Name _______________________________________

Video Worksheet: The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing

Click on the link posted in Blackboard to watch two sections of this documentary about film
editing.

Unless otherwise specified, each question is worth one point.

Watch from the beginning until the 13:00 mark.

1. Why is Edwin Porter an important figure in movie history?

Edwin Porter is an important figure in movie history because he was the one that
revolutionized filmmaking by creating the method of theatrical editing, which combines
footage taken at various periods and locations.

2. Approximately, how much footage is accumulated during the shooting of a film?

About 200 spools.

3. How long is a frame? As James Cameron explains, why can they not be randomly cut
from a film to shorten it? (2 pts.)
A frame is composed of 124 of a second. James Cameron indicated that frames cannot be
randomly cut from a film to shorten it because each frame basically is important and
utting it ata frame that does not really showcase authenticity of the actions of the
characters, it would just be a mess.

4. What is invisible editing? Who pioneered it?

It is D.W. Griffith that pioneered invisible editing. Invisible editing is the technique in
which the action becomes continuous, fluid, and moving masking the cut that was done
so that the audience would not notice that a cut even exist in the frames.

Watch from 20:26-29:00.

5. In terms of editing, what is the significance of The Man with the Movie Camera?
The Man with the Movie Camera provided the perspective on the importance of the role
of cameraman and the editor in helping create a film.

6. What is the Kuleshov Effect?

The Kuleshov Effect is an effect that is created when a montage of shot is created to
make a new meaning of the context being presented, say for example, the one indicated
in the film showcasing a man looking at a soup, a woman crying over a coffin, and a
child holding a teddy bear.
 7. How was the editing of Russian filmmakers like Sergei Eisenstein different from that of
D.W. Griffith? (2 pts.)
While in D.W. Griffith’s film the meaning or the story is contextualized in the shots,
Sergei Eisenstein employed Kuleshov effect and collided different shots and images to
create a whole new meaning and context of the shots made. Griffith hides his shots,
making them invisible, but Eisenstein made use of them, reveled in these shots allowing
the audience to fell the frames.

8. Why is montage editing so important for action movie sequences, especially chases?
Montage editing is so important for action sequences, especially in chases, because it
accentuates the idea that is being presented, like say for example, how a cut is made slow
to create intense rhythms through how would say for example, a car is almost hit, or the
protagonist is almost subdued.

https://vimeo.com/335100287