Editing terminology

cut A visual transition created in editing in which one shot is instantaneously replaced on screen by another.

continuity editing Editing that creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring visual inconsistencies. Establishes a sense of story for the viewer.

cross cutting Cutting back and forth quickly between two or more lines of action, indicating they are happening simultaneously.

dissolve A gradual scene transition. The editor overlaps the end of one shot with the beginning of the next one.

editing The work of selecting and joining together shots to create a finished film.

errors of continuity Disruptions in the flow of a scene, such as a failure to match action or the placement of props across shots.

establishing shot A shot, normally taken from a great distance or from a "bird's eye view," that establishes where the action is about to occur.

eyeline match The matching of eyelines between two or more characters. For example, if Sam looks to the right in shot A, Jean will look to the left in shot B. This establishes a relationship of proximity and continuity.

fade A visual transition between shots or scenes that appears on screen as a brief interval with no picture. The editor fades one shot to black and then fades in the next. Often used to indicate a change in time and place.

final cut The finished edit of a film, approved by the director and the producer. This is what the audience sees.

iris Visible on screen as a circle closing down over or opening up on a shot. Seldom used in contemporary film, but common during the silent era of Hollywood films.

jump cut A cut that creates a lack of continuity by leaving out parts of the action.

matched cut A cut joining two shots whose compositional elements match, helping to establish strong continuity of action.

montage Scenes whose emotional impact and visual design are achieved through the editing together of many brief shots. The shower scene from Psycho is an example of montage editing.

rough cut The editor's first pass at assembling the shots into a film, before tightening and polishing occurs.

sequence shot A long take that extends for an entire scene or sequence. It is composed of only one shot with no editing.

shot reverse shot cuttingUsually used for conversation scenes, this technique alternates between over-the-shoulder shots showing each character speaking.

wipe Visible on screen as a bar travelling across the frame pushing one shot off and pulling the next shot into place. Rarely used in contemporary film, but common in films from the 1930s and 1940s.

Mainstream music videos: Liam payne - strip that down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSW2M-BB1NE
"Stripe that down" is by a debut solo single by British singer/songwriter liam payne, who was a member of popular boy band, One direction. The song also features American rapper Quavo as guest vocals. The 3 minute and 24 second song was released on 19th may 2017, becoming a popular summer hit song. It's a mix between the Pop and R'n'B  genres. 

Music video
The music video itself was released on Paynes' vevo channel on 18th of may 2017. The video opens with an establishing shot of a female dancer, then zooms closer to her as the video proceeds. It then cuts to a black and white scene of liam just as the music starts. This is then followed by a series of extreme close ups (e.g. of his hand), long shots, mid shots and close ups of the singer as he sings. In between some of these cuts, shows dancers performing to the song. As the chorus comes up the video transitions from black and white to a neon world, showcasing Payne in a world of colourful bright lights. The setting also changes from a plain white area to a more exotic/tropical looking room full of green plants. The music video remains in the neon theme throughtout and continuously cuts to shots where the Payne and Quavo are lip syncing to the song and dancers performing to the beat.

Social context and how does the video fit mainstream?
During the whole video, i've noticed alot of outfit changes sets for both males and females in the featured in the video. These outfits sit well as todays fashion trends and what the younger generation prefer to wear today. This is an element of mainstream music that can be depicted from this video. Also, another obvious element that this video belongs to the mainstream genre is the fact that it features another Artist, in this case it's rapper Quavo. (This is a fairly typical trait of any mainstream pop music in the 21st century). 

Rather than being indepenedant, the song is signed to the big record labels Capitol Records in the UK and Republic Records in the US, further adding to the fact that it's mainstream music. 

In terms of meaning, it's definetly safe to say that just like any typical mainstream music video; for example, there's some sexual innuendos within the dance moves and song lyrics which is a general factor in todays popular music. ( Although there's nothing too extreme in this particular video in comparison to others). Unlike alternative videos or other more extreme mainstream m/v, this song did not cause controversy or have an major backlash. However, there are some parts of the song which is more personal , specifcally the line " you know i used to be in 1D, now i'm out free"- where he touches on the fact that he's now a solo artist ( like the other members) and no longer in a part of the band. 

The kuleshov effect

The Kuleshov effect is a film editing (montage) effect demonstrated by Soviet (Russian) filmmaker Lev Kuleshov in the 1910s and 1920s. It is a mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation. It influences every film maker and their film.

Lev Kuleshov and experiment (1899-1970) 

During the period in which film was relatively new, Kuleshov asked the question: what made cinema a distinct art, separate from photography, literature or theatre? He discovered that art was 2 things: the material itself and the way in which it was organised. Kuleshov found that the organization of individual shots, also known as montage, is what makes film stand apart.

In 1921, Kuleshov set up a series of cinematic demonstrations which gave the phenomenon its name. In these experiments, he projected the face of a well-known actor, then cut to a plate of soup, he then showed another shot of the same actor, then a girl in a coffin, the final sequence was the actor’s face, then an attractive young woman. Audiences responded that the actor seemed in the first sequence to be hungry, in the second, quite mournful and finally seemed to exude lust. In reality, all three shots of the actor were the exact same, his face was interpreted differently based on what it was put next to in the edit. Additionally, even though there was no establishing shot of the actor together with objects from the other shots, they seemed to the audience to be in close proximity to one another. Through the ordering of the shots, two separate places seemed to be one whole continuous location to the audience.

This was a huge moment for cinema becuase kuleshov discovered that manipulating space and time was possible through editing. Kulshov declared montage to be the central principle that defines film as it's own art. 

For filmakers

Understanding the Kuleshov Effect allows editors to better control the tone and meaning found in their films. Through the choices in how shots are organized and sequenced, filmmakers can create new meaning by juxtaposing unrelated images. With the illusion of condensing space, we are able to create new worlds, connecting places that were previously separate. Thus, the Kuleshov Effect is a huge part of the magic that is film. 

Timeline: Alternative music/rock

Alternative rock music is thought to have begun in the late 1970's and early 1980's (Primarily in the uk).Reaching a commercial and critical peak in the 1990s. 



-1970's

Alternative bands started forming in the 70's. These bands  played mainly rock music but brought elements of punk, reggae and grunge into theire music- hence creating Alternative rock.  Bands started playing in small clubs/bars, they were either signed by a small record label or none at all. By the end of this decade many bands did not conform to any other genre and were anti-mainstream . Often singing about deep/darker topics including drug or alcohol abuse, depression, suicide ect... Some other bands would also be singing about hope 

-1975
-Formation of Blondie, Sex pistols, Talking heads
-1976
- Formation of  The cure 
-1980's 
There was no coverage on alternative music during the later 1980s but MTV started a new show called '120 Minutes' where they introduced music by bands such as Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam.
-1985
-Radioheads form
-1986
-MTV 120 minutes first aired
-1987
-Nirvana formed
-1990's
The 90's saw the rise of alternative music
-1991
-Nirvana released their album " Nevermind"soared into populaity.  Alot of people recognised the genre and began listening to alternative and grunge music. 
-American music festival 'Lollapalooza' took place for the first time, featured bands such as Butthole surfers, Nine inch nails and Janes addition. This was a big change to the genre as alternative bands moved from playing at small venues to big time concerts and gained more commercial attention. 
-1996
-Birth of indie music, Bands such as Modest Mouse, The Kooks and The Libertines introduced a new genre of alternative music which had a much softer sound than alternative rock. 
-2000's
In the early start of the 21st century many original alternative bands such as Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana have broken up and they ended up being replaced by modern Indie bands. The lyrics of songs were based on happiness and humour now. This changed the genre as while it was anti-mainstream before, it is now one of the most mainstream genres out there.

Timeline: Mainstream music

Mainstream music is applied to the majority and is currently popular with most people. The majority of artists follow this genre.

Birth of mainstream music in the 50's 
-1950's ,pop music origanated from Britain,  the American "rock'n'roll influenced pop culture 
-1954
Elvis Presley records 'That's All Right Mama' at Sun Studios, Memphis

-1955
Chuck Berry's 'Maybellene' is released

-1960's, There was a divide between 'progressive' pop and mass/chart pop 

-The miracles, 'Shop Around' is released

- More African American artists are introduced 

- Pop Music is more upbeat

-1964
-The Beatles (already the most popular pop group in Europe) take America. "I 

wanna hold your hand" was one of the biggest songs at the time. 

-The Jackson 5 is formed 

- 1965 

-LSD hits the streets

-Bob Dylan releases 'Like a Rolling Stone'

-mid-1960's, Record labels began investing in artists, giving them freedom to experiment, and limited control over their content.

-1966The Beatles record 'Tomorrow Never Knows'

Brian Wilson makes Pet Sounds

1969 
Jimi Hendrix Plays 'The Star Spangled Banner' at the Woodstock Festival

-1970's, Urban African Americans began performing spoken lyrics ( now known as hip hop) 

-Birth of electronic dance music 

-1970

Black Sabbath release their first album

-1971 
-Marvin Gaye: What's Going On?

-King Tubby and Lee Perry create the template for modern dance music (Dub was born and found its most innovative producer in Lee Perry, Modern dance music as we know it begins here) 

-1972
David Bowie creates Ziggy Stardust

-1975 
Bob Marley & the Wailers: 'No Woman, No Cry' released

-1977 
-Saturday Night Fever goes on general release

-Bee gee's (one of the most popular pop music groups by the mid-70's) release " How deep is your love"

-1980's,  Disco fell out of fashion, in the late 1980s, glam metal became the largest, most commercially successful brand of music in the United States and worldwide. The most influential artists of this decade were: michael jackson, cyndi lauper, Madonna, Prince, David bowie ,Whitney houston, George michael and more. The overall decade created a series of classics and shaped how mainstream music would be in the future.

-1981
The launch of MTV, The pivotal moment when the pop video became as important as the pop single. The first television channel devoted totally to music, MTV has grown into a global brand as all-pervasive as Coca-Cola or Nike

-1982
-Michael Jackson: Thriller released, The biggest-selling pop record of all time, Thriller made Michael Jackson a global icon, then only 25.

-1985

-Madonnna's 'Material Girl' is released

The single that propelled Madonna beyond the mainstream and made her the most successful pop brand of modern times.

-1987

Prince's 'Sign 'O' the Times'

-1990's, saw the continuation of teen pop and dance-pop trends which had emerged in the 1970s and 1980s, in addition with a larger variety of new music genre/style (e.g. Grunge). Hip-hop and rap grew highly successful. Artists/Groups of that decade: Mariah carey, Whitney houston, Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Britney spears, Backstreet boys and more. 

-1992 
-Nirvana: 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', The single that catapulted Nirvana into the mainstream. A heady mix of metal and punk

-1997

-The spice girls 'wannabe' released 

-1998

-Britney spears "Hit me baby one more time" released

-2000s/Present day approching the late 2000's dubstep becomes mainstream. Following the 90's Rap, hip-hop and R'n'B continued to dominate the music industry in the early 2000's. Artists of the decades would be: Eminem 

How does the camerawork construct the representation of gender?

Ariana grande-focus 

The first shot of the music video draws back from ariana grandes midriff (where she poses at a side angle), already, without the music video even begining the shot presents her as a "sexy" persona. When the video does start the audeince is presented with a series of flashes, showing Grande in seductive poses and the different angles of her - e.g. extreme close ups of her lips, eyes,legs. By doing this, we can argue that the camerawork objectifies her body, admiring her features at different angles and frames.These extreme close ups are fairly typical in a music video by a female artist; another example could be Christina aguilera -Dirrty. Whereas in Male Pop music videos, I've noticed that these "seductive" extreme close ups are more rare.This perhaps backs up Mulvey's male gaze theory, where the camera takes on the perspective of a hetrosexual man.

Throughout the video, there are several variations of camera framing -such as long shots ,zooming in and away from the singer (again whist she is in sexually suggesting poses). This makes the audience not only view her intimate features but view her figure from a distance. Alternatively, the high contrast lighting also emphasises her physicque and curves, so the audience can focus more on her "shape". With this fact alone, it already backs up the male gaze theory. As the audience you are presented with a music video by a female artist designed to gratify partiularly hetrosexual male viewers. As for other girls or women, they may naturally find themself comparing their own physical attributes to the singer, possibly lowering their self confidence or become influenced and aspire to be just like the singer. Either way, the way in which woman are potrayed in this video is not particularly empowering or influential in good terms, but seductive in fashion -conveying the wrong messages.

Furthermore, the outfits in which Grande is wearing alongside her backup dancers can be described as "skimpy"as they are tight, short and bare a quite alot of skin. At one point in the music video, bare long legs are seem pointing from the wall...this therefore reinforces the statement that the female body is made to be admired, or as an object for pleasure.


Overall, i'd say that although this music video is not the most explicit content representing woman, it's also not the prime example of  how woman should be perceived in society. From the costume, sultry poses, extreme close ups, and long/mid shots, the representation of woman in this video carries a sexy and flirtatious vibe. This can be interpreted positively or negatively; positive in the way that a woman should be comfortable to show her skin and embrace confidence, but negative as it connotes wrong or sexual inferences to the audience.