Pacing

During lectures we have been looking into pace and how it's important for editing. Before, pacing was not something I ever really considered using with my own films because I was not taught about it in college. Learning about this has changed the way I will approach my own film making.

Without pacing, the edited footage doesn't really have a desired structure and it would not be as entertaining for the viewer. Pacing in editing could also be a interesting way to show change in time or events in a story. Pacing could be used to show how a scene is action packed or dramatic by having a fast pace, and it could be used to show how a scene is emotional by having a slow pace.

Transporter (2002) BMX Scene - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDNgal73wWw

For example, this scene from Transporter has very fast editing to show that it has a lot of action. In the start of this scene there is no sudden camera changes as the scene is still calm, but as soon as the character turns around the camera cuts and we see lots of motion. From 0:10 in this video onwards the camera cuts become very quick, and there are around 10 different shots which show the character running through the market stalls. These 10 shots are cut extremely fast and they are very hard to notice individually, but these 10 quick cuts add to the action of the film. At 1:08, to show him riding the BMX and using the car as a ramp to get to the window there were 13 different shots. This again is very quick editing and this quick editing shows that the character is in a rush to get to somewhere.

Inglorious Basterds (2008) Restaurant Scene - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn35dWgffTk

This scene is very different to Transporter because it does not have any fast editing. This scene shows how fast editing would not be used in a scene like this because there is not any fast paced action like in Transporter. Instead, the pacing is slow which means the shots last longer. The clips in this scene cut at the end of the character's lines so there conversation does have flow which makes it seem more natural for the viewer. The clips also cut so suddenly because there is not much emphasis on the characters emotions so much in this scene, most shots are mid shots.

What I have learnt from this is that pacing is something I need to research into more and I should observe pacing in films and TV that I watch.