Task Thirteen - Manipulating Time and Space

In our video we used fades and dissolves to create the effect of manipulating diegetic time and space. The use of the dissolve creates the idea that the main character is having a flashback, remembering where she had put her phone. This is made clear to the audience through this use of the dissolve. After this dissolve the colour of the short sequence has been changed to black and white to further emphasise this change in time and space.

Task Twelve - Transitions and Effects

There are many different transitions and effects that can be used to manipulate the diegetic time and space. This can be done through the use of transitions, graphic match, following the action, multiple points of view, shot variation and manipulation of time and space. 

Transitions include things such as cut, dissolve, fade and wipe. Transitions are used carefully as different transitions can mean different things to the audience and it is therefore important to use the right one. A Straight Cut is the most common form of transition and it is virtually 'invisible'. One shot moves instantaneously to the next without attracting the attention of the audience. Using straight cuts are helpful as they help to retain reality. They are mostly used in continuity editing as they don't break the viewers suspensions of disbelief, in other words their willingness to accept what's happening.

The next type of transition is a Dissolve, this is when one shot is faded off the screen whilst another shot is fading in. When using this, the audience will be able to see both shots at the same time, at the mid-point of the dissolve. This is an effective transition as it suggests that the two shots are connected in some way, it could be anything from two characters to two places or objects. It can also be used to suggest that some time has passed between shots.

Fade is also an example of a transition, this is similar to a dissolve but instead of dissolving one shot into another a fade is a gradual darkening or lightening of an image until the screen becomes black or white. Normally a white fade is used to symbolise the end of something and a black fade is usually used to symbolise the beginning of something, however this is not always the case. A fade indicates the start or an end to a particular section of time within the narrative. 

Finally there is a Wipe. This is the more unusual out of the different transitions and it is when one image is pushed off the screen by another. These images can be pushed in any direction but it is more common for the image to be pushed off the left-hand side, this movement is more consistent with the sense of time moving forward. Using a wipe can be effective as it signals to the audience that they are being shown different locations that are experiencing the same time. It is the visual equivalent of saying 'meanwhile...'. These types of transitions are used a lot in the Star Wars films.

A Graphic Match can also be another way of manipulating diegetic time and space. This is a very special type of transition and it is something an editor adds between two shots but more a decision about which two shots to put next to each other. This graphic match is created when two images that are similar in shape and size are placed next to each other to look like almost the same thing. Using a graphic match tells the audience that there is a very important link between whatever it is they are seeing in the two shots. An example of when this is used is in the film Psycho.

Effects can be used to manipulate diegetic time and space very effectively, they are a very important part of the film industry. They can be used to show that a time period has changed in a flashback/forward, to show a location has changed, and to show that time is moving quicker or slower than normal. However an effect doesn't have to be complicated as it can simply be the use of a colour filter or altering the saturation of an image to either enhance the colour or remove it. When a flashback effect is needed the editor tends to make the image black or white. One common technique is altering the speed of the footage. A good example of this is in the film The Time Machine in which the main character enters the time machine and the environment changes as he travels through time, a similar example is the Time Turner in Harry Potter. There are many different types of effects that can be added in the post production stage of editing to achieve the desired effect.