Your analysis must go beyond any discussion of the film in the textbook or other course materials. I am looking for you to assimilate information from the other sources to apply to the film to demonstrate that you understand the purpose and process of film editing.
| In Chapter 8 you learned about the art and craft of film editing, which some filmmakers believe is the most important part of the film making process. The film editor, working closely with the director, must choose from thousands of shots and hours of footage from production–that were most likely not shot in order of the screenplay–and assemble them into an engaging and coherent two-hour film (give or take).
For this assignment: A. watch either the “Run Lola Run I” scene from the German film Run Lola Run (Tom Tykwer, 1998) OR the “Baptism and Murder” scene from The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) below. You will be analyzing the editing in the scene you watched based on what you learned in Chapter 8, the documentary The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (Wendy Apple 2004) below, and the article about Walter Murch’s “Rule of Six.“ Note that you can use these same clips for upcoming DF #6, so you may want to read that assignment and make notes about your observations about the use of sound as you are watching them. B. Address these three points about either “Run Lola Run I” from Run Lola Run or “Baptism and Murder” from The Godfather: · What are some of the specific editing techniques and/or transitions used between shots and scenes in what you watched? Make sure to use correct terminology and to be specific about how and where these techniques and/or transitions are used in what you watched. · Describe the pacing (or rhythm) of what you watched. What is the effect of the pacing on the viewing experience? The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (Wendy Apple, 2004) This is an abridged version of the documentary. The copyright holder has blocked access to the full-length version on YouTube several times. If editing is a subject that interests you, you should be able to watch more of the film on YouTube. Run Lola Run I from Run Lola Run In Run Lola Run, Lola (Franka Potente) has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 DM to save her boyfriend, Manni, from his gangster-boss. She first decides to ask her banker father for the money. Because her moped was stolen earlier in the day, Lola must run from her family’s apartment to the bank where her father works. While Lola is running, we see her father in his office with a coworker with whom he has been having an affair. (Note the use of handheld camera in this part of the scene–you can tell by the shakiness.) This scene is Lola’s first of three attempts to get the money. If you watch the entire film, you’ll see three different scenarios presented as Lola runs. Each run is slightly different, and therefore, each has a different outcome. Lola learns from each run and makes changes each time. So in that respect, the “game of life” is shown to be like a video game or other game of skill. However, there are factors over which Lola has no control, so we also ponder what the role of fate is in life and how we impact others’ lives and they impact ours in ways that will never know. There is an article about Run Lola Run entitled “Running in Circles” that you might find helpful. Run Lola Run I “Baptism and Murder” from The Godfather (Please note that this scene is violent, showing gangland-style killings.) “Baptism and Murder” from The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) is certainly one of the most famous and brilliant scenes in film history. It was photographed by cinematographer Gordon Willis, aka the “Prince of Darkness” because of his skillful use of underexposure, and edited by the much-awarded William Reynolds and Peter Zinner. The music is by acclaimed Italian composer Nino Rota, who is well-known for his work with director Federico Fellini. In this scene, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) is becoming godfather to his nephew Michael Rizzi in the sacrament of Baptism in the Catholic Church. Most of the service is in Latin; however, Michael Corleone must answer questions on behalf of his godson. At the same time, Michael’s henchmen are brutally eliminating the Corleone family’s enemies. Baptism and Murder |
