Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Research Paper

First Advisor

John Back

Abstract

Filmmaking is a production process that has been around for many years. Though our attention primarily focuses on the content shown, so much more occurs behind the scenes. The purpose of this research is to take a look at the art of film editing, specifically in terms of the elements and techniques that contribute to the overall creation of the cinematic experience, and how these aspects work to evoke emotions within an audience. Taking place in the post-production process, editing is essential to the creation of a film. The elements introduced in this paper bring understanding to the foundation of the craft. The contributions of film pioneers Georges Melies, Edwin S. Porter, and Sergei Eisenstein are outlined in order shed light on the historical development of editing. With the goal of exploring the relationship between editing techniques and emotion, emotion is first explained through psychological perspectives, and then condensed into a simplified definition. Emotion is then connected to the audience’s cinematic experience, with editing being an avenue of exploration. The relationship between editing techniques and emotion is finally analyzed through numerous reviews of notable films known for pioneering techniques of editing. Taken from Letterboxd.com, a site for film reviews, reviews from film watchers of the films A Trip to the Moon (1902), The Great Train Robbery (1903), and Battleship Potenkin (1925), are examined specifically in terms of editing, editing technique, and emotion. The reviews are evaluated by utilizing different perspectives of editing and emotion, in order to conclude how despite the low number of reviews connecting techniques and emotion, editing techniques ultimately do strive to evoke emotion.

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