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57 votes

Cop scene explanation from John Wick (2014)

steelersquirrel's answer is spot on already, and this is partly retreading it but: A police officer sees a man armed with a pistol, spattered with blood, and sees a corpse in the hallway. Yet the cop ...
Flambino's user avatar
  • 1,498
47 votes
Accepted

Cop scene explanation from John Wick (2014)

This scene just proves even further the amount of respect (and a little fear) that the members of the community have for John Wick. Remember the scene where he drives his mustang around the airplane ...
steelersquirrel's user avatar
36 votes

Is there a word or phrase for when the movie tricks you for a moment like this?

Not sure if there is a term of art in Cinematography to refer to the suspense aspect, but the editing technique is a film transition called an L-Cut. An L Cut is an editing technique that results in ...
cde's user avatar
  • 67.7k
30 votes

Is there a word or phrase for when the movie tricks you for a moment like this?

The screenwriting term for what you describe is a "prelap". Prelap — Wikipedia Prelap is a screenwriting term that means the dialogue from the next scene precedes the cut, and the beginning ...
nsfnotthrowingaway's user avatar
28 votes
Accepted

Does 1957's 12 Angry Men consist of only one cut?

Richard has done a great job of explaining that it is more than one cut but I'd like to add why. The fact is that, even today, it's pretty much impossible to make a feature-length film in one cut... ...
Catija's user avatar
  • 26.4k
9 votes

Purpose of subliminal skull in Return of the Jedi?

As Oliver has pointed out, the shot is not subliminal at all, as most people, (including myself when I first saw the film in 1985 as a 7 year old) clearly notice the extremely brief but overtly ...
Stephen Francis's user avatar
9 votes
Accepted

What is this cinematic story telling technique called?

Cross-cutting sounds like what you are talking about: Cross-cutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time, and often in the same place. https:...
magarnicle's user avatar
8 votes
Accepted

Why was the cocoon scene edited out of Alien?

As explained on the Xenopedia wikia: Eggmorphing was originally to be witnessed during the climax of Alien, when Ripley discovers Dallas and Brett cocooned in the Nostromo's hold, with Brett ...
BCdotWEB's user avatar
  • 48.6k
8 votes

What is the term for a cut from one close-up object to another absurdly similar close-up object?

TV Tropes (obligatory warning - it's a massive time sink) calls this a Match Cut: A cut or dissolve that matches an object in the first shot with an object in the second shot. The objects must be ...
F1Krazy's user avatar
  • 21.7k
7 votes
Accepted

Did the UK version of Terminator 2 censor out the lock picking scenes?

Yes they did, from whatculture Remember that scene in Terminator 2 where Sarah Connor picks the lock in the mental asylum with paper clips? It was actually for real. Turns out Linda Hamilton ...
Ankit Sharma's user avatar
  • 118k
7 votes
Accepted

In Cabin in the Woods, why does he start the car with his left hand?

I think some older RVs had the ignition key on the left side. Probably to reduce clutter to the right of the driver, and give space to other controls. This is from a 1963 RV:
Jiminion's user avatar
  • 186
6 votes

Why are there two fades to black at the end of Dunkirk?

First fade to black: The fade to black for Farrier signifies that his story has ended. He gets captured and probably killed later, but that part isn't important for the story. What matters is what we ...
Romulus3799's user avatar
6 votes
Accepted

Is there something similar to a "Radio edit" of a song in television

There definitely are alternate edits for some TV shows, especially ones that tend to include cursing and other "naughty bits." Family Guy is a great example. Most of the edits are done by the ...
Chico the Friendly Monkey's user avatar
6 votes
Accepted

What is this editing technique called?

This is basically misleading parallel editing (also known as cross-cutting, though some people make a distinction between these two terms). Parallel editing is a technique whereby cutting occurs ...
Walt's user avatar
  • 99.7k
6 votes

Why haven't clapperboards become obsolete?

Why hasn't anything better replaced the slate? By better I mean a tool or a technique (an automated one perhaps) which works by itself without an assistance of a human? Something which can fullfil the ...
Paulie_D's user avatar
  • 132k
6 votes

Cop scene explanation from John Wick (2014)

John Wick's directors Chad Stahelski and Dave Leitch answered this question during an interview with Screen Junkies. Screen Junkies: I've always been curious about [the cop scene]. Is he an assassin ...
Stevoisiak's user avatar
  • 2,462
5 votes

Why and to which extent was The Night Manager recut for international release?

This was a BBC-AMC production. The episodes ranged from 57-62 minutes in length, which would have run with no ads in the UK and which ran with approximately 30 minutes of ads in the US (a 2:1 ratio of ...
MJ6's user avatar
  • 17.3k
5 votes

What is the difference between Sound Mixing and Sound Editing?

This is only peripherally my area of expertise in a previous occupation; that said, let's use film as an example: Film editing is taking already-shot footage and cutting some out, cutting some ...
M.Mat's user avatar
  • 462
4 votes
Accepted

What is the difference between Sound Mixing and Sound Editing?

I've edited and mixed music recordings. Editing is first, mixing is last. With music, editing is done when creating master tracks. Say I have five takes or versions of a singer singing a song. I'll ...
ahavoc's user avatar
  • 458
4 votes
Accepted

How do characters act so fast in movies?

Movies don't always show events happening in real time. To avoid a 5 seconds scene of the zombie walking around the house to the point where our characters stood, directors sometimes cut it out and ...
BlueMoon93's user avatar
  • 27.7k
3 votes

Cop scene explanation from John Wick (2014)

In addition to the excellent answers already posted, I have to say that this is also a great example of comic relief (as comic relief goes, this is very dry, and very dark, but that just makes it all ...
msouth's user avatar
  • 149
3 votes
Accepted

Does voice-acting go through an editing process?

Bear in mind the sound recordists aren't limited to a single recording track, like an old tape machine. They have literally as many tracks as they need, all on computer, using such as Protools, Logic ...
Tetsujin's user avatar
  • 52.7k
2 votes

How do characters act so fast in movies?

Suspensión of disbelief is needed to believe they moved so fast. That said, fearing being killed or worse by a mutant/zombie is enough to get anyone moving so fast. Adrenaline is a great drug for that....
cde's user avatar
  • 67.7k
2 votes

How are movies shot on film cut and edited nowadays?

I can answer this as least as far back as Star Wars Episode VII. The movie was shot on film, and the film was digitized as reels were filled up (they didn't save it all and wait until all of filming ...
Tim S.'s user avatar
  • 387
2 votes
Accepted

Jean-Luc Godard's editing in sync with a machine gun

In his book, Godard on Godard: Critical Writings by Jean-Luc Godard*, Godard discusses his influences. He mentions (p 132, viewable in Google Books) the aesthetically jarring effect of "machine guns ...
MJ6's user avatar
  • 17.3k
2 votes

What is the term for video quality that is intentionally made to look old or degraded?

Retraux. Steampunk is also used but involves settings that are false retro, while retraux involves VHS quality, Antiquated linguistics, or Silence is golden. It can also “mimic” according to decade ...
Diéfani Favareto Piovezan's user avatar
1 vote
Accepted

Why do the walls of the room disappear in this second shot?

When seeing this scene, my mind did not question it. I assumed it was a jump cut between the inside scene and the outside scene of the same building seconds later.
Dean F.'s user avatar
  • 3,396
1 vote

Where did Lucas get the money to finish Star Wars?

In the summer of 1976, George Lucas had a decision to make. He was deep into the production of Star Wars, having poured most of his own money into producing the film. In the end he turned to Fox ...
Nate Dawg's user avatar
  • 639
1 vote

Were Morgan Freeman's scenes filmed separately and spliced in later?

No... They clearly acted together...here's one example Now, it's possible that some scenes (or coverage) were filmed using stand-ins. Morgan Freeman is not a young ...
Paulie_D's user avatar
  • 132k

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