Bordwell and Thompsons thoery focussed on hollywood fioms or continuity editing. Whilst looking at this they found 4 different main focus points in filom; these were graphic, spatial, temporal and rythmic editing.
Graphic:
Film is visual so the transitions between shots can be linked graphically(pictoral qualities). There is a use of of light and dark, shape, volume and depth, movement and stasis which are all able to help create smooth continuity or abrupt contrast. Having smooth continuity is very important in film because it makes it easier for the viewer to understand and follow what is going on in the shot and what reaction is trying to be provoked. There are three different knids of use of graphic effects to improve the quality of some clips:
Graphic match which is the linkage of shots by graphic similarities. This could be through a similar shade of light ar the brightness in the frame at a period of time to allow a smooth transition between shots.
Graphic continuity which is when the centre of interest is constant throughout cuts, maintaining lighting levels, and avoiding strong colour clashes. This helps with the transition of shots because if the background or levels of light seem similar in a transition between shots then it is easier to make the transition between two different shots seem a lot clearer and makes it less likely to have a large jump between the two shots.
Spatial:
Spatial is the film space(location) and the relation between manipulation of different points through similarity, difference snd development. Continuity editing produces space through the use of an establishing shot followed by a smaller range of shots giving the viewer a clear view and understanding of the location that the film is set in. The establishing shot is very important in many films because it makes it clear to the viewer where the film is set in helping to set the scene and mood of the piece depending on what the location looks like; for example if it is set at a dark noght in an old house on the top of a hill, it immediately develops the impression that it is going to be a horror/thriller film because of the location. The is a type of film which doesn't use an establishing shot, and when this happens it is called the Kuleshov effect. This leads to the interference of a single location based on seeing only proportions of the space. By doing this it gives the audience the option to develop their own impression of the location because they are being shown several different bits of the location rather then seeing it as a whole which could also lead to mis-interpretation of what then location could be like.
Temporal:
This technique concerns the time of action and contributes to the plots manipulation of storyline order, duration and frequency. The order that events are presented can be manipulated which could mean there are changes in the story/plot which interrupt the temporal order of the film. For example, flashbacks increase the story knowledge and flashforwards can creatr an enigma. This is a good effect to use because the audience understand more of what happened to these characters or they gain to understand what is going to come of them, which begins to make them think about why all this is happening and how/when it is going to.Temporal also uses a ellipsis which is often in all films which is when they leave out thing we don't need to see but know is happening during the film, for example the characters going toilet; everyone knows it's necessary but that sort of clip is left out because it is not relevant to what is going on in the film.
Rythmic:
This is the duration of shots; the length of each shot in relation to it's pattern involving accent, beat and tempo. The timing of shots is quite important because they help to set the tempo of the clip. For example, short fast paced shots means that there is a high monent of tension at the current point of the film or they are in the middle of a chase. This helps to set the mood as the audience feels the tension when there are faster shots and believes that there actually is the character in a lot of trouble there.Slower shots show that it is quite a calm part of the film whic keeps the audience relaxed and more sure that everything is currently ok in the film. The tempo is very important as it helps to add dramatic effect or tell the audience what to think about the current part of the clip.
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