Research into editing - Miss Georgiou

Research into editing

Throughout many thriller films a huge variety of editing terminologies are used to make the audience enjoy their experience of viewing the film more than usual. For example, a reaction shot is used to show a subjects reaction to a previous shot. A montage is used to speed up editing and add shots together to juxtapose them together to create excitement. I will be analysing the reverse teddy bear trap scene from Saw 1.

The first editing terminology used was the Reaction Shot. This was when the girl was being asked questions in the interview then it zoomed into a close up of her face very quickly. This editing terminology shows the audience the characters facial expressions and in this case it was not a pleasant one as the audience found out that the character did not have a good experience. This editing terminology is conventional to a thriller as it builds a relationship between the characters and the audience as it shows them how the characters are feeling and engages them more. The audience also feel sympathetic as they can see the characters facial expression was not a nice one and knew something bad had happened. This is also conventional to the thriller genre as it creates suspense then when they see the characters reaction the audience are shocked and more thriller. This editing terminology was in the reverse bear trap scene at 0:45 seconds.


Another editing terminology used was a jump cut. This was when the girl was sitting on the interview chair and a flashback occurred. This shows the audience that there was a change from a civilised, calm and safe room to a cruel, dangerous torture  chamber. This is conventional to a thriller as it builds a relationship between the characters and the audience as it shows the audience the past life of the character and everything that had happened before. 
The audience feel like they know the character more and understands the story line more if they see what had happened before for the character to be that scared and in mentally damaged. This is conventional to the genre as it creates enigma and suspense as the audience are more enticed and shocked by what is happening as they feel like they understand what is happening more. This editing terminology was in the same scene during 0:50-0:55.

Furthermore, timing shot was also used in this scene. This is when a shot is edited quicker or slower. This occurred when the clip sped up as it started to show the audience the girl being tortured. This made the audience more engaged and more emotional as they could start to panic for the girl as the video sped which showed it was more of a serious situation and scary for her.This is conventional to a thriller because it builds suspense to the audience and links them to create a relationship with the character as it adds a emotional impact for the characters that the audience would understand. This also creates tension and shocks the audience more when something happens to the protagonist. This editing terminology was used between 0:55-1:20

Lastly, a shot reverse shot was also used in this scene. This is when a conversation is taking place and it quickly changes from one shot to another over and over. This occurred in this scene when jigsaw said he was going to kill the innocent victim and cut from the villain to the victim. This made the audience understand the dialogue more and engaged them into it more. This is conventional to a thriller because it builds up tension to the audience as they have built a relationship with the victim and do not want her to get hurt however feel scared for her as they do not know what is going to be said in the conversation so are hooked and waiting to see if she will be alright so when something bad happens the audience are more surprised by it. This editing terminology was used between 1:20-2:35.

In conclusion, editing is utilised to create suspense, suspense and shock and helps create enigma and tension within the film. Distinctive editing techniques make the film more scarier and dramatic which creates more lumpy scenes to thrill the audience and make their experience of watching a thriller film more thrilling and enjoyable. Editing techniques are used to plot critical elements within the opening thriller sequence which make the audience focus on certain objects to create more tension. Researching these editing terminologies taught me how it makes films better for the audience and which ones help the audience enjoy the film more. The main editing terminologies i am going to use in my film is; reaction shot, timing shots, jump cut and slow editing. Timing shots outline the victim and the antagonist by using techniques which link the scenes together. Jump cuts help the audience focus on things in the shots such as weapons which create tension as the audience already know something bad is going to happen so they feel the suspense during the enigma when they see the victim is going to strike. I am going to be using these ones because i believe it has the most affect on the film making it a better, clearer and more exciting experience for the audience to watch. They also create elements of shock, suspense and surprise to entice the audience more and make them more thriller and jumpy during the films. These editing terminologies in my opinion also make the audience have a better connection with the characters as they feel like they are in the characters place and feel scared, shocked and suspenseful throughout the film. Editing is conventional in the thriller genre as it makes the audience more on edge as it is unexpected but it also makes the protagonist seem vulnerable which creates more suspense.