Anyone Looking for a Cross-Fade?
When I began editing fades seemed like a lovely transition
for one place to another. However, more
than one individual I have worked with has expressed distaste for fades.
After reading “In the Blink of an Eye” last year, I really
pay attention to what makes our eyes feel the need to blink, and hopefully some
of the consequences of that. If you can
think of a time when you blinked repeatedly (allergies, cold wind, confusion,
trying to keep up with fast movement), you might associate it with a slight
increase in emotion or adrenalin.
In editing, several cuts (or specific cuts) can influence
blinks, mainly by increasing them.
Faster cuts, faster blinks, increase in heart rate, it can help produce fear, but what if that is
not the desired effect. After paying
close attention to effects of cuts and blinking I am now wondering what is the
opposition, what, as an editor, can I do to produce calmness, or comfort?
As observed in psychology, having adrenalin running high at
a continual pace leads to anxiety, which is not a healthy or a happy
feeling. Anxiety is not the desired
effect for even a horror movie; an adrenal rush is desired affect. In order
to provide an audience with adrenalin rushes they must first be emotionally
connected with the characters or situations, then secondly must feel
scared. In order for this to happen the
audience must go through an emotional roller coaster; it must include peaks and
valleys. Without calm moments, the tension will become
flat; the intensity must rise and fall.
Movies must increase then hold back, then increase in
intensity again to truly involve an audience; this is why entering scenes and
resolving conflict works well with fade sequences.
I feel like there are several points in a movie when an
editor would want the audience to feel calm: at some point in the introduction,
after the climax, and when resolving the film.
When beginning to build up to something scary, the audience must return
to homeostasis then start to feel tension again.
~Jackie
In my experiences editing, I've come to the personal belief really that transitions aren't a bad thing - just as long as they aren't overused. Which, is purely dependent upon the circumstances.
ReplyDeleteAs you've carefully analyzed and stated in regard to blinking and anxiety/adrenaline, you're aiming to establish a feeling. Cuts, as well as transitions are the "glue" to piece the puzzle together. I still tend to follow my gut, though, I find. I have a feeling we all have a bit of an innate sense to watch an item and decide within seconds whether or not it simply "works", or doesn't.
Not too long ago I took the liberty of throwing together an item to help promote a local dojo run by my family here in town. And during the portion of the video where techniques/arts were being displayed - one after another, after another, after another - I simply couldn't cut from one to the next. A cross dissolve was the perfect solution for this, because it made everything that much more fluid to watch. And hell, it looks cool. But reason one is much more important.
And, even more recently, the Office Space rough cut! We aimed to match continuity between the original and our own as best as we could, but given the circumstances (and one prop that was going to be obliterated) some cuts we simply couldn't redo. So, to compensate, I used a couple transitions to ensure the scene still flowed closely to the original.
Transitions are good when done right, for sure.
Very interesting blog post, Jackie!
ReplyDeleteI am a HUGE fade user (God, that sounds like some sort of drug). You make a very good point about "reseting" the audience using fades so you can ramp up their heart rates again with well timed cuts. I feel like fades and transitions in general get bad raps so I'm glad to see someone else defend them for a change (sorry, Alex).
~Franco
Ironically Dean loves fades, but he gave me quicktime footage that doesn't have enough lead room for fades.
Delete~Jackie