Advanced Editing Notes- Overview/Classical Paradigm

1. There is varied camera work between the two pieces, "Arrival of a Train" and "Damsel in Distress". The "Arrival of a Train" is one long sequence shot, with practically no cuts or other shots at all. The camera is in place the entire film, not moving or panning or making any other camera movement. In "Damsel of Distress" however, the concept of camera angles are much more evident. This film utilizes different camera angles and perspectives. These help us develop ideas contributing to the narrative purpose of the film. For example, we look down on the damsel from a higher perspective to show her feeling of hopelessness and distress. However, when she realizes she can call her dog for help, we go into a close up to show delight and hope on her face.

2.  "Arrival of a Train" is heavy evidence of the realism editing style. This is a prolonged sequence edit, and all events happen within the scene. There is practically no real editing here. "Damsel in Distress" leans toward the classical editing style, with its use of cuts and parallel action. In "Damsel in Distress", for one, there are multiple shots that have been edited together. We'll be watching as the villain ties up the woman then hides behind a tree, then we cut to the tree to see his dastardly evil grin. This highlights the classical editing style by using selective shots and close ups to allow us to interpret the message that the filmmaker wants us to understand, rather than giving us a wide shot and allowing us to interpret our own message.

3. The story and narrative characteristics are both pretty straight forward. "Arrival of a Train" is practically one prolonged shot, giving a simple story, or telling of event. One can obviously infer that the train is arriving, and people begin to board and disembark. However, there is no real plot, like what "Damsel in Distress" offers. We are presented with a 3-act story, and with the help of parallel action, the story is told clearly and interpreted easily. Classical editing takes place here with the incorporation of parallel action to help tell a story. We see a girl chained to the train tracks, and then it cuts to a shot of the moving train. It's obvious to the viewer that the woman is about to be run over by the train, and she needs to call for help. From there, it's  evident that one can determine the courses of rising action, climax, and resolution. She whistles for her dog who calls for help, the dog goes to the train and signals for the break, the train stops, and the dog finds the criminal hiding in a tree.