There are a variety of different editing styles and techniques which when it comes to creating an opening to a thriller, will be very useful to know and understand the connotations that come withe executing particular ones. Here are a few sample of the most common editing techniques:
Montage:
Montages are often used in television series at the beginning of an episode to remind the audience of the events that took place in the previous episode. They condense large amounts of information into short sequences allowing the audience to absorb all the necessary information but take a far shorter amount of time to do so. In films they're often used to show how time passes. I've chosen an example from Rocky IV when both Rocky and Drago are training for their fight against one another. Although this montage is particularly long, it condenses weeks of narrative into minutes.
(To view the most relevant part of the video please skip to 1:11)
(To view the most relevant part of the video please skip to 1:11)
Continuity
Continuity editing is often quite hard to notice because it's used to make the sequence seamless and allow the audience to follow through with the action with no disruptions. Continuity is usually most effective in dialogue.
(The best example of seamless continuity editing in between 0:44 to 1:38)
When learning about continuity editing, I found that seeing a visual example helped. The video below offers more examples with informative audio narration.
Parallel
Parallel editing is when there are two or more events happening at the same time. Small groups of shots from each event are placed in between one another in a way to usually increase the tension or disconcert the viewer. Bellow are two examples, one from American Snipper and another from The Godfather:
Transitions
A transition is the way each shot flows into each other. There are many types of traditions such as straight cuts, fade outs, dissolves many more each of them used for different reasons to portray different connotations. When learning about various transitions I found an excellent video that sums them up in a clear and informative manner:
Below is video from 'Girl, Interrupted' that presents a very interesting montage that uses dissolves between every shot. This combination suits the style of the film and its disturbing but somehow fluid nature.
(Please skip to 1:30 to see the montage)
(The best example of seamless continuity editing in between 0:44 to 1:38)
When learning about continuity editing, I found that seeing a visual example helped. The video below offers more examples with informative audio narration.
Parallel
Parallel editing is when there are two or more events happening at the same time. Small groups of shots from each event are placed in between one another in a way to usually increase the tension or disconcert the viewer. Bellow are two examples, one from American Snipper and another from The Godfather:
Transitions
A transition is the way each shot flows into each other. There are many types of traditions such as straight cuts, fade outs, dissolves many more each of them used for different reasons to portray different connotations. When learning about various transitions I found an excellent video that sums them up in a clear and informative manner:
Below is video from 'Girl, Interrupted' that presents a very interesting montage that uses dissolves between every shot. This combination suits the style of the film and its disturbing but somehow fluid nature.
(Please skip to 1:30 to see the montage)
