Relationship to genre

     Relationship to genre

    How sequences of shots in a scene are assembled by an editor will often be determined by the genre.

       In drama, an editor may begin with a wide shot, focusing on proxemics, for example the distance between two people who have become emotionally estranged from one another.

If the dramatic beat of the scene has been determined as the most explosive moment in an ensuring argument, the editor will often work towards this via medium coverage, through which an audience can experience the building tension that the characters themselves are feeling. 

Ultimately, closer coverage will enable an editor to highlight the range of feelings and emotions- anger, resentment, hatred – flowing through the characters, by focusing on the detail of these in the characters ‘faces.

How sequences in shots in a scene are assembled by an editor will often be determined by the genre. 

In an action adventure film, the editor may need to keep alternating between wider shots of the action and closer coverage detailing the responses/ reactions of characters. 

In a chase scene for example, a range of wide production value shots will often be intercut with closer coverage of the characters involved responding to the changing strategy, dynamics and stakes of the chase. 

In a horror film, a director might elect to stay wide on the action to isolate a vulnerable character. 

The editor might use a long take, resisting the option of cutting to a new angle, lingering on the action in the same shot size in order to create a sense of stillness.

Relationship to genre is clear through the encoding – stillness in horror representing the calm that precedes moments of violence and terror.