Five Editing Techniques in the Movie "Lion"

Five Editing Techniques Found in "Lion"

Director: Garth Davis

Symbolism: A symbolism shot moves from one scene to the next where there is a symbolic connection between the shots. In this case, the symbolic transition lies between the bright sun which changes to the dark tunnel. The boys are travelling toward, what would soon become the poor fate of Saroo. Thus, the symbolism of the sun turning to darkness upon the boys' journey represents the darkness and pain that would come upon Saroo's future disappearance.

Parallelism: A parallelism shot brings two different scenes together by highlighting both their differences and the similarities between them. In this case, the parallelism comes between a shot of the boy screaming and the train, where both of the subjects are expressing sound through the train horn. The shots are paralleled through the horn, showing the urgency of the trains approach and the boy's urgency as he realizes he is completely alone, but separated as viewers see a shot of the boy and the train, showing their differences and the scope of the problem the boy is stuck in.

Contrast: A contrast shot includes two differing shots to make the difference between them clearer. In this case, the contrast is between one shot of the young boy, surrounded by butterflies and smiling, where the other shot is of his older brother, much higher up and less entertained. This contrast highlights their age difference due to the innocence the younger brother feels, shown through his joy at the butterflies while his brother, less innocent to the trials of the world stands higher, not surrounded by butterflies or smiling.

Leitmotif: A leitmotif shot includes a recurring theme, where in this case the theme was a repeated scene of the boy approaching strangers, asking each time for "Genestalay". The repetition of "Genestalay" and repetition of asking helps to convey helplessness and the ultimate fate of Saroo, as each time he approaches someone new (leitmotif), Saroo has the same failed outcome.

Simultaneity: A simultaneity shot uses two scenes that occur at the same period of time in an attempt to build suspense. In this case, viewers see the parents of the man listening to his voicemail at the same time as he is far away from home, independent. This simultaneity builds up feelings as it shows how his parents still feel love and concern for him while he is alone, so far away.

Five Editing Techniques

Link to "5 Editing Shots" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M89KQPmdd0o

1. Symbolism: The first shot that Erin and I made was the symbolism shot. A symbolism shot moves from one scene to the next where there is a symbolic connection between the shots. In the case of this video, the two shots film both a reusable water bottle and a tree coming up from the grassy ground. This is symbolic of the importance of recycling through reusable water bottles, as recycling allows for the Earth to flourish and grow without as much trash.
2. Contrast: The second shot that Erin and I made was the contrast shot. A contrast shot includes two differing shots to make the difference between them clearer. In this case, the separate shots highlight the difference between typing a piece of work and writing a piece of work. The close-ups of the typing and writing allow viewers to see how, between the two types of conveying information, differences in appearance, sound, and time spent writing are present.
3. Parallelism: The third shot that Erin and I made was the parallelism shot. A parallelism shot brings two different scenes together by highlighting both their differences and the similarities between them. In this case, Erin and I are walking on two different green surfaces which is a similarity between them, however one is artificial and one is natural. Thus, viewers can see the comparison and contrast between the two scenes that both bring a sense of uniqueness and commonality. 
4. Simultaneity: The fourth shot that Erin and I made was the simultaneity shot. A simultaneity shot uses two scenes that occur at the same period of time in an attempt to build suspense. In this case, Erin and I used a scene of a subject being murdered while a news broadcast was reporting about a murderer on the loose. This sense of panic, fear, and the unknown drives up suspense as we see that not only has a murder occurred, but the murderer is still on the loose and killing others as the events occurred simultaneously. 
5. Leitmotif: The fifth and final shot that Erin and I made was the leitmotif shot. A leitmotif shot includes a recurring theme, where in this case the theme was a musical concept. The clip encompassed the idea that stress is high as the time an assignment is due approaches, thus the use of gradually yet steadily occurring suspense music helps to create the sense of panic felt by a student.

Week 4 - TV Show Angles

Review of Camera Angles from Season One, Episode One of 3% (2018)

Producer: Pedro Aguilera 

         I chose to do my camera angle assignment on this television show based on the understanding that this show takes place in a future society, thus I hoped to see interesting camera angles used in an attempt to convey the way society works for this time period. Luckily, I was not disappointed by this, as there were many different camera angles applied in this show that showed the viewer how this society functioned, which in turn created emotions for the viewer on the new, foreign world.

The first camera angle that I chose was a full shot, showing the leader of "The Process" standing among a large screen that shows him how the participants of The Process are getting along in their testing. Full shots show the subject's whole body, and in this scene it is very symbolic that the leader's full body is so minute compared to the large screen, showing how his world has become consumed by The Process and how for many in the society, The Process is a very big deal. Thus, this scene conveys a sense of severity for viewers in terms of The Process for the members of society.

     This is both an over-the-shoulder shot and a high angle shot. A high angle shot films subjects from high above, where in this case the subjects are being spoken to by the leader of The Process. Thus, compared to the largeness of the leader developed through the over-the-shoulder shot, the subjects appear very small as they are so far away. The leader ultimately has control over the destiny of these individuals, thus his largeness and highness compared to the small subjects gives him a sense of superiority and control to viewers, whereas the subjects appear vulnerable and insignificant as they have little to no control over their lives.

This is a cameo shot, meaning that the scene was shot using a neutral background. In this case, the background is pure white, where it should be recognized that white symbolizes purity, and in the case of these individuals, they are on their way to begin intense training to see if they qualify to be in the 3%. This training will likely be psychologically and physically draining, and many will be rejected from the opportunity to join the 3%. Thus, through seeing the individuals pass through the white corridor on their way to begin The Process, it is symbolic of the current state of their innocence which may soon be ripped from them.

This is a two-shot, meaning that it is a close shot for two people. In this case, the woman is confronting the man about him cheating the system of The Process. Due to this shot showing the two on an equal level, viewers see the woman's attempts to become mentally level with the man after he tried to show dominance in the group of people. Thus, the comparison of the two in size helps show the woman's strength and the man's submission to her, which helps us see into the characters more.