Research Into Editing Styles - Miss Georgiou

I think a variety of editing styles are used in the thriller genre because it allows the audience to feel a certain way about what they see on the screen. The more edits used, the more likely it will be that the the audience will be scared and they will have a better reaction than if they were to see constant filming without any editing. Slow editing builds suspense and when the times of shots become quicker, it makes the audience excited and scared as to what will happen next. Reaction shots are perfect for a thriller because they allow the audience to show the emotions and facial expressions so the audience can guess what happens next. The kuleshov effect us when two equal shots have a meaning. For example, if there is a girl lying on the floor holding her leg, and the next shot is of a man holding a gun, the viewers can connote that the girl is the victim because the man shot her in the leg. Another is another called the shot reverse shot, this is the most simple of all the editing styles because it is when the camera films one person and then another. For example, if two people are having a conversation, shot reverse shot will be used to capture what the characters are saying. These shots are one after the other to create the effect of a conversation. A montage is when the editing is going at a fast pace, often taking place in action movies and this creates excitement for the audience. It also happens in fight scenes to emphasise the impact of the fight on the viewers.


Shot reverse shot is used at the beginning of the scene to show the two women having a conversation about what is happening to them. One girl is being injected whilst the other is trying to escape. The editing style demonstrate that both women are tied to hospital beds which subjects that the male character wants to torture them or inflict danger upon them. He has tied them up so that they can't escape him. This style of editing is conventional in the thriller genre as it shows that the females are inferior to the men. This is commonly used in many thriller films but the shot reverse shot signifies that instead of only having one victim there are two. The sit reverse shot also connotes how much they are fearing for their lives as they are screaming and crying because they want to escape and do not want to die. The audience have sympathy because they know that something bad will happen to them in the end and the audience are engaged to see if they manage to escape alive. Using shot reverse shot within thriller films allows the audience to feel a certain way about what they are shown on the screen. For example, it gives them the element of shock as they are seeing the girls in this state.

Slow pace editing is used while one of the girls tries to escape for the man who is trying to hurt her in order to create his dream of a human centipede. This builds up the suspense so us as the audience are waiting to see what happens next and if she can escape in time without the man seeing. He isn't facing her way which can suggest to us that she will escape without being caught. This excites the viewers because the victims rarely escape, it gives us hope that she won't be killed by the man. However, in thrillers, when the victim does escape, the audience know that eventually she will die or be used as part of the human centipede. This style of editing is conventional in the thriller genre because it allows us to see exactly what happens and engage with the characters. It promotes shock and the suspense is built up because the audience can't wait much further because they know that the killer will eventually find her. This type of scene is popular in the thriller genre as the viewers always see women trying to escape the men. This is a stereotype used widely within this genre because it is like women are weaker than men. However, the audience always see the women put up a fight before being hurt. This connotes that women are strong. Within the thriller genre, slow pace editing is used and it allows the audience to feel suspense when watching this because as it is slow pace, the suspense and tension is built up because they are waiting for the next thing to happen.

The times of shots become quicker as she escapes from the killer. The audience can see her running up the stairs and into one of the rooms. This creates excitement and fear as the audience engage with her as they want her to escape. It picks up the pace of the scene and it allows the viewers to keep up with everything that is happening in the film. The fear that the audience feel becomes heightened when they see that she can't get into the room that she wanted to hide in. The audience feel as though she will not have time to escape from the killer. However, she manages to find a room and lock the door in time. I still believe that she will die at the end because it is very rare that the victim escapes. Also, there is no way for her to escape from the windows, this connotes that she won't be able to get out from the prison like place she is in. This leaves the viewers with no hope for her. Timing of shots within the thriller genre allows the audience to feel, as previously mentioned, very shocked as they want the girl to be okay but they know that she wont be.

The times of shots become slower when the killer is coming to find the girl who is trying to escape. The audience see the killer run up the stairs to find the victim who he wants to create an experiment. She runs inside a room but he is not sure which one. However, he eventually realises which room she is in and knocks on the door but she won't let him in. This is so that the viewers can see his facial expressions as well as have time to think about what can happen next. This scene is conventional because the audience always see the killer chasing the victim, the victim hides and eventually gets caught. The makes the audience feel sorry and scared for the girl because they want her to get away. The audience also worry about the killer because it is not normal for someone to act this way. The viewers fear him as a character because they imagine being in the girls situation. This creates the element of suspense because it is built up as it is going slower. The audience must therefore wait more time for the bad things to come.

Reaction shots are used throughout this scene of 'Human Centipede' to show how a character is feeling. This is vital because it creates the mood of the audience. For example, when the girl is in the room trying to escape from the man, she is fearful as she knows she will not be able to get away from him. The reaction shot was used to show her fear through her facial expression.  She knows that she won't be able to get out, especially without food or water to keep her alive, so this helps us predict that something bad will happen. So, the audience sympathise with her because they know she won't have very long to live after she is caught by the man. The audience feel shocked for her because although they hope that she will be okay and be free from the man, they know that in thriller films, the female victim rarely ever gets away, so they know something bad will happen to her.

In conclusion, editing styles are very important to thriller films because it helps the audience know how their supposed to feel about something. For example, reaction shots make the audience feel sympathy, fear or feel sorry for the characters. Editing is the hidden way of making the viewers release emotions. I believe that editing is one of the main parts of a film to make it a thriller because this is the only way you are able to entice viewers. I have decided that within my thriller opening sequence, I am going to use a lot of slow pace editing, to show the hitman getting attacked this will make the audience have to wait more time to see if the hitman goes through with his task or not. When he wakes up, the slow pace editting makes him look more demonic and evil, this will connote to the audience that something bad is about to happen, therefore, mentally preparing them.