Comparing Ediction Of TV And Cinema

By looking to register our observations of editing for TV, we’ve recorded six hours of extensive programs of FOX, in different days, which contains a variety of productions, especially edited for Brazilian TV. A list of the previously programs pre-selected can be seen in the appendix. The first impression one can have when checking the edition of a sequence of programs, which are daily presented, is the interest of the audience, that is essentially bilingual. Then, most of the sequences, linking advertisements and continuous films, and performances for TV, are not a hundred percent in English. International edition of Fox in Brazil shows too much the way people like to watch television in this country.

Normally, National TV includes so many cuts, and inclusions of advertisements. People generally complain about it. Fox presents many comments of the programs they will present. So, they flashforward, the options to have the audience attending another programs, rather then conventional propaganda. They promote their service, so that it can compete with Brazilian television. Well, one could ask why I’ve chosen FOX for this aim. I would say that, when I was in New Orleans in 1997, FOX interviewed me in a cafeteria. They wanted to know about my impression of the USA. So, I’ve never seen these images in my life, but it got my attention, to know that this company, invests in authentic material, and save them for their montages. But I also searched something on a different Channel. 

Antiquity Market, - BBC’s Documentary, presented by People&Arts. It starts with a  special logo of the program, showing the objects( music) , then, a beautiful panoramic view of the British town. They also show people from the ancient British  societies, who are owners of antiques . It’s a well-built sequence of scenes, demonstrating

the historical background of the city, a county close to Lankshire, England. The music presents a very close relation with the image. It’s classic. The name of the town is so difficult, and there’s no legend. There are variations of the shots, showing the object, the dialogues  between the commentators and the owners of the objects . Someone estimates the price of them, including jewels, clocks, tables, china, ceramics, sculptures, books, linens, furniture, silverware, weapons, pictures, art and crafts, and the like. There are fine cuts on it.  It should have taken hours to produce the whole sequence. The close-ups are specially directed for the objects. The speech of the commentator and the reaction of the owners, considering the value that is estimated to the objects surprises the audience – high price. It gets the mood of the audience. The performers are shown  on medium and long shots. The history of each object is also presented. Commentators change time after time. No special optical effect could be observed. The rhythm is fine. We can observe the control of the sequences - scenes.

Love Cruise is another interesting program presented by FOX. A competition on a ship. It was edited step by step. The 6th round of the  program is about a competition of 08 members, who are set in couples - half men, half women, on a boat, and they have all kinds of conflicts. What we can wonder here, is that the team works on a way, that everything is absolutely organized and set. Scenes are also taken when the performers are in movement, inside and outside combinations of shots, isolated shots, combined with the sequences, special exploration of angles, rythm and pace.  Besides the conflicts they live, the scenes are carefully selected. Cuts show the continuation of the process, till the last moment. So, they get the attention of the audience. Everytime we have breaks, it seems we don’t have

the desire to turn the TV off. So we wait to see the next part.  An attempt of subornation , is hidden behind the whole story till the last moments, when truth comes through. It starts to

come up in the middle of the program, and everybody waits to see the final consequences of that. Anyway, it comes partially up. They will show it only in the next episode. These candidates are eliminated in couples. They show many aspects of their personality. The eliminated candidates go to the Loser Island in Aruba. So, shots of beautiful landscapes, break the routine of the ship inside takes, although the edition, does not let us have this sensation. Everything seems to happen in a frenetic rhythm. This episode shows the thirteen days they are together. It ends with the two only couples. An interesting fact: all this time was edited and presented in a couple of hours.

 Our third and last selected program is a great production divided in chapters. It deserves lots of our attention because its memorable edition process - 2nd episode - FOX.

[A]          Arrakis, Dune, a land with lack of water, presented by Scifi Channel, with William Hurt, Frank Herbert’s, Alec Newman, Giancarlo Giannini and cast, is edited by Harry B. Miller III, produced by David Kappes, written for the screen and direction by John Harrison. Muad’dib is holographically presented on the screen, in a vision of the enemy, fighting in two divided empires. One that dominates, and the other which is composed of

hundreds of members of the desert. The witch Bene Gasserit and the son (Muad’dib), are announced as dead, because they were not able to resist a sandstorm. The fat king floats in

the air.  Landscape, aircraft, the survivors. They resisted the storm. Paul (Muad’dib) talks with his Mom. He  is now  considered the Duck – there’s an object , left by the other members of the group. He has to wear that from now on. They look for Arrakis. It sounds they walk miles in seconds. An effect of edition . She is stressed, and then a big shot of both walking in the desert. The king, the princess and a Baron have a discussion about what happened with the crew. She blames her father, because she thinks he banished them. They look for a cavern in the desert, and stay in. A member of Arrakis in prison. Their eyes are blue and light. Another member (a girl) talks with the Superior, and has visions. She sees Paul in the desert. Paul has a vision. A small animal of the desert. (They call this little animal Muad’dib). Their clothes are special. They can be hydrated again. They roll down on the dunes They lost the compass. A noise. A creature of the desert..

They run to the mountains. A big monster comes from the sands. They escaped. The monster returns. It’s a worm. Colors change. Orange, Brown, and then blue. The smell of cinnamon attracted the animal. They go into a cave, and see plants. The group arrests them.

Fremen. They were waiting for them. The ideology is:  better sometimes to miss an opportunity than it might disaster.  She’s a wisdom woman, and captures the leader, asking him to stop hunting her son. Chani captures Paul. Special shot on the boots. They all go to

Sietch Tabr. When they are in, they change clothes. Some nudes are shown. Very sensual. Quite fast. Seconds. Paul and Chani, change very erotic looks. Break

[B] A desert creature tries to come back to his land. The desert. The land shakes. An explosion. The rest of the group in the cave notices. Jamis asks Paul to fight with him. Stilgar, the voice with the wisdom woman is manifested. They ask her not to interfere. They are almost nude. Knives are given A ritual weapon. Jamis and Paul fight. Jamis is killed. Impressive effect of make up. A conversation between Dad and Mom of Lamis and

Paul takes place outside. Then, he said. “No man recognizes leadership without the challenge of combat”. This is the law, as Still says. They believe a voice from another planet will come.  Mahdi will bring the key of the future. His mom, a Bene Gesserit, a

Sayyadina, friend of God will come. Huani was prepared. It’s a ceremony – a burial to take the water of the dead person out. Jamis’ 33 liters of water are given to Paul. He’s baptized –

Muad’dib. A man riding a big worn appears. All the group gets a ride with him, by hooking some special sticks on it. Then a big city appears.

[C] A conversation between Muad’dib and Chani takes place. They go to a Temple. She shows him a big Ocean, and confesses her intention to make a paradise of Arrakis. Nobody else will be thirsty. He touches the water, and has a virtual image of all the population claiming him as the leader. Then the princess nominates a slaver to seduce a leader of the empire, so that she can know all the details of the possible murder of the aircraft that disappeared in the desert. Some members of the Fremens are caught buy the Governor, accused for the attempt to rob spices. The slaver seduces Feyd, the future leader of the desert. Paul talks with Still. The leader of the fremens, and Chani’s dad.. Break .

[D] A body burns. A combat takes place. The soldiers of the Governor and the Fremens. So interesting. A body of one of the members appears in slow motion and all the rest moves

normally. Then, Muad’dib gets the crystal knife, a shot in the leader of the governor’s army, fights and holds a knife on the enemy’s neck Then, a scream, and the man appears death. This cuts are seconds long, but absolutely fantastic sequence of edition.

[E] A palace. Two sacerdotal personages talk. They predict and analyze the facts. Planet Arrakis. Harkonnen House controls Arrakis. Atreides (Paul’s friends) are death. They

1. conclude. The balance of power has to be maintained. The princess listens the conversation, hidden behind. Chani               talks with Sayyadina. They talk about the skin of people coming from aquatic lands. Chani likes her skin. Some of the members are just talking about the future of the princess. Paul talks with more tribes in the desert. Liet is a God. Paul moves all the desert against the Empire.

[F]  Chani presents Jessica,  and the Reverend Mother Ramallo . They have a conversation. Jessica is pregnant. Then a wonderful presentation of Marionettes takes place. Paul observes. He’s now with Chani. The question is: Do you think it’s possible to love someone so that you yell this person? The answer is. I think that sometimes we have to share this love  with things that are greater than both of them do. They walk in the desert. Everything is connected. Life and Death. She confesses that the spice is the worn that will come up, and feed people. They have Sex. Mother Ramallo talks to Paul: When religion and politics Ride the same car route, blow wind follows, you are the Kwisatz Haderach boy, the one

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who can be in many places at once. You are the wind. Chani embraces him. He’s dreaming. Paul disappears when fighting with a student. Another  army comes to join Paul’s one.

[G] The Harkonnen Empire. The emperor floats in the air. A conversation among Still, Jessica, Mother Ramallo and Paul takes place. They predict Harkonnen’s attack.  Break

[H] So, they go to a special place, and they open the channels of water. The worn is captured by two members. Chani takes the water of life from the worn, in a special recipient. The worn dies.  The members will leave the Sietch – a city. Mother Rammallo consecrates Chani, the friend of God. Sayaddina.  The other Empire appears. The princess spies Feyd taking a shower. The ceremony goes ahead. Chani gives the water of life to Jessica. The water is poisonous. If she has the power she will react to the poisonous and the forces of the universe can be opened to her. Her body spins and she sees a bright light. A

mother appears. She knows she is pregnant Her image disappears from colorful shadows to complete white. She changes the waters. Then, Feyd seduces the princess. Jessica vomits. Mother Ramallo dies, Jessica’s eyes become blue. People believe Jessica is not false, because she had changed the waters.. Chani shows the water, they can now drink.. Back to the scene. Feyd, the princess and the slaver, in a Sex relationship. All the people from Fremens, make Sex two. Chani and Paul are both together. Virtual images of people making sex, around Paul disappear. Then another one comes. Everybody is death. His hands are all bloody. He wakes up. A nightmare. An explosion outside. The end with Chani’s voice. The history will say that Fremens revel to find out their Messiah that Paul Atreides will find out his revenge and the world  we know will be changed forever. The saga of dune is far from over. End.

 

By checking Internet files, we could see that there are many different episodes of Dune. This is just one of them. As far as you see the first, you get involved enough to see the others.

In conclusion of this approach, by checking three different programs on TV, we could observe that time is relative whenever edition is considered. The first, shows a program, which could be edited in a couple of hours of observation and filming. The second, 13 days. The third, months, perhaps years. That is the magic of edition! A more interesting fact, is that, after all, these programs can be combined with advertisements, calling the attention of the audience, for products, and ideologies.

 

Editing for the Cinema

 

Harry Potter, a film directed by Chris Columbus, is a fabulous choice in the Art of creating certain illusions. Any comment about it should be absolutely difficult to put into words. The Magic of the film is so impressive. All those presented illusions should have been  edited, step by step, picture by picture, so that they could be rapidly demonstrated for the audience. The invasion of the owes in the house, and the great amount of letters being delivered, is absolutely fantastic. The way the family treated him -  I remember all that dust coming in his small room.; the passage of the family in an isolated isle;  his passage through the wall, the holographic images in the pictures, when kids are on the train, his selection by the hat, the acquisition of his stick,  his girlfriend making magic with the feather, the images on the mirror reflecting his Mom and Dad, the monster, the meals, the unicorn in the jungle, the little monster in the egg, the monster of three heads, the philosophical stone,  the games, his training and performance in the competition, the chess game, are absolutely well connected and edited. His invisibility to take the book from the library is absolutely unforgettable. The nuances between night and day create a nice atmosphere of mysterious and magic. In another words, Edition can be the only single one, to make it reasonably understandable. An Art !!!

 

 

Comparing editions for TV and Cinema

 

It’s hard to compare both different forms of edition. Anyway, we know that some famous films are shown on TV time after time. Film is a continuous form of show, and the emotion to see things on a big screen, a completely dark room, with wonderful  sound tracks, is much more exciting than watching them on TV. It sounds that films are longer than they are on TV. We have the impression that there are cuts for the TV presentation.. It does not permit us to observe it critically, because things are so fast. We have the chance to use devices, like still/slow in our remote control to observe certain passages of films on TV. No way in the cinema.

 

Works Cited

 

Booker, Lee R. Elements of Film. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College . Publishers. Orlando: FL. USA. 1977. (Ch. 04)

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, New York:   Modern Language Association, 1988.