Research on editing on trailers

By Leticia Silva

Immediate editing technique used and why?

• The pace of the trailer is normally average because it emphasises normality and a calm atmosphere until the tension starts.

• The have dissolve transitions to show a change of time and between the transitions there’s titles slowly appearing with creepy sounds affects to slow enhance the fear feeling.

• As the pace picks up there’s lots of fast cutaways for high intense enigma’s.

• There’s flashbacks to establish why the terrible things are happening to the characters.

• The pace in the middle is really fast and then it slows down when it reaches the climax and there’s a final mix oh sounds affects and editing on the footage to give the viewers the last scare.

• Sometimes if the trailer is really trying to show originality by putting the footage together backwards and then fast forwarding things really fast in one go.

How does the pace change and why?

• Normally sometimes the pace will start slow and give the trailer a feeling of normality to emphasises the huge change in the characters life and as supernatural horrors they warn the viewers of the moments.

• However the pace does pick of and give the viewers a more jumpy affect making the viewers feel engaged with whatever is going on.

• Sometimes when the climax is really high and intense they slow down the pace completely to have that on the edge of your chair feeling to scary you one last time.

What editing technique is used in different genres and why?

• Depending on the type of genre it is the editing would be different to have different types of affects on its viewers.

• For example in dramatic movies they would have more eye-line match, shot reverse shot, 180 degree rule, the pace is medium (depending on the plot).

• In horror movies there’s more: cutaways, the pace is fast mixed with slow to tense up the mood, there’s more special effects of how the footage appears, there’s lots of cross cutting, the transitions are either straight cuts or dissolve and sometimes they have insert shots and flashbacks.

• In action movies there plenty of : eye-line match, shot reverse shot, cross cutting, the pace is fast, lots of match on action and sometimes they have montage editing to show the characters progression.

How does the editing connect/ compliment the plot and narrative structure?

• The fast pace creates the thriller feeling and if there’s no thriller feeling to it, it does not create the correct feeling for the trailer to have the right atmosphere.

• If there’s shot reverse shot it will be really fast so it will be a little confusing for the viewers to not catch a lot of what’s going on.

• If the editing does not compliment the genre then there will be not be a great understanding of how sad or intense a moment is and it also helps the viewers understand how the characters feel.

What editing skills do you find inspirational?

• I found that the use of titles placed in the correct place and timing to not take the distraction away from the trailer was really good.

• The use of slow transitions or the dissolve transitions to fall in line with tense moments of the trailer of the trailer.