It is essential that you discuss these areas of film language in much more detail - if you fail to discuss one of these areas then you will struggle to get a 'C' grade for this section in the exam. Most students are fine when it comes to discussing the more obviously visual elements of film language such as camerawork and mise-en-scene BUT the syllabus states that each of the four areas of film language (camerawork, mise-en-scene, sound and editing) must be discussed in roughly equal measure - BELOW ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT YOU DISCUSS SOUND AND EDITING IN ENOUGH DETAIL!
If you find yourself barely mentioning sound or editing when analysing a clip, try this: choose one of the clips on the blog (such as the one above from Coming Down the Mountain, focusing on disability) and watch it as you would in the real exam (that is, once without making notes and three further times, making notes). Instead of making any notes on camerawork and mise-en-scene only take notes on sound and editing - whilst this doesn't exactly replicate what you would do in the exam, it will help focus your attention on the areas of film language that most of you are neglecting. Do this for a couple of clips, and by blanking out camerawork and mise-en-scene, hopefully it will help you see the importance of sound and editing in terms of making meaning. If you want to send me the notes for this exercise, I will happily mark them - send them to alexmorphey@btinternet.com. Once you feel more confident at spotting these elements, go back to analysing scenes normally - I am sure you will now think more carefully about sound and editing!
Aim to make four comments about sound and four comments about editing in your essay - obviously, if you can make more, then great - BUT you should aim for this to be your absolute minimum. There are bound to be significant points where the tempo or key of the music changes, or the pace of the editing increases/decreases - make a note of them and try to link to the area of representation. Below are some examples of the sound and editing techniques that are likely to come up in any clip that you are given. Aim to discuss these and you will have said more than enough about both sound and editing.
EDITING
One way to at least make it appear that you are discussing editing is to get into the habit of using the phrase "The director cuts to..." as a link in your essay from discussion of one shot to another. The more often you use the term cut (or dissolve, fade or wipe - if it is one of these types of transition), the better - whilst you may not be saying anything specific about how the cut creates meaning, or even how it may link to the area of representation, the simple use of the term as part of your description will make the examiner feel that you are at least attempting to discuss editing. This kind of description should become the norm in your essay!Something that is almost certain to happen a number of times throughout the clip you will be analysing, is a change of pace in the editing. Slower editing, with a series of relatively long takes, often has the effect of creating anticipation, tension and suspense for the audience. Quicker editing, with a series of relatively short takes creates excitement for the audience and often reflects a characters sense of panic. Discussing the pace of editing is relatively straightforward BUT remember to try and link it to the chosen area of representation! The scene below is not from a TV Drama (it is from the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho) BUT it is a good example of the way that a change in the pace of editing can create very specific effects for the audience - have a look at it and think about how the director alters the pace of the editing to create effects for the viewer BUT also to reflect how the character is feeling.
Other useful editing terms that it is possible you will want to discuss include montage and parallel editing/crosscutting - though because the clip will only be roughly 5 minutes in length, it is possible that neither of these editing techniques will be used (though montage is used in the clip on disability from Coming Down the Mountain, that is earlier in this post). Montage is the condensing of a reasonably long period of story time into a relatively short period of screen time - often accompanied by a piece of music or a voiceover, the editing is likely to be quick and the technique is often used to summarise action or to reveal important information about character. In the clip from Coming Down the Mountain, montage is used to show to the audience that the older brother consistently has to look after his younger disabled brother - each day involves him taking his disabled brother to school and, therefore, the younger brother's disability has become a determining factor on the older brother's routine, effectively governing his life.
Parallel editing or crosscutting creates tension, suspense and anticipation for the audience as the director cuts back and forth between two, or more, lines of narrative action - the implication to the audience is that these moments of action are taking place at the same time and that they are somehow related to each other (we are often led to believe that they will meet). Below is a good example of crosscutting or parallel editing, taken from the film Inception - whilst this is a film and not TV Drama, you can get a good idea of how the technique works.
Of course you can discuss other aspects of editing, such as jump cuts, wipes, dissolves and anything that breaks some of the rules of continuity editing BUT if you stick to montage, crosscutting, changes in pace, long takes, short takes and cuts - then you will have more than enough to discuss! Don't spend too long trying to find examples of the more obscure, more difficult editing techniques - instead, stick to the stuff that is more straightforward and obvious. Just remember to link these comment to the area of representation as often as you can!
SOUND
As with editing, you must make reference to the way that aspects of sound are used to create meaning in the clip, and you should try to link them to the area of representation that you are being asked to discuss. Because sound isn't 'visual', students often forget to mention its use during their analysis - and this results in them getting a much lower mark than they could have done, with just the use of a few simple sound terms.
It is inevitable that the clip you will be analysing will contain music, and it is even more likely that this music will change throughout the clip. This may be a change in tone, pace or key OR there may be a number of different music tracks used throughout the scene. It is likely that the music will be used to create an emotional response from the audience OR to reflect the way that a character is feeling.
The first thing that you should do is make a note of any time during the scene that an excerpt of music is used. Try to do this three or four times throughout the clip!
Once you have identified the significant use of music, you should attempt to describe it in terms of genre, pace and tone. Crucially, you must identify whether it is non-diegetic music or diegetic music. Never simply use the word 'music' - instead, get into the habit of identifying whether it is non-diegetic or diegetic (and use these labels!).
Non-diegetic music (as in the clip below from an episode of the TV Drama, Primeval) is music that the audience can hear BUT the characters cannot - this is the most common type of music you are likely to discuss and it is this type of music that is most often used to lead the audience's response. This type of music creates an emotional effect for the audience (such as making them scared, sad or excited) and it should be relatively easy to relate this type of music to the chosen area of representation (for example, a character is scared because their age/gender/disability has put them in a vulnerable position).
Diegetic music (that both the characters and the audience can hear) tends to be used to create verisimilitude (to create a sense of realism and authenticity) - though, this can be used in a similar way to non-diegetic music, to create an emotional response from the audience or to reflect a character's feelings. The music in the clip from Reservoir Dogs is diegetic - it is playing on the radio and both the audience and the characters can hear it. What is important is that you use the right term - remember that 10 of the 50 marks available are for the appropriate use of terminology, so it is important that you use the right terms and that you use them frequently!
Other elements of sound that are likely to feature prominently include amplified or enhanced sound effects - these are used to shock the audience, or to reflect a character's shock. You may want to mention ambient sound (background noise) and there may be examples of sound bridges (music or voiceover that connects two or more scenes) and contrapuntal sound (music that seems to contrast or work against the images seen on screen - the clip at the top of the blog post from Reservoir Dogs is a good example of this).
One final element of sound that it is very likely that you will discuss is voiceover - voiceover is used to position the audience closely with character (often the narrative's central protagonist). In the clip from Coming Down the Mountain (earlier in this blog post) the older brother's voiceover positions the audience with him, leading us to think about how his younger brother's disability affects him (rather than the disabled brother).
Practice looking at clips and making notes on sound and editing - if you like, forget about everything else for now. Once you feel a little more confident about both of these areas of film form, start looking out for camerawork and mise-en-scene. Hopefully, once you have done this, you will spot elements of editing and sound more quickly and easily!
Practice looking at clips and making notes on sound and editing - if you like, forget about everything else for now. Once you feel a little more confident about both of these areas of film form, start looking out for camerawork and mise-en-scene. Hopefully, once you have done this, you will spot elements of editing and sound more quickly and easily!
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