The Art of Editing and Film Meaning

As one of the most celebrated and best known Soviet directors, Sergei Eisenstein’s theoretical writings and practical uses of editing are a crucial part of cinema’s development. He viewed the art form of film as a tool with which to inflict certain reactions and emotions to audiences, be it through shock or empathetic understanding. His editing techniques were key elements to achieve these effects, carefully planned out and sought to create conflict in meaning. “Art is not a mirror which reflects the historical struggle, but a weapon of that struggle.” (Vertov in Enzensberger, 1972) His keen editing work proved cinema’s propagandistic potential and was used as such to instigate the masses against the Soviet bourgeoisie. Therefore, not only did he demonstrate that editing is the essence of cinema, but that its application in a certain manner has the ability to change history.

In order to illustrate the potency and effect of editing in film, Tarantino’s indie hit Pulp Fiction (1994) will serve this purpose by analysing its non-linear structure and subversive genre rule bending.

If for Eisenstein, art is always conflict, and his montage is supposed to intellectually and emotionally challenge viewers through metaphors, Tarantino merely uses editing to play with narrative freedoms and excite stylistically.

“Although the “marginality” of US independent cinema has economic and other industrial causes and effects, it is also seen as arising from the differences that mark the independent product from the mainstream product [...] working with more daring and or controversial subject matter, very often marked by distinctive styles of camerawork, editing or narrative organisation.” (Hillier, 2006, p. 248)

It is important to note ...

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...Piatkus: London

• Dancynger, K. (2011) The Technique of Film and Video Editing Focal Press: Oxford, 5th edn.

• Dillon, S. (2006) The Solaris Effect – Art and Artifice in Contemporary American Film University of Texas: Austin

• Enzensberger, M. (1972) Dziga Vertov in “Screen” (1972) 13 (4): pp. 90-107

• Hillier, J. (2006) ‘US Independent Cinema Since the 1980s’, in Williams, L. R. and Hammond, M. (ed.) Contemporary American Cinema McGraw-Hill: Berkshire pp. 247-264

• Reisz, K., Millar, G. and Dickinson, T. (2009) The Technique of Film Editing Focal Press: Oxford 2nd edn.

• Rosenberg, J. (2011) The Healthy Edit – Perfecting Your Film Focal Press: Oxford

• Sander, J. (2010) Stylistic Innovations in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction Grin Verlag: Nordersted

• Tzioumakis, Y. (2006) American Independent Cinema: An Introduction Edinburgh University Press: Edinburgh