Providing and witholding information

Providing and withholding information within a scene is when the editor doesn’t completely show a characters identity. Normally the main reason this is done is so that it gives the audience an opportunity to fill in the gaps of what this character may be like. People fear what they don’t know so overtime suspense and tension will build up in the viewers.

As an example of providing and withholding information I have used the fisherman from I know what you did last summer. The very first shot the director used was a medium close shot from behind the character, this shot is used as it does not show the characters face but it does show the characters hook. The reason the hook has been shown is to give the audience an inkling of what he might do with that hook.

The next shot shown is an Arial shot of the character walking; again the identity of the character is still hidden. The director has done this by dressing the character in very heavy clothing with a hood. The lighting in the shot is also very dark and gloomy which makes it harder for the audience to make out what the character looks like.

The final shot is a POV; this shows the predator closing in on the prey he is stalking. This shows a view of his prey but continues to hide his identity. It still creates a feeling of fear and terror in the audience.

Further on in the sequence there is a medium shot showing the fisherman stroll across the camera shot with someone hooked onto his hook. This shows the viewers that when there was an initial shot of his hook that he was actually planning to use it. It now keeps the viewers in suspense to what he might do next.

Cutting to soundtrack

When an editor cuts to a soundtrack it is almost like he is editing music as he would edit shots. A change in the music is made which stimulates a new visual idea. For example I have used run Lola run as an example, at 12:45 there is a beat in the music that signifies a change of scenery on screen. The shot cut from animation back to real footage.  It makes the audience feel as though they can follow what is happening on screen as the music helps the audience create a certain visual image in their head. One emphasises the other.

Another example of this happening in run Lola run presents itself at 16:51; Lola is running through the street, the editor has then cut the shot to someone’s reaction of her running and then them crashing their car. The soundtrack changes along with the change in shot. This helps the audience understand there has been a change in visuals on the screen.