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.