Film editing-The big sleep

201103915 Film editing is the art of story telling. It is a key part in the creative process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a complete motion picture. When film editing is well-practiced, the viewer can become so deeply engaged that he or she is not even aware of the editor's work. There are numerous techniques that constitute film editing, ranging from fade ins and outs, to the Kuleshov effect and the 180-degree axis rule. This response is dedicated to analyzing, relating, and pointing out the use of shot/reverse-shot patterns in The Big Sleep. When cutting a dialogue scene that typically utilizes a shot/reverse-shot, one character’s reaction to what is being said is just as important as what is being said. Through the 180-degree axis rule, the camera shifts along the axis without crossing the line. One character is shown looking at another character, and then the other character is shown looking "back" at the first character (seated in the opposite direction). This allows for the viewer to unconsciously assume that they are looking at each other, and allows the viewer to see the reaction of the listener. However, a single dialogue scene does not necessarily employ the same pattern of shot/reverse-shot. There could be a shift in the pattern, which could be caused by a shift in the tone of the conversation, or, for that matter, a change in the level of importance of the conversation to the characters. This guarantees that the scene has a correct screen direction, the relative positions of characters remain consistent, and the eye lines are consistent. As I mentioned earlier, this technique allows the viewer to see the reaction of the listener. This is a very important feature, especially in this film, as reactions open up a character’s emotions, thoughts, and perspective to the audience. Consequently, the film would make much more sense, and would engage the audience even