Editing Scream 3 - The Cutting Room - Miss Georgiou

Editing is used in thriller films to show the different lengths of particular shots, for example some shots last for a few seconds and some last for a few minutes. In this blog , I am going to discuss the different examples of editing types within the clip of 'Scream 3 - The Cutting Room'.

The first editing shot used within the clip is Straight Cut and Jump Cut. A straight cut is a change of shot from one viewpoint to another quickly. This was used at the beginning of the scene, where the main blonde character is recieving threatening phone calls from the killer and it switches from focusing on her to the telephone.  This creates a sense of the unknown, you are now aware of  what is happening and you feel uneasy and worried for the girl, as we now see her in her most vulnerable position.

This relates to a thriller film, as it is hiding the identity of the mysterious phone caller, and we are not sure of what and who this person is. They always leave the identity of the killer hidden until further disasters happen in the movie, which creates confusion and suspicion within the audience.  The straight and jump cut add that quick change from comical to reality for the character as she starts to take everything as a joke, until the editing happens, where she is left realising that this is no practical joke, that this is reality and her life in is jeopardy.

In this scene many reaction shots were used in the editing to create a feel of the characters emotions at certain points in the scene. Firstly, the killer has threatened the victim on the phone, which leads to her being shocked and fearful, so she immediately pulls back in panic. Her facial expressions change from a comical/sarcastic too fearful, ass he is threatened to be a "skewered pig". This shows the reality of the situation, and the audience feel as if they are part of the film due to its very realistic approach.

The audience are now convinced that something bad is going to happen so we are drawn to the scene even more than before. This editing type is conventional to a thriller film as again, we as the audience are nervous about the situation and the hidden identity of the killer, so we don't know what to expect apart from a gruesome death is about to occur. They leave people on the edge of their seats at the most crucial parts of the film.

Many linking shots are used within is particular editing scene, to add an emotional impact for e audience. It helps create the sharp, quick changes and the links between different settings and iconography.

In this scene, lining shots are used in the series of events where the character is in desperate need of help, and is running away from the killer. This all adds to the build up of tension, as it seems that everywhere she turns, danger is lurking behind. It feels like she can't get away, and that the only option for her is her own death. We immediately are thrown into a scary situation and we as the audience are worried for the character and want to help her escape.

This is conventional to a thriller as we see a young, blonde girl becoming a victim at her most vulnerable, and hiding in the most obvious places as she can't think straight. Thrillers tend to make the pretty, young girls the most vulnerable, which makes it obvious to the audience that there is no likelihood that she will escape from this drama. That the only option for her, is murder.

Slow editing Is also used in this scene, so a number of clips can be juxtaposed together at a slower pace to create a higher deal of suspense. It is used when the girl is trying to escape and hide from he villain, but is in fact running into his own trap in the store room with identical costumes to his. The slower the scene is, the more tension and suspense is created and the more our heart rate increases due to the fear.

This is what the creators of this film wanted as the audience now feel like they are in the film.  You start to fear for the victim which is conventional to a thriller film as it makes the audience more engaged with the film as we want to help the girl out of the bad situation.  The use of slow editing is key in a thriller, as it creates lots of suspense, drama and many scary shocking moments.