EDITING TASK

Heat 1995 ‧ Crime film/Drama film

Slow paced editing introduced the clip; this effect is used to create suspense. The character is informing what’s going on in the shot and scene, and the shot used was a medium-shot. Then this shot changes to a close-up of the characters feet and it doesn’t have a jump cut just for the reason it doesn’t want to distract the viewer from everything that’s taking place, it sort of follows a mood flow. At this stage you could identify that Todorov’s theory of equilibrium is presented. Later you see a point of view shot which gives personal identification with the character, this theory is commonly known as Blumber and Katz’s theory of personal identification. What you see next is a straight cut in the sequence but this time leading to the protagonists face as close-up. The cinematography places a role here in camera movement and it shows a pan movement clip of the walking protagonist character. Straight after we see once more another straight cut displaying another man walking. Suddenly a jump cut comes in, reverting the audience’s interest back to the protagonist but as an extreme close-up of his eye. Slowly a clip of the office area is shot in a birds eye view and is played in slow motion building tension slowly, it could also be an establishing shot as it forecasts everything in the current setting.

The camera movement of a tilt was used as well as a straight cut to continue the scene in the same mood and atmosphere, if focuses on the man with the grey suit as a medium close-up. It then straight cuts once more to the establishing shot of the office explained before. We return to the protagonists extreme close up of the eye, it is then emphasised when there is point of view shot but starts off being blurred then focuses onto a piece of paper. This is another identification technique. At this stage the pace of the sequence and editing seems to be getting faster. This implies that there will be a build up of suspense, which is an action code according Barthes’s theory. The pan shot is also added, this section of the film could also argue is an enigma code as it suggests there will be something happening. The man in the grey suit appears again suggesting that he has an effect on the narrative. The paper becomes important as the camera focuses on it once more.

As the character puts on his mask and commands the other members to do the same shown al through straight cuts to continue the narrative smoothly, it follows on with the action and enigma codes of Barthes’s theory. There lighting was interesting as there wasn’t many light sources such as a light box but they rather wanted to make is seem more natural. As more clip pass by you can easily tell the atmosphere is getting more intense which results in faster paced editing to fit the style and mood, which basically are straight cuts consciously. What enhances the pace of the editing is the when the character throws a punch in the fight the scene and to match the action the director is forced to make the decision to speed up the amount of cuts. It tends to consist to have medium to long shot to get the full on visceral pleasure of the action occurring. As punches are being thrown and objects breaking the entire place the clips slow down just so the viewer can understand what’s going on. A sense of diversion is injected into the viewers mind just because of the cinematography and the use of action steady camera shot. The Pace is restored again when they attempt to kills the security member, it was restored by conventionally increasing the amount of view points, shot and increase the number of cuts in the scene. A great example of this the use of the birds eyes view and the tracking shots that follow the characters which automatically create more tension. Which are Enigma codes.