Editing is an important part of filmmaking as it binds the whole film together. After you shoot a scene or a movie, you can either build it to perfection or break it to pieces on an editing table. Good editing can make a movie look good and can even save an averagely shot film by hiding the mistakes.
The editor of a film is responsible for editing the scenes of the film together and binds it into a complete movie. They not only decide what should go there on the screen, they decide the timing, transition, color and everything that is there in the frame. It is impossible to make a movie without editing it and all movies should go through an editing table. It is said that good editing can even make a normal movie looks good and can save a movie from falling completely.
Editing builds tension and controls the pace
There are a few points that an editor needs to keep in mind while cutting a scene- what is the purpose of the scene in the film? What is the emotion that it evokes and where does it take you? For example- In Gangs Of Wasseypur(2012), the assassination of a key character, Sultan, keeps you on your toes yet it becomes funny due to sharp cross cutting. It raises the tension but at the same time keeps you in the casual conversation regarding jackfruit. In Raging Bull (1980), what naturally sticks out in one’s mind is the work that Schoonmaker did cutting together the brutal, powerful pugilist scenes in the ring, but one also can’t ignore the power and tenseness that she brought to the passionate confrontations between Jake and his brother Joey.The timing of the cut can startle the audience or amuse them.
How it save a movie
The editing can hide the loopholes and the mistakes of the cinematographer, actors and technician by hiding or sneaking even the worst scenes smoothly. For example, the opening sequence of the short film Taandav(2016)cuts through multiple shots of sweaty people dancing in, through the streets of Mumbai during Ganesh Chaturthi which kind of sets the tone for the tension that is likely to follow as the plot progresses.It takes an expert hand to know exactly how long or short a particular shot should be in order to maximize the impact of the scene. The choice,shape and length of the shots tend to shape our response to everything we see on screen.The editors often use different tools to direct the focus of the audience on a certain part of the frame.
