Unit 16 - Film and Video Techniques
Seamless
A convention and technique of editing is seamless, and this is achieved through continuing the editing process without the continuity being visible. The invisibility of the cuts and editing allows the narrative to continue without any erratic pauses in between the scenes and initiating the viewer to switch their attention elsewhere. Throughout the years, seamless editing has managed to slip under the radars of the audience, as to start with seamless editing was impossible due to in-camera editing and not having the required tools to use to this effect. However, the development in technology has allowed more seamless editing to be pulled off, increasing the quality of each movie and has stopped the restrain on the audience not having a strict narrative to follow.
For example, during the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), whilst Jack Sparrow is looking for the treasure on the secret island, he has to walk through the village to get to the boat, there are certain cuts which are not visible to the viewer’s eye and are hidden within the professional editing. This specific technique of editing was used to allow the audience to follow the strict narrative of the movie and keep the continuity consistent throughout so that the audience focus their sole attention on the movie and are not distracted. However, the editing must combine different shots within each scene to make the seamless editing look creative and add some initiative into it. The negative aspect, however, is the fact that not using any different shots and using just one will not grab the attention of the viewer, which will lead to them not having the motivation to watch anymore.
Conventions and Techniques