Development of drama
The dramatic context
An editor needs to make sure that the current scene relates
to what came before it and what comes after it.
The editor must also decide whether the level of
tension/suspense in successive scenes needs to be maintained or whether relief
of some kind such as a comedic tone needs to be introduced.
Dramatically effective narratives archive variety and
balance in the way events are structured. Tension without relief becomes
monotonous.
Subtext
An editor can sometimes create subtext through the way the shots are
assembled.
A character might be saying one
thing, but according to what the editor chooses to show the audience might be
led to understand something other than what is being expressed verbally
This can increase the dramatic
effectiveness of the scene by creating dramatic irony; the protagonist and
audience become the initiated group; the others characters remain uninitiated.
This in turn establishes an
intimate connection between audience and protagonist.
Key dramatic beats
·
The
editor can indicate progression towards key dramatic beats in the narrative by
cutting from wide coverage of action to closer coverage of that action.
·
The most obvious example of this is a classic 2
person dialogue.
·
The editor cuts from medium coverage, such as 2
shot of both characters, to individual close-ups (using the abovementioned
shit-reverse-shot technique).
·
This can add to the emotional build up in the
exchange and increase the dramatic effectiveness of the scene.
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