01:13] But parasite provides us with a great opportunity not just to examine and break down some examples of effective editing,

[01:20] But to ask ourselves, what editing is and who really does editing in a film?

[01:26] This video is sponsored by Mubi check out their curated collection of streaming cinema and movie comm slash Thomas flight

[01:32] Most likely the majority of films and TV shows you watch are shot with a process called

[01:37] Coverage

[01:38] When shooting a scene a director and cinematographer will usually shoot the scene from a variety of angles

[01:43] They'll shoot some wide shots, close-ups, medium shots and over-the-shoulder shots

[01:48] Then it will be the job of the editor to stitch together the scene from all these takes

[01:54] The director hopefully has an idea going into the scene of how it will progress visually

[01:59] But with coverage you have an option in the Edit of changing the visual structure of the scene

[02:05] We know from interviews with Bong Joon-ho

[02:08] That he did not shoot coverage for Parasite except where it was absolutely necessary

[02:13] This means for a scene like this where the entire scene plays out from a single angle

[02:18] this was probably the only angles they shot this scene from they didn't shoot any other angles just in case they wanted to

[02:25] Change how the scene progressed in the edit

[02:28] so in this case instead of creating the visual progression of the scene

[02:33] the editors job is just to choose the best take and

[02:36] Time the transition into an out of the shot

[02:39] For Bong Joon-ho, one of the reasons he can avoid shooting coverage is that he's often

[02:45] Incorporating or planning how the film will be edited together in the script and in his storyboards

[02:52] Let's look at this scene

[02:53] as the conversation shifts to the idea of counting the parks the visual composition of the scene changes

[03:09] And we have this shot

[03:18] it's a transition from here to here and from

[03:21] Using this angle of Min to this angle of Min

[03:25] Was planned for this moment in Bong Joon-ho's storyboards

[03:28] And cinematographer Kyung-pyo Hong just shot the scene the way it was storyboarded

[03:33] And editor Jim-mo Yang just followed bong storyboards and stitched the two shots together.

[03:38] Do we attribute the effectiveness of the end result to editing, cinematography or directing?

[03:46] Ultimately, no matter which person made the creative decision or if it was made in pre-production

[03:51] Post-production or production we can attribute the effectiveness of the transition to editing

[03:57] When we use the word editing or often incorporating two things into that definition

[04:02] first we're referring to the activities of the actual editor and the creative decisions they make but we're also referring to the

[04:10] Concept of an edit in film language. This is sometimes called montage

[04:14] I'm not talking about montage sequences like the one you see later in parasite

[04:18] A montage sequence uses a faster series of shots that usually condenses time, space and information

[04:24] When I say montage here

[04:24] I'm referring specifically to the creation of meaning through the visual juxtaposition of two shots

[04:31] By itself this is just a shot of a stone and by itself this is just a shot of Ki-woo but edited together

[04:37] they create a moment where Ki-woo, looks at a stone that's montage and

[04:42] Montage is the fundamental building block used by editors to create meaning

[04:46] But montage and editing can happen long before a film is even shot

[04:52] Towards the end of parasite there is a lot of inner cutting between different locations and characters

[04:57] A lot of action is happening all at once but this is carefully managed in a way that is

[05:02] seamless

[05:03] We can attribute this seamlessness and pacing to editing but it isn't just the editor

[05:08] who's responsible for how these scenes flow together and are inter-cut

[05:13] For example

[05:14] Here, the cut from the kitchen to the basement is aided by Choong-sook's glance towards the stairs

[05:20] The performance and the edit have to work together to create that smooth transition

[05:24] it's the work of the editor to time the cut with look but for the editor to do that the look has to

[05:29] exist in the performance

[05:31] And in this case it originates in the script

[05:34] But I'm not trying to diminish the work of parasites editor Jim-mo Yang

[05:37] or give all the credit to Bong Joon-ho

[05:40] By making strong and effective creative editing decisions early on,

[05:44] director Bong is simply giving his editor more time and space to work on everything else

[05:49] Some scenes are still shot with coverage and it's up to Jim-mo Yang

[05:53] to work out the timing of the cuts in those scenes

[05:56] In this scene it appears coverage was shot

[05:59] It looks like the entire scene was probably filmed from these four angles

[06:12] Here the editor cuts to

[06:14] this shot crossing the line of action instead of cutting back to this angle

[06:19] Which stays on the line of action

[06:21] This choice emphasizes the idea that Mr. Kim is someone who will cross the line

[06:26] the material to be able to make this choice

[06:29] crossing the line and creating meaning through montage had to be provided by the cinematographer

[06:34] and it was probably planned for by Bong

[06:38] But if coverage was shot the editor still needs to decide when is the right moment in that scene to cut to that new angle

[06:52] In this scene we see the housekeeper inside over video and also on the outside in the rain

[06:58] An important decision for the scene is when to show her on the outside in the film

[07:04] We don't see her outside until right before. Mrs. Kim takes some pity on her and lets her in

[07:25] The shot mirrors some shots of the Kim's from earlier

[07:28] And so I think it makes sense to show her outside for the first time when mrs

[07:34] Kim relates to her and has sympathy on her

[07:38] But this shot could have come at the beginning of the scene or in the middle

[07:42] and it's up to the editor to make that decision

[07:45] But even with the constraints of no coverage shooting there's still a lot an editor can do

[07:50] As VFX become cheaper, better and more accessible

[07:53] they're increasingly used by editors in subtle ways to improve timing and performance

[08:00] The lock down shots in a moment like this

[08:02] It's easy to composite two shots together to perfect the timing of actions

[08:07] Here's another example

[08:08] If I wanted in the shop for the housekeeper and the dog to come in a little earlier

[08:13] That would be a very easy adjustment to make

[08:16] But it goes deeper than that. In an interview with the art of the cut Jim-mo Yang revealed that

[08:21] shot stitching is used in the film even during pans on longer, unbroken takes

[08:25] In the same way the editor of 1917 can combine multiple takes to create the illusion of one longer take

[08:32] Editors like Jim-mo Yang

[08:33] can use the same techniques to combine multiple takes to perfect timing or combine two different performances

[08:40] and if they're not spending most of their time constructing scenes from coverage

[08:43] the editor will have more time to spend perfecting every little detail

[08:48] The role of editing is massive and far-reaching in film

[08:52] but the building blocks of good editing often start with the script and cinematography

[08:57] A great editor will be able to create magic from scenes shot with coverage. Coverage itself isn't bad

[09:04] but often when a director like Bong Joon-ho is planning the cinematography, performance and editing

[09:10] and how they'll work together from the beginning of the process

[09:13] It can lead to a quality of work difficult to achieve otherwise.

[09:17] In the same way the editor of a film is often referred to as the last screenwriter

[09:22] The screenwriter is, in a sense, the first editor even if they're never communicating directly, in reality

[09:28] the editor is working in collaboration on the edit with many other members of the film crew

[09:35] understanding editing will make you a better screen writer or cinematographer

[09:39] And understanding screenwriting and cinematography will make you a better editor

[09:45] This video is sponsored by Mubi

[09:48] Parasite was a film that I think made a lot of people realize that the world of international film has a lot to offer

[09:56] if you want to have more access and find interesting indie films arthouse films or international cinema

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[10:07] It's a great place to find new stuff and you can try it for free for 30 days when you go to

[10:20] Thanks so much for watching

[10:21] If you want to see some additional commentary on parasite that just didn't fit into one of these essays

[10:26] You can watch this month's bonus video on my patreon by becoming a patron for five dollars a month at patreon.com/thomasflight