Approaches to Editing

Ever since our class last week on editing basics, the concepts and techniques we discussed have been popping into my head during every television show I watch. It’s amazing how I’ve seen the same conventions over and over, but have never fully realized the impact of editing decisions. When I’m watching a dialogue between two characters, I have begun to pay attention to the over-the-shoulder angles used in each cut, and have realized that the 180 degree rule is always applied. At the beginning of a scene, I’ve noticed that the camera tends to focus on a long shot, followed by a medium shot and then a close-up of the characters as a way of orienting the audience to the situation and environment.

Watching a re-run of The O.C. last week, I realized once again the important role that editing has in creating dramatic tension and excitement. In the scene I’ve posted below, main character Ryan confronts his brother Tray after finding out that Tray assaulted Ryan’s girlfriend Marissa (gotta love those soapy story lines!). I’ve chosen this clip as an example of how strong editing can evoke certain feelings in viewers and add an extra dimension of intrigue to an exciting event.

At first, the shots cross-cut back and forth between Ryan in his car and Tray at home. A dramatic confrontation seems inevitable, and this parallel editing builds tension as Ryan’s car is shown pulling up outside of Tray’s apartment. Ryan knocks on the door of the apartment, and a reaction shot shows Tray responding to the knock. After Tray opens the door, the camera cuts back and forth between Ryan and Tray in a series of over-the-shoulder shots. These quick paced shots increase the tension, and the choice of a shaky hand-held camera for recording the scene adds a dimension of realism. At 1:03, the camera pans back and forth from Tray’s face towards the gun in his outstretched arms, slowing down momentarily as both Ryan and Tray consider their next courses of action. After Ryan attacks Tray, the cuts speed up once again. This effect mirrors the erratic, fast paced violence of the scene, and also allows the actors to hide elements of their stage fighting. For example, at 1:47, the camera shows Ryan kicking Tray, when in reality he is probably kicking a punching bag or nothing at all. The camera then cuts to an outside shot of Marissa pulling up in her car. This echoes Ryan’s earlier arrival outside the house and indicates to the audience that another confrontation is about to occur. After Marissa shoots Tray at 2:38, the fast-paced cutting changes to slow motion shots. This indicates that the climax of the conflict has passed and that the confrontation between Ryan and Tray is about to conclude. An aerial shot at 3:02 shows an overview of the result of this confrontation. This dramatic change from close-up to long-shot re-orients the viewer, reminding them that the aftermath of this event will affect the lives of three characters in a traumatic way.

While The O.C. is certainly not known for award-winning acting or intellectually stimulating storylines, I think that credit should be given to the editors of this episode for creating an engaging and thrilling scene appropriate for a season finale. This scene is exciting and dramatic – the perfect cliffhanger for a soapy teen drama.