Editing Rhythm

Editing rhythm

Editing rhythm is what editors use to keep pace of the film up to match the action that is going on in the film. Slow cuts edits has a calming, bordering feel to the edit, were as a fast cut edits has lively, aggressive feel  to the edit. 

Below is an example of a scene from the movie Hero which shows somebody else's unique creation of Editing Rhythm and i think it is effective, good way to show it. 

Below is an example of how some editors may use a technique in editing rhythm in a film sequence and the way that they may go about it. It shows a clever structure that they use to help them make their cuts more interesting so that unlike a repetition of  5- word sentences,  they sound melodic rather than monotonous. 

This sentence has five words.

Here are five more words.

Five-word sentences are fine.

But several together become monotonous.

Listen to what is happening.

The writing is getting boring.

The sound of it drones.

It’s like a stuck record.

The ear demands some variety. 

Now listen.

I vary the sentence length, and I create music.

Music.

The writing sings.

It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony.

I use short sentences.

And I use sentences of medium length.

And sometimes when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals–sounds that say listen to this, it is important. 

By Gary Provost

This extract in which i have given myself to analyse the directors rationale is The shining which shows how the director was intending to make the audience wait on the next action scene whilst the little boy remained sat on his bike, the deceased twins stood at the bottom of the corridor played the antagonist , however remaining still to make an attempt to catch the audience off guard whilst the camera does shot reverse shot from the boy and back to the girls - this is what the director successfully achieved by editing in this particular way.