Editing: blog task

The following scene is from Shaun of the Dead (directed by Edgar Wright)

Edgar Wright has a history of editing his videos in a very specific way whether it be through unique movement transitions or an extreme use of match on action, the following scene uses different movements to transition to different areas and dialogues.

The scene begins with the two main characters talking about a girl in their garden, the editing is quite standard from here, quick cuts that follow the 180 degree rule; from there the camera movement and editing begins to change. One example is the increased amount of movements in the shots e.g. when the two main characters first enter the garden the camera begins to move from the right to the left, followed by a change in audio; these two combined helps to make the tension begin the scene. The shaky camera makes the scene feel more realistic and less static, this helps the scene retain its comedic quality. Later on in the scene Wright uses quick movements to transition from one scene to another, this helps keep the films fluidity while also making the scene interesting to watch.

The editing is interesting in the scene; it first starts with, as mentioned before, quite standard editing in the sense that the scene uses quick coherent cuts with the match on action being used to show important plot points within the scene. Edgar Wright uses his signature editing method of putting extra emphasis on the match and action through the movement and dialogue from the actors. As the zombie come closer to the main characters, the editing speed of the scene slowly increases; the main effect this provides is an increase in tension along with helping add on to the comedic nature of the film/scene. An edit that most people tend to miss out on are the movement transitions that are littered throughout the scene e.g. the part where the zombie ends up on the main character uses a lot of movement to show the dialogue and relationship between the two main characters, what many people don't know is that between the movements the footage cuts, this is done to not only help the footage seem more fluid, but it’s also done to make the footage seem more comedic and visually appealing. This trend/mixture of using movements to help the editing follows through out the video to help keep this atmosphere consistent throughout the scene.

There isn’t much to say on the audio since it’s quite text book in the sense that it does what it’s meant to; it keeps the audio building during the climax of the scene, the audio is quite sudden and elongated - what this does is help make the tension within the scene build up. It’s quite obvious that the audio/sound effects are there for comedic release due to the fact that the only times the audio is ever in effect is when it’s needed to complement the verbal and physical punchlines throughout the scene

What the different elements of media language help to provide to the scene and the film overall is quite significant, the use of editing movement and sound helps to make traditionally horror elements into a comedy (of course along with the actions of the characters and the plot). The most significant of these elements is the audio/dialogue of the footage that helps change the atmosphere of the film; The film uses traditional methods of filming and editing (e.g. long shots for tension, fast paced editing for the action, shaky/hand held filming to make the footage seem more realistic) but the audio completely contradicts the footage e.g the long shot of the zombie while the two characters are deciding on what is actually going on gets completely contradicted as soon as they start talking as they think that the zombie is just a drunk women who ended up in their garden.

One interesting effect the camera movement has is that helps build the two characters by showing their relationship and personality e.g. when the two characters first find the zombie they have multiple moments of synchronisation when the two look at each other at the same time, what this does is show that the two characters are not only clearly friends but also the fact that they both have known each other for a long time. The two contrasting personalities are also quite apparent when the two interact, it’s clear that Nick Frost’s character is the immature side of the coin while Simon Pegg's character is the parental figure.