Editing Workshop

QUIZ TIME!

FIRST... A HISTORY LESSON

(TRY TO STAY AWAKE)

1895: The Lumiere Brothers invent the Cinematographe

In the mid-1890s there were several inventions that all created motion pictures (including Edison’s Kinetoscope). However, the breakthrough was the Cinematographe invented by the Lumiere Brothers – this machine acted as a motion picture camera, printer and, crucially, a projector all-in-one.

They had great success at the end of the 19th century with films like the ones below:

Arrival of a train

Feeding the baby

Workers leaving the factory

The sprinkler sprinkled

Pairs discuss and make notes on your websites (5 minutes)

What do you think of these films?

What do these films have in common?

Which is the best of the four and why?

Share your answers with another pair then discuss this next question together.

The Lumieres themselves said "Cinema is an invention without a future". Why do you think they held this opinion?

1899: George Melies - early pioneer of special effects

George Melies was an early French film-maker and stage magician known for special effects which were created by, what we would now call, 'editing in camera'.

Take a look at some of his films below:

An up-to-date conjuror (1899)

If the camera was interrupted from cranking then started up again moments later, this created the illusion that objects or people were magically disappearing and re-appearing. Later known as ‘jump-cuts’.

The Man With The Rubber Head (1899)

Multiple exposures. The camera lens could be masked so that a specific area of the film was exposed. The same film could then be run through the camera again with another part of the lens masked. In this way complicated combinations of images could be achieved.

In different pairs, discuss and make notes on your websites (5 minutes)

What do you think of these films?

What do these films have in common?

Compare and contrast the Melies films with those by the Lumieres. What are their similarities and differences?

Filming Activity

Create your own versions of both a Lumiere film and a Melies film

Upload the results to your website and explain how you made them look like Lumiere/Melies films.

THURSDAY

*PLEASE SEND ME YOUR EDITED FILMS FROM YESTERDAY VIA TEAMS*

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1903: Edwin S Porter and the first edited films

Edwin S Porter makes “The Life of an American Fireman” and “The Great Train Robbery” both praised for their innovative PARALLEL EDITING techniques. Film could be cut and spliced together in order to tell a story.

However, it's now widely accepted that these action films were inspired by "A Daring Daylight Burglary" by Frank Mottershaw, made in... Sheffield!

A Daring Daylight Burglary (1903)

Watch Frank Mottershaw's 'A Daring Daylight Burglary'.

We're 8 years on since the basic films of the Lumieres and 4 since George Melies' films. How does this film compare to those? What are the similarities and differences? In terms of film grammar, what's missing?

Answer on the menti!

1915: D.W. Griffith and continuity editing

D. W. Griffith was an American Film Director who made the first full-length feature films. In his films “Birth of a Nation” and “Intolerance” he developed a variety of basic techniques and film grammar still used today, known as “Continuity Editing”.

Question. What are 'continuity mistakes' in films and why do you think they happen?

TERMINOLOGY ACTIVITY

In groups of 3-4:

Pick a film term from the random hat of doom
Research - some materials below
Script, plan and create a micro short film which explains the term AND BE CREATIVE
Export to file and add to Teams for viewings
Stretch & Challenge - if you complete it, take another term from the random hat of doom and repeat.