Planning Editing Styles - Miss Georgiou

Editing is important within a thriller as it helps create emotions and feelings, easily allowing the audience to build a relationship with the characters within the scene. The use of editing allows the audience to understand what's happening easily around the surroundings of the setting, also creating a flow in the film for the audience to smoothly and happily watch the film as they would not be bored if they are just watching a clip that goes on forever without any editing shots - therefore this would not create any type of specific feeling or emotion. The use of editing styles helps create a mood and reactions that the director would want the audience to have.

Within my thriller sequence I would include a variety of editing styles to create certain feelings and emotions for the potential audience of my thriller opening sequence. Firstly, the main type of shot used in every film is straight cut, this is a change of shot from one viewpoint or location to another, this could be done to change the setting of the scene. I would use a straight cut at the beginning of the scene to help the audience to easily establish the location and also  for when action would be taking place further in the scene or film. The use of a straight cut is simply for the audience to have a mutual feeling and understanding of the atmosphere around where the main character enters. During the scene Lucy is walking home from school, from where no action is taking place therefore I would not use other editing styles. I would not use straight cut more than a few times in the beginning of the opening scene this is because it is only going to be two minutes long, and I would want to grab the audience's attention as quickly as possible, then towards the end make them wonder of what's going to happen next - creating egima.

Additionally, I would include a montage shot - the speed of editing, where shots are quickly juxtaposed together to create excitement. A montage shot would help create my thriller become more effective on the audience, an example could be when Lucy is running downstairs to the kitchen and when she goes outside. The use of a montage shot would portray Lucy's feelings and emotions more effectively, also as she is out of breath the audience would soon realise that she is a young female victim who is in tension, and she may be seen relatable to some of the potential audience.

Furthermore, I would also use the timing of shots - either faster to add emotional impact, for example when Lucy's running back into the house - the use of fast editing would be used, or slower to create suspense, such as when Lucy enters the scene the use of slow editing would be used for the audience to keep engaged with the scene as anything may happen any minute. Along with these shots I would also use a reaction shot (any shot in which a subject reacts to a previous shot),  many times within my opening scene for the audience to relate and understand the characters' feelings and emotions, to more depth. I would also use jump cuts, another type of editing style is when the film suddenly focuses on something to create impact on the audience's reactions and feelings.The use of timing of shots, reaction shots and jump cuts will help create my thriller to become a success and how I want my opening thriller sequence to be produced.

Moreover, my editing styles within my thriller are seen to be conventional to the thriller genre as it creates specific feelings and emotions, which appeal to the potential target audience. Firstly, the use of timing of shots are very conventional, for example the faster the editing shots helps create the audience to feel anxious, excited and uncertain all at the same time due to the speed of the shots - montage shots. Timing of shots are also seen typical within the thriller genre as there is usually a slow pace shot at the beginning of the scene and soon a faster pace would be picking up to help create suspense and add impact to the audience's emotions. Furthermore, a reaction shot is also seen to be typical within the thriller genre as a reaction of each character, for example in my thriller Lucy is the main character where her emotions would be expressed a lot to reach out to the audience which will also have an affect on them. Throughout thrillers the reaction of each character would impact the audience to an extent of how much they can relate to the characters within the film.

In addition my editing would appeal to my audience as they are young teenagers and above who prefer to watch thrillers that are entertaining, lively and fast paced which also includes a mystery that they would have to figure out. The use of my editing would appeal to my audience as I believe I would include relevant shots and styles which would create certain reactions and feelings from the audience that would keep them engaged throughout my opening scene. 

In planning my editing styles has helped me in preparation of creating my own thriller film, as it has given me an understanding of when I am going to produce my own thriller I would immediately realise and recognise from my planning, what shots would be needed in each particular shot. Also I would be able to recognise which editing shot would be effective when filming, for example a straight cut would be used when Lucy's walking into her driveway then to her doorstep and when she's running downstairs the timing of shots would be fast.