Video Editing

Introduction

I will be discussing different editing techniques and different editors and then comparing them and explaining how it has made an impact on how I edit today, I will be comparing, Eisenstein, The Lumiere Brothers and Chris Columbus, these are all from different times using different technology.

Sergei Eisenstein

Sergei Eisenstein was a pioneer in the use of the Montage, he added shots one after the other and manipulates the audiences emotions using these shots. This was the way Sergei Eisenstein edited, the montage created film metaphors using one shot and changing the other shots, for example;

This could be the first shot and the audience would not know what he is looking or smiling at, so it is already playing with the audiences emotions as they are asking questions.

If this was the next picture the audience would think that the man and woman are in love as they are looking at each other and it would be like shot reverse shot.

If this was the shot after the man you would think that he is hungry and he is going to enjoy this yummy dinner.

If this was the shot after the man you would think that he had killed this woman and he is happy about it. This is the way Eisenstein plays with the audience and is truly amazing how he does this, the man goes from being in love, to enjoying his dinner to killing someone. 

I think that Eisenstein has a massive impact on filmakers and editors today as the montage is an inspirational technique that will be used for many more years.

The Lumiere Brothers

Auguste and Louis Lumiere were early film makers, there films were more documentaries than films and never used to run more than 50 seconds, their idea was to leave the camera rolling on something they wanted to film. The Cinematograph was not invented by the Lumiere brothers but was paid for by these as the inventor did not have enough money, it was much better than the Kinetograph which they got the idea from.

This was the Cinematograph, the camera with a projector and printer - one of the greatest creations.

This was one of their first films, it was just a train arriving somewhere and a load of workers getting on it, the film lasts no more than 50 seconds and they left the camera rolling in one place until it stopped.

The Difference

The difference between these two early film makers is that Sergei Eisensteins films ttold more of a story than the Lumiere Brothers did, Eisenstein used a montage of pictures to tell a story where as the Lumiere brothers filmed real life things like the train arriving at a station and filming it until it stopped this is more like a documentary than a story film. 

Chris Columbus

Chris Columbus is known for directing Harry Potter the Philosophers Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Home Alone and Home Alone 2, he also worked as a screen writer with Steven Spielberg on films The Goonies and Gremlins. 

In Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone he uses the Montage theory and the Lumiere brothers theory as in one of the scenes where Harry, Ron and Hermoine meet for the first time you see the train coming towards you this is very similar to the lumiere brothers film where the train is arriving at a station, I think Chris Columbus used this shot as it would of had a bigger impact and feel on where they might be going. Columbus also uses Montage as when they meet he uses shot reverse shot for the two boys and this implies they are going to be good friends from the different shots and editing techniques.

I think that Sergei Eisenstein and Auguste and Louis Lumiere made a massive impact on film makers today as they still use their techniques and still being used in this day and age, the early film makers are an inpiration to film makers today and I feel they will be later in life also.

How I Edit

The way I edit depends on what type of shots, angles and what type of story I have, although I have used both of these techniques for example in my recent short film 'The Untold' I used the Montage quite a lot and also used the Lumiere brothers techniques, I feel that these early film makers have helped students studying film today as we know how film started and where cameras first came from and different techniques. In my music video I filmed the view of being on a train and let the camera roll, I wouldnt of thought of this if it wasn't for the Lumiere brothers, and it also helped my music video look better. I have gained more skills and techniques from all film makers.