To start, I need to research what editing tricks need implementing in this film. There are many ways to cut and pace out films, and certain films work better with certain styles. Documentaries for example will frequently cut between pre filmed videos and interviews. Compare that to horror films which have both creepy and calm shots that immediately clash against the intense and scary jump scares.
A short segment from the film "Blare Witch (2016)" which demonstrates a calm before the jump scar
Our film is a Phycological Thriller, so to have a better understanding of what to do I decided to observe a few different scenes from different films to get a grasp on what sort of editing style to go with. I watched scenes from both American Psycho and Manhunter, and they showed a similar sort of pacing. They both had longer shots and less cuts as the scenes were calmer. As the scene's intensity rose, so did the amount of cuts. This is especially shown in Manhunter, with the amount of cuts increasing as they go back and forth quicker. Also, more introspective scenes go a lot slower and have a far calmer feel as you see their though processes.
To start, I need to research what editing tricks need implementing in this film. There are many ways to cut and pace out films, and certain films work better with certain styles. Documentaries for example will frequently cut between pre filmed videos and interviews. Compare that to horror films which have both creepy and calm shots that immediately clash against the intense and scary jump scares.
Left scene is "American Psycho: Morning Routine," Right scene is "Manhunter: Dr. Hannibal Lecktor"
These two scenes show that there is a method to creating a well paced Phycological thriller. Allow a slow moving scene showing the thoughts and processes of the main character, use less cuts and smoother transitions to show this. Increase cuts to show a rise in intensity and tension within the characters and the narrative.
