DCP File Fortmat

DCP (Digital Cinema Packages), simply, is the digital equivalent of 35mm film. It's the format you would give to a commercial cinema if you wanted your film to be screened on a digital projector, also known as D-Cinema. Just as 35mm is a world wide standard of the size of film, DCP is the same, a film in this format could, hypothetically, be played in any  D-Cinema theatre without a problem.

The reason that some directors choose to shoot digitally then format the footage into DCP is down to money. To shoot in digital with the intention of converting that material into a number of 35mm film reels is very expensive. The process known as 'filmout' costs between $40,000 and $50,000 for a typical feature length film. The cost of professionally encoding DCP is around %80 less than the cost of 'filmout', for this reason alone its easy to see why many major studios are leaning more and more toward digital distribution.

Another long term benefit is the fact that a digital file doesn't wear out over time, the quality of image won't be any different on the one thousandth time played compared to the first.   

Thumbnails

Thumbnails use up RAM, when RAM is deplete the computers processing abilities slow down. When working on short films this isn't generally a problem however with feature length productions, the amount of clips open on any given timeline will drain the computer of its RAM.

To remove thumbnails; Sequence - Settings - Timeline - Name    

H.264

H.264, also known as MPEG-4 PART 10 or AVC (Advanced Video Coding) is a video codec capable of achieving high video quality in lower bitrates than previously possible. The first version of the standard was completed in 2003 and since then this codec has become the standard for all video compression. Developed for the purposes of high definition video, in particular Bluray, HDTV and the now obsolete HD DVD, H.264 is capable of reducing the size of files containing HD material. 

Any file extension, for example avi, mp4, m4v and mkv are all capable, and nowadays likely to all be coded as H.264.     

Election

The cutting in the introduction of Election is interesting as its a device used to set up the characteristics of two of the main characters. Simply put, the shots of Broderick's character juxtapose those of Witherspoon's in there pacing. When Broderick is on screen the shots are often long takes that utilizing movement, replacing the need to cut by following his action in sweeping motions. Contrasting this are those in which Witherspoon appears, her actions are captured by static shots that cut frequently to follow her actions. The fast cutting of Witherspoon's character against the slow, methodical cutting of Broderick's emphasizes each respective motif and suggest two contrasting personalities.

There is a large number of wide shots that feature Broderick in the opening to the film, possibly to suggest a clearness of mind, a contrast to the exclusive close up's of Witherspoon's character during this opening sequence. With these wide shots comes a slow pace of editing  again, suggesting a calmness that Witherspoon's character lacks. The shot directly below depicts the steady beat of a sprinkler, perhaps a metaphor for the mental stability the protagonist believes himself to have.

If the sprinkler from the previous shot had metaphoric meanings then perhaps the shot below, depicting Broderick squeezing through the walkway has several interpretations, potentially passing comment on the transition from his personal to school persona. While this may not be the exact intended interpretation, aside from being an interesting shot and establishing that he's at some kind of school sports ground, I'm sure Payne had further meaning behind his decision to include such a shot.    

After the lethargic cutting up until now depicting Broderick's morning routine, the intense piece of cutting that follows, highlighting Wetherspoon's morning activities, is all the more emphasised. So much is it exaggerated that there are actually five shots of legs extending for a table that has the conventional four. Alexander Payne makes use of two jump cuts in this sequence to further quicken the pace of the action and further exaggerate the characters ferocious intent.  

 
The examples below are all shots that contain camera movement that follows Broderick's motion, allowing one take to suffice in capturing all the action. This very long take is made all the more meaningful since it follows a sequence that includes such fast cutting.

Another shot type that Payne employs is the POV. As the film is about the way in which the protagonist see's himself, the use of a couple of POV shots very early on in the film is a  thought and theme provoking decision.

A POV from Broderick's perspective

A POV from the janitor's perspective

Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) makes use of countless jump cuts used in my opinion to emphasize the quirkiness that surrounds all elements of the film from the characters to the art-direction and cinematography. The subject too, and the script, all feed towards a film that's major selling point and appeal isn't its complexity, but it's brilliance through simplicity.

The fact that the young boy scouts are taken to seriously provides the comedy and in this sense the children are portrayed as being wise beyond they're years and closer to adulthood than childhood. The arguably clunky editing style however reiterates the childishness underlying the whole film. Rather than the skipping in time and space having the effect of deeming the production unprofessional however, in combination with the simplistic yet deliberate framing and shooting style, the miss-use of continuity adds to the charm and success of the film.  

The screen-grabs below illustrate the simplistic visual style and the use of jump cuts.

These screenshots are captured one frame before the cut takes place.

The way in which the boy's actions jump from him holding a frying pan with one hand behind his back to him holding a spatula with the previously hidden hand constitutes a jump cut. The action of his arm moving to pick up the food and move it in her direction was deliberately cut as the action wasn't necessary, the fact that he's now offering her the fish is the only important detail. This sort of cutting differs from the usual way in which a scene is progressed. The way a man might be represented getting dressed for example, the audience doesn't need to see him putting on every item of clothing, the moment he wakes up could then cut to him dressed stood in the kitchen. The reason Moonrise Kingdom is different however is in the way that small actions are seemingly pointlessly cut with a disregard for continuity. The result, rather than being pointless, is an almost childlike realization of events, quickly skipping less interesting actions, focusing instead with the more important action.

Furthering the simplistic cutting style are moments illustrated in the screen-grabs below. If a character is talking about some thing in particular then more often than not it will cut to a locked off, mid shot or close up of the thing they are discussing. In this example the boy asks if the girls cat would like to eat the remains of the fish currently cooking in the pan. He points in the direction of the guts and accordingly the image cuts to a shot of the remains. It then cuts to a front-on shot of the girl in time for her reply, "no, the cat only eats cat food." She then points in the direction of the cat food and once again the image cuts very simply to a mid shot of some cat food. The lucid way in which action is depicted and cut together increases and emphasizes theses childish situations, made funny through how seriously the characters are them.    

Below is one of my favorite jump cuts of the film due to its uncompromising simplicity. Personally I would never think to storyboard this kind of cut as on the surface it seems to break too much continuity however in the context of this film it works brilliantly. Once again, these screen-grabs are captured on the last and first frame of the cut. The boy climbs into the tent, right in front of the camera, then rather than cutting to perhaps a reverse shot of him settling in, it jumps to him in the tent and settled.  

     

Cutting

These are the various way in which two shots can be joined together, each method often determining a completely different meaning than another.

Straight Cut:
The most basic cut of all is a straight cut. As the name suggests its used to simply transition instantly between shot A and shot B, often used to convey a different angle of the same scene.

Contrast Cut:
Used to intently juxtapose two scenes, for example, cutting from a hellish nightmare to the character lying alone in his bed. The sudden jump between a scene of chaos and peace intensifies the content in a way that a gradual transition could not.

L Cut (Split Edit):
Effectively this is a sound bridge, a moment where the sound from the previous scene or the one coming next can be hear before or after the image. An example could be a shot of a slamming car door (as seen in Goodfellas) that cuts just before the door makes contact however retains the sound. The effect is to disguise the cut and allows the scene to flow seamlessly from shot to shot or location to location.  

Form/Match Cut:
This is when a cut retains a similar shape, in a similar position, within the frames before and after the cut. One of the most famous examples of this style of transition is in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) when a prehistoric man throws a bone into the air that then turns into a space ship, signifying the evolution of man.

Parallel Editing Cut:
Similar to a form cut however the match-on-action is so precise the director will try to disguise there was even a cut at all. An example of this could be when an actor walks towards a camera, resulting in a black out, this is where the cut would occur, then a second actor would walk out from the camera, revealing a new scene. The audience will be able to recognise a cut has occurred, however they'd have to watch the scene back to pin point exactly where it took place. A fairly recent example of a film that employed this technique as its unique selling point is Children Of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuaron (2006). The film used a number of clever cinematography techniques to minimise the amounts of cuts required. The result are long takes, some up to five minuets, that take the audience on visually impressive journeys through war torn streets.  

Cross Dissolve:
This is when two images are faded, one to the other, over as period of time lasting anywhere between a couple of frames to a number of seconds. In early film making this 'effect' would often be employed to convey a passage of time, contrasting the immediacy of a straight cut.

Wipe:
This is where one shot replaces another by way of a vertical or horizontal 'wiping' action. Simply put, imagine a vertical line moving from left to right across the screen, as the line progresses across frame more and more of the new image is revealed. The most common use of this effect is when moving between floors or walls in a building, in this example the wall becomes the vertical line that moves across the screen as the supposed position of the camera shifts.
   
Jump Cut:
These cuts are used to abruptly move a film forward in time, contrasting that of a dissolve, used in an attempt to soften a cut, a jump cut is intentionally noticeable. Mistakenly, this terms is often used to describe any jarring cut where in actuality the only the only cut that constitutes a jump cut is where two sequential shots of the same subject follow each other in slightly varying angles. Kubrick's 'dawn of man' cut, a transition that has been described  as the most famous jump cut, actually doesn't constitute as this type of transition as the subject shifts. As I've said, this is more akin to a match cut.

Jump Cut: A Short History

George Melies accidentally discovered the effect when editing one of his films, by removing frames he realised that he could create the magical illusion of making objects suddenly disappear. The difference between this and what we now consider a jump cut is the fact he tried to hide the cut in order to sustain the illusion. It was during the 1950's and 60's of French new wave cinema that the discernible jump cut was used in deliberate fashion. Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless (1960) contained a huge amount of jump cuts, used for stylistic purposes, emphasising and extenuating the discontinuity of cuts.  

David Lean

Sir David Lean was a renowned film director, editor and writer who's influential career spanned over forty years. His most notable achievements include being awarded the AFI Life Achievement award in 1990 as well as becoming the first chairman of what would become the British Academy of Film and Television Awards. His filmography includes around sixty titles, of which he directed nineteen and edited twenty eight. For his efforts he was nominated a total of seven times for Best Director in the Academy Awards for which he won twice for Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia. As well as these prestigious awards, four of his films are recognised in the British Film Institute's top 100 films.

Due to his work in the 50's and 60's, many credible persons working in the latter part of the 20th century (and even today) credit Lean as inspiring and influencing them in their own work. Famous directors, Spielberg and Lucas, have both commented on how his 'epic' films influenced them both in their early careers. So much so that in 1989 Spielberg and Scorsese undertook the restoration of Lawrence of Arabia, a feat that resurrected Lean's work to the public eye.

Lean started out as a teaboy at Gaumont Studios but quickly rose through the ranks becoming first a clapperboy then third assistant director. His first role as editor came in 1930 when he worked on newsreel's for the same studio with his editing career taking off in a serious way in 1939 when he worked on his first feature film, Freedom of the Seas. After a thirty plus year career in editing, in 1968 he was given an honorary membership to the Guild of British Film Editors.

Lean's directorial debut was in 1942 when he collaborated with Noel Coward on In Which We Serve, a partnership that inspired him to adapt a number of Coward's stage productions into well received films. It was during the 1950's/60's however that saw Lean reach new heights in terms of international recognition due to his 'blockbuster' films of this era, solidifying him as being regarded a truly gifted director.