This case study investigates the average shot length and scale by using a comparative statistical film style analysis of contemporary American movies within the drama genre.
This research was conducted in a systematic fashion; utilising appropriate tools and documenting each of the key stages. To ensure a high degree of validity the research investigates four successful box office movies of two award winning editors which were selected.
The report is divided into ten sections. These are Introduction, Definitions of Key Terms, Scope and Limitations, Background Information, Literature Review, Research Plan and Analysis of Methodologies, Research Implementation, Presentation and Analysis of the Data, Comment and Critique of the Findings and finally the Summary and Conclusion.
The scope of the work is limited to an examination of the descriptive statistics such as average shot length and categorisation of the shot scales. Correlations of the movie content were not considered.
The research concludes with demonstrated support for the hypothesis that the use of digital nonlinear editing systems has had a significant impact on the shot length and framing in contemporary American drama feature films over the past fifteen years. Evidence is derived from primary, secondary and tertiary data including interviews with industry professionals.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Definitions of Key Terms
2.1 Continuity System
2.2 Intensified Continuity System
2.3 Linear/ Nonlinear Editing
2.4 Statistical Style Analysis
2.5 Mise en scène
2.6 The Shot
2.7 Edit Decision List (EDL)
2.8 Average Shot Length (ASL)
2.9 Confidence Level
2.10 Shot Scale
2.10.1 Big Close Up (BCU)
2.10.2 Close Up (CU)
2.10.3 Medium Close Up (MCU)
2.10.4 Medium Shot (MS)
2.10.5 Medium Long Shot (MLS)
2.10.6 Long Shot (LS)
2.10.7 Very Long Shot (VLS)
3 Scope and Limitations
4 Background Information
4.1 Invention of the Cinema
4.2 The beginnings of film continuity – Edwin S. Porter
4.3 Dramatic Construction – D.W. Griffith
4.4 Constructive Editing – V. I. Pudovkin
4.5 The Theory of Montage – Sergei Eisenstein
4.6 The Silent Period – Conclusion
4.7 The Sound Film
4.8 International Advances
4.9 Technical Evolution of Editing Systems
5 Literature Review
5.1 Intensified continuity: visual style in contemporary American film
5.2 The Shape of 1999
5.3 Studying contemporary American Film
5.4 The Technique of Film Editing
5.5 The Technique of Film and Video Editing: History, Theory, and Practice
5.6 Digital Filmmaking: The Changing Art & Craft of Making Motion Pictures
5.7 Traditional Film Editing vs. Electronic Nonlinear Editing
5.8 Implication of Literature Review
6 Research Plan and Analysis of Methodologies
6.1 Research Approach
6.2 Research Strategy
6.3 Research Design
6.3.1 Multiple vs. Single Case Studies
6.3.2 Selection of Cases
6.4 Methodological Approach
6.4.1 Data Collection
6.5 Ethical Considerations
7 Research Implementation
7.1 The EDL PAL Design
7.2 The EDL Design
7.3 The Observation Sheet Design
7.4 The Shot Length Sheet Design
7.5 Key Challenges and Problems
8 Presentation and Analysis of the Data
8.1 Case 1: Goodfellas (1990)
8.2 Case 2: Gangs of New York (2002)
8.3 Case 3: No Way Out (1987)
8.4 Case 4: The Sum of All Fears (2002)
8.5 Cross Analysis: Thelma Schoonmaker
8.6 Cross Analysis: Neil Travis
8.7 Cross Analysis of all cases
9 Comment and Critique of the Findings
9.1 Decrease of ASL
9.2 Shot Length Trends
9.3 Trend towards tighter Shot Scales
9.4 Effect of tighter Shot Scales
10 Summary and Conclusion
10.1 Suggestions for further research
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This research project investigates the correlation between the implementation of digital nonlinear editing systems and shifts in visual style—specifically average shot length and shot scale—within contemporary American drama films over the past fifteen years.
- Statistical analysis of average shot length (ASL) and shot scale framing.
- Comparative case studies of films edited by award-winning editors (Thelma Schoonmaker and Neil Travis).
- Evaluation of the "intensified continuity" style in modern cinema.
- Impact of technological transition from analogue to digital post-production workflows.
Excerpt from the Book
9.1 Decrease of ASL
Analysing the Shot Length and the linked ASL showed similar patterns. ‘Goodfellas’ has an ASL of 6.8 seconds and ‘Gangs of New York’, 4.2 seconds; this equals a decrease of 37.7%. ‘No Way Out’ has an ASL of 7.4 seconds, compared to 4.7% for ‘The Sum of All Fears’, makeing a difference of 37.4%. The background information and interviews with Thelma Schoonmaker, Neil Travis and other industry professionals permit the assumption that this was caused by the shift of the editing systems. When she was asked in a radio interview if the digital approach fundamentally changed her shaping of the film, Thelma Schoonmaker replied:
“Yes it does, because I feel I can experiment wildly now with digital editing. I can make a copy of my edit in one second by just pushing a button which says copy and I then slash into that edit, not worrying about the sync of the dialogue or the sync of the music. I turn the scene upside down, put the beginning at the end, just try anything that cinematically seems worth trying on film. I wouldn’t have been able to do that, I would have waited ‘til he [Martin Scorsese] came in, shown him the edit and he would have to walk around for a while, while I re-edit I,t undid all the splices and made a record of how I did the original edit.”
Schoonmaker mentions the sync of dialogue and music and according to Bordwell’s historic editing trends, this necessity seemed to be a factor for the increase of the ASL since the silent era (ASL 7.2 – 4.5 seconds) to the sound film (ASL 7.2 – 20.0 seconds).77 The digital editing system seems to have liberated the editor from these technical restrictions.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides an overview of how technological advancements in film and audio have historically driven changes in cinematic aesthetics and the editor's craft.
2 Definitions of Key Terms: Establishes fundamental terminology used in the study, including continuity systems, editing modes, and specific shot scale categories.
3 Scope and Limitations: Outlines the criteria for selecting the four case studies and justifies the focus on specific directors, editors, and timeframes.
4 Background Information: Documents the evolution of cinema technology from the silent era and the invention of continuity to the introduction of sound and the transition to electronic editing.
5 Literature Review: Reviews key theoretical works and academic studies on intensified continuity and the evolution of film editing, setting the basis for the research methodology.
6 Research Plan and Analysis of Methodologies: Details the research strategy, including the multiple case study design and the use of quantitative statistical style analysis.
7 Research Implementation: Describes the practical workflow of digitizing film sources, exporting EDL data, and preparing datasets for statistical analysis.
8 Presentation and Analysis of the Data: Presents the primary data for each of the four films, including individual statistical breakdowns and comparative cross-analyses.
9 Comment and Critique of the Findings: Interprets the findings regarding the decrease in ASL and the trend toward tighter shot scales, contextualized by industry expert feedback.
10 Summary and Conclusion: Consolidates the research results, confirming the hypothesis that digital editing has significantly influenced contemporary film style, and suggests directions for future research.
Keywords
Film editing, Digital nonlinear editing, Intensified continuity, Average shot length, ASL, Statistical style analysis, Shot scale, Contemporary American drama, Thelma Schoonmaker, Neil Travis, Film technology, Visual style, Editing workflow, Cinematography, Media studies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research project?
This work examines how the transition from analogue to digital nonlinear editing systems has impacted the visual style of contemporary American drama feature films over the last fifteen years.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The research focuses on the technical evolution of editing, the concept of "intensified continuity," the history of film editing techniques, and the comparative analysis of film aesthetics.
What is the primary goal of the study?
The primary goal is to provide empirical evidence for the hypothesis that digital editing systems enable faster cutting rates and tighter shot framing in modern dramas compared to analogue methods.
Which scientific methods were employed?
The researcher utilized a multiple-case study design, employing a statistical style analysis inspired by Barry Salt, involving systematic data collection from Edit Decision Lists (EDLs) of selected films.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body covers the historical context of cinema, detailed literature reviews, the methodological framework, the technical implementation of data collection, and a rigorous analysis of shot lengths and scales across four specific movie cases.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include digital editing, intensified continuity, average shot length (ASL), statistical style analysis, and shot scale framing.
How were the four films selected for the case study?
The selection was based on strict criteria, including the genre (drama), timeframes (analogue vs. digital), the involvement of the same editor across eras, and commercial success.
Why are the editors Thelma Schoonmaker and Neil Travis central to this research?
They were chosen because they have extensive experience working in both analogue and digital environments, allowing for a direct and valid comparative analysis of editing style changes within their careers.
What impact does the author conclude that digital editing has on film pacing?
The author concludes that digital systems liberate editors from the physical constraints of tape-based editing, allowing for more experimentation, faster cutting, and a higher density of tighter shots.
- Quote paper
- Andreas Schneider (Author), 2006, A comparative statistical film style analysis of four selected contemporary American movies within the drama genre in terms of their average shot length and scale, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/412623
