Split-Screen
In filmmaking, split-screen is an editing technique that is used to get two different scenes on screen simultaneously, the most simplistic use of this technique is usually to have an actor appear in a scene twice on the left and right of the screen.
Used widely in films for a variety of reasons, Scott Pilgrim vs The World (2010) uses this editing technique due to its comic book style.
While 500 Days of Summer (2009) uses it to contrast the sad reality and the dream/expectation of meeting an ex after a long time.
Split-screen has been used countless times in film for a variety of purposes from granting another perspective on a scene to instilling simultaneous emotions and goals of characters. Premium Beat breaks down notable examples from Cinema that I have taken certain notable ideas of split-screen from.
My Own Example with Horror Editing Conventions
Due to the flexibility of the editing technique, I thought I would apply it to horror short by using horror film editing conventions in combination with Split Screen and see how effective they would be combined.
Cross-Cutting
The horror genre uses cross-cutting to add suspense and terror within an audience, the most common reference to this being Jaws (1975) where the scene cuts back and forth between the shark and its prey. This is to create a sense of dread in the audience as we see a character usually unaware of the threat believing themselves to be in relative safety contrasted with the nearing danger of a threat they cannot see, but the audience can. This in combination with the split-screen effect worked well in the short as I applied the same concept but with two different images as one shows the man in the safety of his home and the other a killer stalking them through the window. The same effect but applied with two different pieces of footage rather than two cuts back and forth.
Example
Long Takes
I also used long takes in this scene to enhance dread by taking the convention from horror films like Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) which uses the length of the shot to set up a scare for the audience. In that film, it is the woman in the shower and the shadow of the killer growing closer. For my short film, the long takes of the stalker outside of the man's home as he grows closer and closer to getting inside was my take on this editing technique as I hid cuts within my characters movement to make it seem like a single long take. By having the same scene play out in this single shot style from two different perspectives it also created a temporal loop where we see the man get killed twice which I thought created a quite unique and original ending to the sequence.
Example
Quick Cuts/Jump Cuts
Used in horror to disorientate the audience this can be to showcase characters confused/dazed state of mind during a horror film as the camera movement speeds up to indicate their fear/paranoia or it is the implementation of a jumpscare as the sudden transition scares the audience and the characters as it's timed with a jarring sound effect/movement the audience wasn't expecting. This is usually in combination with long takes and crosscutting in order to create a setup for the cut leading to the scare, as it creates more and more tension the longer the wait to the release of the scare. One of the best examples of a jump cut in a horror film is in the film Sinister (2012) when it jumps cuts to the man's reaction to a horrific video. I demonstrated the use of quick/jump cuts in my project as in the climax the shots become rapid and cut between one another at a quicker pace to represent the struggle of the man as he gets choked to death.
Example
The Art of Editing Horror | Dissecting Fear by GammaRay
Conclusion
While I think I successfully demonstrated the editing techniques of the horror genre as well as the split-screen technique I think I could have better implemented audio editing of a horror film by adding dramatic instrumentals to apply tension. While I did use an atmospheric metallic instrumental soundtrack which successfully set up my clip as being horror genre inspired due to it being very unsettling according to my peers. I feel I could have better improved the piece by adding in some common conventions of sound design/editing pointed out by GammaRay in their video. Such as animal noises which would have been very impactful during the struggle between the man and the killer and droning sound effects to emphasise the silence.
The Sounds of Horror | Dissecting Fear by GammaRay
How Do Horror Scores Condition Us To Be Scared?
Reference List:
Maher M, February 19, 2016, "The Art of Split Screen" (Online) Available at:
https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/split-screen-editing-and-composing/
Scott Pilgrim vs The World (2010) Directed by Edgar Wright, 500 Days of Summer (2009) Directed by Marc Webb
Jaws (1975) Directed by Steven Spielberg (Online) Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdEzd2dnAxI
Psycho (1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock (Online) Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WtDmbr9xyY&t=2s
Sinister (2012) Directed by Scott Derrickson (Online) Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5NDMA9EuX8
The Art of Editing Horror | Dissecting Fear by GammaRay (Online) Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNrhYpNJjfU
The Sounds of Horror | Dissecting Fear by GammaRay (Online) Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nthl4yD2ubY
How Do Horror Scores Condition Us To Be Scared? (Online) Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_iVPBbmDx0
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