Following the action/Manipulation of diegetic time and space

Following the action/Manipulation of diegetic time and space.

Following the action can be commonly used within crime/horror genres. An editor will use a following the action shot to follow a person being chased or to follow the action of a car chase etc. If there is any significant movement then a following the action shot would be the perfect technique to use when filming.

Manipulation of diegetic time and space is a technique used in film to elide or stretch time. For example, an editor might apply the editorial technique of ellipses to a process that would normally take a very long time in order to get through the action faster and not have it take up too much screen time. This can be used in films when something a character is doing needs to be hurried up so they would show days and days of footage and shorten it down into 5/10 minutes.

Within this car chase clip the camera is following the action throughout. The editor starts off with the camera looking up to the car at a worms eye view shot this shows that the car will be powerful throughout the clip. As the car sets of the camera tracks it around the corner at a long shot. In the next shot that gets used which is a bird’s eye view shot manipulation of time has also been used. This has been done by skipping some of the cars journey time as the last shot we saw we were still on the back roads but when the shot moved to a bird’s eye view shot the car was now on the motorway.  The scenes then continue to switch from car shots to character shots to build the tension within the scenes. The camera then moves back to a tracking shot continuing to track the action whilst the camera angles switch from the victim’s car to the people being chased.

Shot variation

Shot variation

Different shot variations are very important in a film. If the shots remain the same or similar throughout a film it becomes uninteresting and the audience may lose attention. Shot variations are often used then to engage the viewer and keep their interest. Beyond that, they can set the mood of a particular scene. Different shots are used to represent different things. For example an extreme long shot in most cases is used to establish a scene and the surroundings of a character. A close up shot will normally be used to show expression on a characters face. In some situations a variety of different shots are placed together and we are switching back and forth from each shot very quickly this speeds up the action happening on the screen and keeps the audience very engaged.

Within these scenes the editor has chosen to start with a long tracking shot of the train, the editor has done this to establish the fact that the character is on the train or something is about to happen on the train. The editor also chose to do a variety of close ups to show the expression on the characters face and how he feels about what’s happening. Medium shots have been used to show the group of people huddled together looking at the main character.

Multiple point of view shot and POV

Multiple point of view shot.

A point of view shot is simply a camera shot from a person’s point of view; it shows the audience watching how that character sees it through their eyes. In most cases a POV will be used in action/crime films when a piece of action is happening and then the camera will show the characters reaction. The camera will switch from one character to another again and again to show the whole action happening for the duration of the scene. Multiple point of view shots will happen when there are two characters on screen. The reason why POV is most often used in the action and crime genre is because it is the best way for the audience to fully understand how the scene pans out by the camera switching between the two different characters back and forth.

Mr and Mrs Smith the film which was made in 2005 shows how they have managed to film an action scene with two people using the multiple point of view shot. This film makes good use of multiple points of view, they have achieved this by filming the two main characters firing shots, then switching the camera to the other character being shot at. 

A point of view shot is when the audience will see what is happening through characters eyes. It will be as though the character is the camera and looking directly at something. The POV (point of view) shot is very similar to a subjective camera shot, the reason it is a subjective shot is because you are seeing the majority of footage from a main characters prospective, the subject.  Multiple points of view is also a point of view shot, However, this is displayed from 2 characters prospective and cuts between the two characters.



This is an example of a point of view shot as it is from the characters point of view as though he is the camera.

Analogue, Digital, Film, Video

What is the difference between analogue and digital?

Analogue editing is the process in which you will film footage using film. Once the footage is filmed it will all be on a large film reel which will then have to be edited at some point. The way large pieces of film used to be edited was by cutting the actual film reel and if you wanted to add a piece of action into the footage you would put it in the bit you’ve cut and tape it together. Once you have done this you can’t go back, When editing in a digital format you can go back and forth and change the scenes/footage as many times as you wish. The key difference between analogue and digital editing is that analogue records waveforms as they are, whereas digital converts analogue waveforms into sets of number. This process records the numbers instead. When this process happens and the numbers get played back they are converted into a voltage stream. If you are editing in a digital format it is a much quicker and less time consuming process than it would be if you were editing using analogue.

What is the difference between film editing and video editing?

Film editing is a very expensive method to use, Compared to video editing which is a lot less costly. In this generation video editing is cheaper and can still come out in a better quality. Editors prefer to use video editing as it is easier for them to just pull out footage and put it in order in most cases it is more convenient as the editors won’t have to spend a long time finding the rushes. The way film editing works is a very lengthy process. You would use the steenbeck machine where the footage would be cut and spliced. The rushes come back from the lab and the editorial assistant cuts the scenes up, the film eventually gets cut and spliced together. All of the footage gets put into scenes separately and then cut together. The director will put in insert shots. In relation to adding the sound synching film and sound was a laborious process involving grease pencils, x marks, and lots of time.

In camera edit description

This video was an in camera edit. The purpose of the video was to show how videos can purely be edited in camera without having to take all of the footage of the camera and having to transfer it over to a form of iMovie or windows movie maker which are both editing software’s. An in camera edit is directed on the spot as each recording is taking place as they will not get the opportunity to change this during the editing process. The director will need to make sure each clip is the final clip that he wants to use as it cannot be taken again at a later date. An in camera edit is filming each scene in the exact order it is going to be played back in, in a way it protects the continuity. When doing an in camera edit you have to pay much more attention to the timing at the end of each shot as you want it to run from one shot to another shot in a smooth motion. When you have finished filming an in camera edit you do not have the go to the process of editing all the footage afterward. In a way it is a quicker process. However, it takes much longer to get each shot exactly how you want it to be.