Media Language - Lesson 4

1. How can you throw a ball as hard as you
can and it come back to you, even if it
doesn’t hit anything, there is nothing
attached to it, and no one else catches
or throws it?
Two students are
sitting on opposite
sides of the same
desk. There is nothing
in between them but
the desk. Why can’t
they see each other?
Mary’s Father
has 4 children;
three are
named Nana,
Nene and Nini.
So what is the
4th child's
name?
A boy and his father are
injured in a car accident.
Both are taken to a hospital.
The father dies at arrival,
but the boy lives and is
taken to surgery. A grey-
haired, spectacled surgeon
looks at the boy and says “I
cannot operate on this boy
– he’s my son.” How is this
possible?
Get your thinking caps on!
Five pieces of coal, a carrot and a scarf are lying on the
lawn. Nobody put them on the lawn but there is a perfectly
logical reason why they should be there. What is it?
A woman had two sons
who were born on the
same hour of the same
day of the same year.
But they were not twins.
How could this be so?

2. Introduction to Media Language
Lesson 4: Editing

3. Learning Questions
• What are some of the main elements of
editing in moving image?
• What are some of the techniques used for
ensuring continuity?
• How do certain editing techniques create
meaning for an audience?

4. Media
Language
(Moving
Image)
Mise en scene
Camera
Costume, Hair
and Make-Up
Props
Lighting and colourPerformance
(Facial expressions and body
language) Shot Type
Camera
Angle
Dialogue
Soundtrack (Diegetic)
Editing
Order of
Shots/Continuity
Pace and
Rhythm
Special
Effects
Space
(on screen and off
screen)
Sound effects
Transitions
Shot
Duration
(Non-Diegetic)
Sound
Camera
Movement
Silence
Setting

5. Editing
Order of
Shots/Continuity
Pace and
Rhythm
Special
Effects
Transitions
Shot
Duration

6. Editing
• Editing in film is a process of cutting and
assembling film footage to produce a finished
product.
• The role of the film editor includes organising
transitions between shots, making decisions
about shot duration and maintaining
continuity.

7. Order of Shots
• The meaning of a clip can change depending
on the order the shots are cut together.
• Putting two shots together can suggest a
connection or emphasise contrast
(juxtaposition).

9. Continuity
• Cutting shots to tell a story with narrative continuity
• Creates realism - edit is invisible so action appears
real rather than constructed. The on-screen world
makes sense in terms of time and space.

10. Continuity
Continuity Techniques:
• The 180º rule (ensures that the same space is described in
each shot)
• Shot/reverse shot
• Match on action (character begins to move in one shot, we
see continuation of same movement in the next shot)
• Eye-line match (e.g. character looks off-screen, next shot
shows us what they see)
• Crosscutting or intercutting between different locations can
convey the impression that two or more events are occurring
simultaneously. This is often used to build tension
• Montage – giving information in compressed form.
Sometimes used to break continuity, or to build thematic
and/or symbolic links between shots.

11. Transitions
• The process of cutting from one shot to another
usually involves a simple straight cut. However there
are other means of transition available to a film
editor such as:
• Fade to black
• Dissolve/cross fade
• Wipe

12. Transitions
• TASK - What meaning could be created by the
use of the following transitions?

13. Fade – the preceding shot fades into black from which the following
shot emerges.

14. Fade – the preceding shot fades into black from which the following
shot emerges.

15. Fade – the preceding shot fades into black from which the following
shot emerges.

16. Dissolve or cross fade – the preceding shot merges into the following shot,
resulting in the two shots being superimposed. The longer the dissolve the
more noticeable the superimposition becomes.

17. Dissolve or cross fade – the preceding shot merges into the following shot,
resulting in the two shots being superimposed. The longer the dissolve the
more noticeable the superimposition becomes.

18. Dissolve or cross fade – the preceding shot merges into the following shot,
resulting in the two shots being superimposed. The longer the dissolve the
more noticeable the superimposition becomes.

19. Transitions
As well as simply moving to another shot,
transitions can:
• imply a passage of time
• imply a change in location
• emphasise a connection, perhaps what a
character is thinking, remembering or dreaming
about (dissolve/cross fade).

20. Shot Duration, Pace & Rhythm
• Long shot duration creates a slower pace and conveys
intensity and intimacy within the narrative, it allows us to
focus upon facial expression and other aspects of mise en
scene which would otherwise be missed.
• Generally speaking short shot duration conveys action and
urgency (say in a chase sequence). The general trend these
days is for relatively short duration - the average film today
will contain about 1200 cuts. During the 30s and 40s the
average film contained around 400 cuts. Some modern Action
films contain as many 4000 cuts!
• Watch the following chase sequence from District 13 and see
if you can count the number of shots!

22. Special Effects
• Special effects can be used to further manipulate the
mise en scene of a sequence.

23. Activity
• Watch the following sequence from CSI:
Miami and take notes about the different
editing techniques used. Focus on shot
duration, pace and rhythm, special effects,
match on action and shot/reverse shot.
• In pairs, compare the notes you have
made and consider any meanings created
by them.
• Write a few sentences about how shot
duration, pace and rhythm and special
effects help create meaning.
• Stretch and Challenge: Comment on how
the use of either camera work, mise en
scene and sound also helps to create
meaning.
• Bonus points! – consider issues of
representation…
Order of Shots
Match on Action
Transitions
Special Effects
Diegetic
Continuity
Watching an unseen text
1. View the clip without taking notes
2. Take notes on the use of editing techniques
3. Begin thinking about the meaning created

24. Homework!!
Watch a full episode of a TV drama – it can be anything you
like!
Then, using your notes from class, write a few sentences
about how the programme used each of the 4 elements of
media language (mise en scene, sound, camera and editing)
to create meaning.
Please remember to use appropriate terminology e.g.
lighting, camera angle, diagetic, shot duration etc.