Oh to be Great: Cinematography and Editing

Once again I feel the need to apologise for the delay. I've been enjoying the new uni life too much, writing essays and taking my first lot of assessments. I totally ran out of time. I should be writing an essay now, but I feel more inspired to write this.
Finally I present to you. Oh to be Great: Cinematography and Editing.

The importance of cinematography and editing in a film tends to be taken for granted because the audience is more interested in what's on screen and the story (which is fair enough). But, if you think about it, they are some of the most important things when it comes to a film.

The cinematography has to be right for a film to be great because it's what we see the story through. No camera means no film. There are different kinds of camera shots that can mean a wide range of things and if they don't work the audience can easily get confused, not understand what is happening or have an unintended reaction to the film. There are hundreds (maybe exaggerating, but there are loads) of shots, but the main ones are;

• Extreme Long Shot
• Long Shot
• Medium Shot
• Close Up
• Extreme Close Up

 

I won't go into all of them because I think you can guess what they look like. I will just mention the two shots that need to be right to make a film great. An extreme long shot tends to be used to establish where the film or scene is set. These can be some of the most beautiful shots you will ever see in a film. My favourite establishing shots come from Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

I love these because they really show off the picturesque setting and they draw you into the scene.  If the establishing shot isn't right, then the audience won't know where the film is set. Great establishing shots leave the audience with a sense of familiarity because they know where they are in the film world. A close up is used to show a characters emotions. I tend to call it a reaction shot. These (in my mind) are extremely important when it comes to great films because they take you closer to the characters physically and emotionally. A film is there to entertain and provoke emotions. If you don't come out of a film feeling something, then the film has failed. Directors try to create certain emotions in audiences through close ups; someone crying makes you sad, someone laughing makes you happy etc. The master of this is Steven Spielberg. It's hard for me to explain so here is a video… It's long, but please watch at least 2 minutes into it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS5W4RxGv4s Spielberg can manipulate an audience into feeling certain things. It slightly freaked me out at first because it's so simple and yet so effective. I now appreciate that it is an amazing technique that can really make you enjoy a film. 
The movement of a camera can make or break a film. Too much and an audience will be left feeling sea sick. Too little and an audience will get bored. The majority of big budget films will use mounted cameras to keep them still. The movement comes from turning (pan) and tilting the camera or in editing. Some films use hand held cameras and this can make a film good or bad. Cloverfield is one of the most renown films for using a hand held camera. I liked the use of a hand held camera because it made the film (if possible) more realistic. However, some people (my mum included) didn't like the film because it made them feel ill because there was too much movement. It comes down to personal taste.

Editing is also very important in making a great film because it's what links the separate shots and scenes in the narrative of a film and it's what keeps you interested in the film. Editing tends to be invisible ( We don't notice it), but there are some directors who use different techniques making it more noticeable.
Alfred Hitchcock, one of the most famous directors, produced one of my favourite pieces of editing in Psycho. In the exceedingly famous shower scene the shot of the shower drain dissolves to Marion's eye, while the camera zooms out, spinning in the same direction as the water was running to the drain. This is a beautiful piece of editing that was different for the time it was made.  I love this film and think the cinematography and editing really do make the film great.
Editing is really how we (the audience) are interested in a film. The faster the cuts (changes) between images, the more interested we are. This tends to be used in action/thriller films. The cut rate has to be right and keeping an audience interested is key to a great film. If they aren't interested, then the film isn't great.
However there is a shot that contains no editing that keeps the audience interested. This is the long take and my favourite example of this comes from Atonement. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXTnRdMdZXA With these kinds of shots, you only really have one chance to shot it because it takes a long time to reset it all. They're rare and that's what makes them so amazing and wonderful. These can make a film. Atonement is now famous for this long take and it is a great scene.

So,  in terms of cinematography and editing, this is what makes a great film for me. Next up Sound and possibly a review of Skyfall (Depends on whether I can get to see it again :D).