JACK ROWLAND

SPECIALIST STUDY RESEARCH

ESSAY

THE HISTORY OF EDITING AND HOW

EDITING
IS DONE DIFFERENTLY IN DIFFERENT
GENRES
For my specialist study research essay, I am going to be investigating the history, and the
importance of editing in film. Editing in film has evolved drastically since the first film, and
is now, and has always been, a key fundamental part of the post production process of
creating a movie. The process of editing has evolved drastically over the years, and in this
essay, I want to break down the different methods of editing, the importance of it, and how
editing is done differently in different genres.

Nowadays, editing is done using editing software like Premier Pro or Final Cut. However,
there was a time where there was no software. The first ‘edited’ film was released in 1898.
This film was called “Come Along, Do!”, produced and directed by Robert W. Paul. This
film was the first to use more than one shot, using two. This was revolutionary, as before, the
only form of editing was through a device known as The Edison Vitascope. The Edison
Vitascope was a projector, invented by Thomas Edison. It debuted in 1894, and it allowed
Film exhibitors to arrange one shot films into coherent programmes. However, just 6 years
later in the 1900s, another upgrade was made to film editing. This was done through physical
cutting and sticking of film reels. When going through this process, editors were unable to
view the film they’re editing while they were working on it, so, in order to view it and see
what they were doing, they would have to hold up the reels of film to the light to see where
they were cutting. This process was very long and very tedious. It would be done by cutting
up film and taping it back together in the correct order, so that when it gets played back, it is
edited how it was intended. Below is a photo of a Soviet director, Sergei Eisenstein, editing
using this cutting and sticking method.

This method of cutting and sticking film was what all

editors had to do to edit film. This was up until 1924, when
the most revaloutionary piece of editing technology up until
this point was made. The Moviola. The Moviola was a piece
of technology that allowed editors to view their film while
simultaniously making edits to it. This was a complete game
changer, as it made the edits that they made to films much
more precise, and much more smooth and slick; as it allowed
them to see more clearly where they were making their cuts. This was the main and primary
way of editing for editors everywhere, up until the 1950s. This is because in the 1950s, a new
machine was made as an alternative to The Moviola. This was named the Steenbeck Flatbed
Editing Table. Named after Wilhelm Steenbeck, this was an editing table that was equipped
with rollers and motorised plates. The editor would load the film onto these motorised plates
and rollers, and they could easily move back and forth throughout the film, and decide where
to make the cut. Below is a photo of the Steenbeck Flatbed Editing Table.

A few years later, the first video recorder was unveiled, which was the
first machine that used magnetic tape for recording and editing video.
In 1961, The EECO 900, became the very first electronic editing
controller that utilised timecodes. Then, in 1963, Ampex EDITEC
was introduced, which marked electronic editing being fully introduced
for the very first time. This marked a significant shift in the whole
editing industry, as it now meant that no physical cutting or splicing
was needed for editing. Jumping to now, present day editing, it has
evolved extensively. In the last one hundred years, it has turned into
something you’d find only in a studio, to now, being easily accessable
on peoples laptops and computers. Though the technology is remarkable, that is not the only
way that editing changes. Editing, and more importantly, the style of editing, changes and
differs across the various genres in film. For example, there is a very stark and heavy contrast
in the different editing styles across Horror, Action, and Dramas. For example, action films,
are typically very fast paced, high adrenaline, and overall, keeping the audience at the edge of
their seat. An action genre editing style would utilise excitement, seamless and dynamic
transitions, and quick cuts. Horror films, are much slower, and then suddenly much faster,
they can be slow and have no music, and then be fast paced in a chase scene. The editing
style in Horror films are great as they really play on the audiences’ emotions, and create a
feeling of anticipation, but they don’t know when. Dramas are meant to be more serious, and
a more real feeling genre than others. An editing style for dramas would have slower pacing,
more subtle transitions, and editing that allows the story to flow naturally.

To showcase these different editing styles, I want to look at a scene from a film that falls
under these genres. To start, I want to look at IT (2017). The scene I looked at was one of the
opening scenes in the movie, where Georgie gets killed by Pennywise. I looked at this scene
because it perfectly encapsulates the editing style for horror films. I’m going to try and ignore
the setting, and the acting etc. as I am focusing on the editing. The scene sets you up into a
false sense of security, with juxtaposition playing on the audience due to the music used in
the scene. A lush track plays over Georgie playing with his boat, showcasing his childish
nature. However, a stark contrast happens when that music disappears at the reveal of
Pennywise. Suddenly, the viewer gets put on the edge of their seat due to the quiet, more
ambience type music in this interaction with Pennywise and Georgie. It’s fantastic editing, as
the change in music, the, more subtle background noise, immerses the audience even further
into the scene, making the end of it, the killing of Georgie, more impactful. When this
happens, a piece of loud music and noise comes back, creating a bad feeling for the audience.

Next, I want to analyse a drama. Drama is the genre I want to tackle in my FMP so this
analysis will benefit me greatly when I get to that point. I analysed a scene from Whiplash,
one of my favourite dramas. In this scene, Andrew Neiman is playing the drums in Terrence
Fletchers band for the first time, and the editing is superb. In this scene, I believe the genre of
a drama is defined. To begin, I want to mention the sheer lack of music. In the last clip we
analysed, where Pennywise kills Georgie, I spoke about how the music included helped to
bring the audience into the film and keeps them on the edge of the seat, but in a good drama,
this isn’t needed to immerse the viewer. The only music we hear in this scene is the music
that gets played by Fletchers band, when they go over the piece they’re playing, Whiplash.
This is fantastic, as dramas are a genre that typically is more realistic, less funny, and
attempts to make the audience really feel like they’re there. This lack of music really
emphasises that feeling. To compare the two genres again, in the scene from IT, when
Georgie gets attacked, there is a long audio riser, a stinger, and loud music to create an
uncomfortable feeling as he gets dragged away. In this scene from Whiplash, there is none of
that, which I believe is very effective. In this scene, when Fletcher is screaming at Neiman,
there is no music to accompany it, just the silence from the band. This is extremely effective
as it helps to, again, capture that realism. You wouldn’t have music if this was happening in
real life. The build up from Fletcher as he gets angrier and angrier in this scene, to eventually
throwing a chair at Neiman and screaming at him, is enough to hook the audience. By that
point, they’re already in it.

Another thing I want to mention about the editing of this scene, is the use of the fast cuts.
When the scene begins, it’s a lot more static than the end, as the anger of Fletcher slowly
progresses and the argument he has with Neiman begins, the cuts in this scene begin to ramp
up exponentially. I believe this is done to make the audience uncomfortable. Mixed in with
the close up camera on the faces of these characters, the fast cuts help to almost, invoke a
feeling similar to panic. It is very effective at making the viewer feel like they are Neiman,
and makes a great addition to an excellent drama. From 3:20 to 5:00, quick jump cuts are
very prominent and help to increase this feeling. The scene is filled with tension and anger
and the jump cuts heavily exemplify these emotions. When 5:00 comes around, Fletcher is
speaking at a calmer voice as Neiman begins to cry, immediately from this point onwards in
the scene, the jump cuts are much less prominent. I believe this is done because at this point,
the peak of the shouting and the yelling is over, and those tense and anger filled emotions
start to die down; even staying on one continuous shot for about 20 seconds. This is
incredible editing that really goes to show and prove the point that different genres have
drastically different editing styles. In this scene it feels like it was edited to go along with
how the director wanted the viewer to feel. It almost feels like the editor cut it, and made the
scene this way to make the viewer feel like they are right there in the room with Neiman,
Fletcher, and the rest of the band. This is an incredibly helpful scene for me as these
techniques will help me go a long way into my FMP when creating a drama.

In conclusion, I am very happy with the research done on my specialist topic. I have analysed
scenes that will help me go a long way when crafting my FMP, and I am hoping to take these
editing techniques to assist me in creating a piece that will bring out emotion, hook the
viewer of the short film, and create a realistic drama piece.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Massive.IO. (2021). The Evolution of Video Editing: From the Moviola to

Machine Learning. [Online]. Massive.io. Last Updated: 4 November 2021.
Available at: https://massive.io/filmmaking/the-evolution-of-video-editing/
[Accessed 16 January 2024].
2. Rowland Editing. (2021). Film and Video Editing Techniques: A History.
[Online]. Rowland Editing. Available at:
https://rowlandediting.wordpress.com/history-of-video-editing-and-techniques/
[Accessed 16 January 2024].
3. The Film Fund Blog. (2021). From Reel to Real: Unveiling the Role and
Evolution of Film Editors. [Online]. The Film Fund Blog. Available at:
https://www.blog.thefilmfund.co/from-reel-to-real-unveiling-the-role-and-
evolution-of-film-editors/# [Accessed 16 January 2024].
4. Skillman Video Group. (2021). EVOLUTION OF VIDEO EDITING. [Online].
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https://www.skillmanvideogroup.com/evolution-of-video-editing/ [Accessed 16
January 2024].
5. LUCAS RENTON. (2017). IT (2017) - Opening Georgie's Death Scenes
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https://youtu.be/KrpSzRltoVc?feature=shared [Accessed 17 January 2024].
6. Hulu. (2022). Not My Tempo | Whiplash | Hulu. [Online]. YouTube. Last
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