Editing for Thrillers

      Editing for Thrillers

                Now that our crew has a grasp on what we're going to film and its genre, it's up to me to be able to edit it in all of its entirety to make it a TRUE horror film. So how are majority of these films edited?

After careful research, I've tied editing in horror/thriller films to three specific categories.

   

1. Transitions

To create tension is one of the most important characteristics of any film, especially horror films, and using transitions are the best way to get that reaction from your audience. A film notorious for its transitional cuts is Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Jarring cuts like these can draw you closer to the tension. 

2. Shot Placement 

As stated best by G.I Joe, "Knowing is half the battle.", and in defining the shot, no other words could be true. Even as the cinematographer and director have the plans for the scenes, it is of the utmost importance that the editor can put their ideas into play and time shots perfectly for the final cut.

3. Pacing

Last but certainly not least, we have the pacing of the film. This is one of the make-or-break tendencies of a film because the duration matches up perfectly with the pacing. If you can perfectly expand a short story into a one-hour-and-a-half movie, it can show how advanced you are. However, if you compress a nine-hour project into 45 minutes, you leave out key details and defeat the purpose. Get Out is an amazing example of how to pace a thriller film, standing at an hour and forty-four minutes.

Academy Of Edits

This video from the Academy Of Edits gives a perfect example of how to edit horror films and the cinematography that comes along with it.