In this task I will be righting a
detailed post that explains how different transitions and effects can be used
to manipulate the diegetic time and space in a films. I will be talking about
Transitions, such as straight cut, dissolve, fade and wipe. Also talking about Graphic
Match, Following the action, Multiple points of view, Shot variation and Manipulation
of diegetic and space.
Straight cut
One of the techniques of
transitions and effects is a straight cut. A straight cut is the most common
transition used in films and it is virtually invisible. Every film today,
whether it be live-action, computer generated, or traditional hand-drawn
animation is made up of hundreds of single shots that are all placed together
throughout editing to form the single film that is viewed by the audience. The
shot transitions is the way which two of these individual shots are joined together
without the audience noticing about the transitions used because it was very
quick. Straight cuts help retain reality. They do not break the viewer’s
suspension of disbelief.
Dissolve
Another technique of transitions
and effects is dissolve. Dissolve happens in films when one shot transparent
and the next shot opaque. By using dissolve the audience will be able to see both
shots on the screen at the same time, at the mid-point of the dissolve.
Filmmakers uses this type of techniques from transitions because it crates the
meaning of that the two shots are identical or connected in some way. Also it can
be used to link two characters to each other saying they are similar in some
way or this can be used to do the same thing with certain objects in movies. An
example of this would in the movie “The Butterfly effect”. In the movie we see main
character looking at the objective in the ground, after it dissolves into the
next shot. The director used the dissolve because it creates link between the flowers
and the character, showing us that the character is going to do something to prevent
the other that person from dying. Also the clue of this, is on the flower card
where it said “I’ll come back for you”.
Fades
The next technique of transitions
and effects is fades. Fades is basically the same as dissolve but rather than one
shot transparent and the next shot opaque, a fade is gradual darkening or
lightening of an image pending the screen develops into black or white. The fade
in and fade out usually signal the beginning or end of a particular section of
time within the narrative, especially if the filmmaker is fading to/from black.
An example of fades would be the opening title sequence from the HBO series “Six
Feet Under” features many fades to black and a couple brief fades to white. The
very last bit in the sequence fades slowly to white. This is done because it
showing to the audience that the title sequence is finished. Also the director
used fades in the title sequence to past the time.
Wipe
The next technique of transitions
and effects is wipes. The wipe is the extremely different from the other
transitions and effects. It is when one images or shot is forcefully pushed off
the screen by another image or shot. The wipe technique pushes images in many
directions left and right or up and down, but it is more common for the image
or shot to be pushed off the left-hand side. This is because the movement is
more consistent with the sense of time moving forward. Filmmakers use wipe because
it signal to the audience that they are being shown different locations that
are experience the same time. The best example of the wipe is what’s known as
the Iris wipe, which you usually find in silent films, like “Buster Keaton’s or
the “Merrie Melodies cartoons- the circle getting smaller and smaller. Other
wipe shapes includes stars, diamonds, and the old turning clock. “The Star Wars”
films are chock –full of attention-grabbing wipes. Here two good examples from “The
Empire Strikes Back”. The first shown the clock wipe; the second, the diagonal
wipe.
Graphic Match
The next techniques is transitions
and effects is Graphic Match. Graphic Match is a very special types of
transitions and it is something an editor cuts in as film editing between
either two different objects, two different spaces, or two different
compositions in which an object in the two shots graphically match, often
helping to establish a strong continuity of action and linking the two or three
shots metaphorically. The graphic match can be made by two or three images or
shots that are alike in size, shape and colour, being placed next together to
look kind of the same. Filmmakers used graphic match to tell the audience that there
is something kind of link between the images or shots. An example of this would
be in the film Psycho. Hitchcock’s Psycho, takes place just after a women is brutally
stabbed to death while in the shower. As her blood washes away down the drain
with the water, the camera slowly zooms in on just the drain itself. A graphic
match cut is then utilized, as the centre of the drain becomes the iris of the
victim’s lifeless left eye.
Following the action
The next techniques of
transitions and effects is following the action. Following the action is where
camera men follow all the movements made by the actors. For example there will
be more than one camera man when this is happening so they switch between the
different camera angles depending on which way the actor is going. Where ever
the character moves there will be cameras, they will also camera men following
them. This gives more depth to what audience are watching instead of just watching
one camera action all the way through it, it gives the audience something else
to watch and gives it more excitement rather than just being one angle throughout
the film or program. An example of this would be in the film “Mrs & Mrs
Smith”. Where the camera rotates around the gun battle to show more of the
action instead of staying at one angle. Also it gives the audience more to
death of action, so rather than one angel it show multiple angles the viewer a
better experience in the action.
Multiple points of view
The next techniques of
transitions and effects Is multiple points of view. Multiple points of view is
where something is happing in a scene involving multiple characters. We will
see what is happening with one character and then the camera will cut to
another character followed by another character if there is another and so on. It
shoes a scene from the point of view of all the characters involved. Filmmakers
use the multiple points of view to show the perspective of the person on the
screen, it makes the audience feel like they are looking through the eye of the
main character/actor. An example of this would be “The Blair Witch Project”. As
it’s not filmed like a normal Hollywood film where the camera man only films a
story line with the characters, “The Blair Witch Project” is filmed with each
of the characters filming the events and showing their point of view throughout
the film individually, along as filming their other co-stars showing their view
upon the storyline.
Shot variation
The next technique of transitions
and effects is shot variation. Shot variation is where a shot can be filmed
static, with no cuts throughout to show a piece of film. These include: Long
shot – Where the audience get to see the bigger picture during the film. Medium
shot – This shot shows one characters emotion and a bit of surrounding and bit
of action during the film, showing a bit less than a long shot, but it also
keeps some information out that the audience may find out later in the film. Close
up – This shot only shows one characters expression or emotion. This normally
happens then something big happens to show the audience how that certain
character thinks about the situation. An example of this would be in the “The
Matrix”, where it begins in a long shot, then the camera moves in a circular motion
and ends in a mid-shot this gives the effect of emotions and actions of the characters
Manipulation of diegetic and space
The last
technique of transitions and effects is manipulation of diegetic and space. Manipulation
of diegetic and space is used in films to show effects of age or time distortion.
This includes a person, an object or even an environment changing by getting
younger or older. So for example flashbacks in movies or forwards to show the
location, person or objects has changed, whilst time is movie fasts or slow
than it was before. This is done in movies by using very simple colour filters
or another is by desaturation of an image showing a different point in time
which makes this effect less complicated. For example, in a movie when there is
a flashback the screen of the colour goes black and white to tell the audience that
the shots are showing the past. A good example of this would be in Harry
Potter, when they use the time turner and go back in time which shows the same
location but the time is different.
