While learning about Soviet
Perspectives on editing, I found a lot of the information to be very
interesting. For example, the Kuleshove
Effect. This was the experiment V.I Pudovkin
and his student in which three series’ of cut images was presented to three
different audiences. These images
included a medium shot of a man that then either cut to a bowl of soup, a
mourning widow, or a child playing. Each
of these images gained different emotional responses from the audiences
according to what image was cut to after the man was shown. The bowl of soup brought hungriness, the
widow brought sadness, and the child brought happiness. Each of these emotional responses was caused
by the manipulation of one certain shot being placed after showing the same
man. This experiment really proved to me
that a lot about editing has to do with manipulating the audience. As the editor, you are in control of how the
audience is going to react to certain images.
You are in charge of this emotional response by placing the images in
order in which you are going to gain the response you are looking for. Manipulation of shots is key in becoming a
successful and innovative editor.
I
also found Kuleshov’s theories on editing to be quite interesting. Kuleshov states that “The shot is a sign,
like a letter in a word, but a complex letter, like a Chinese character.” To me, what Kuleshov is saying makes perfect sense. Each shot in itself is nothing more then just
one letter. But, putting them together
creates words. The putting together of
these words is what creates a film and each shot plays its own significant part
in telling the story that the film is portraying. Without each particular shot being used in the
right order, the film can’t and won’t feel complete.
I
thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Soviet’s perspective on editing. The thoughts and theories of Kuleshov and the
Kuleshov Effect were riveting and enthralling.
These ideas were important in my growth and maturation as an editor in
this class.
No comments:
Post a Comment