Editing Analysis

Film of Choice: Marvel's Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Blog Assignment #3

Scene Timecap: 1:34:18 - 1:35:20

This scene begins with an establishing shot of an airward where the conflict was taking place and cuts to a wide shot of one group of people running towards the camera. Since the people on screen never seem to appear to get closer to the frame despite running forward and the camera doesn't appear to be shaking, the director may  have been exercising the use of a dolly shot. A cut shows next of the same group of people running but from another angle which would be an example of a 'matched action' as the viewers haven't seen anything new. It then cuts to a close up shot from behind the heroes of a beam of light coming into frame where only the actors feet are visible. The cut right after being a wide shot of the heroes looking at the same beam in the sky but from the opposite perspective of the cut beforehand. Providing another perspective to the audience while still correlating the action occurring on screen. Afterwards, the next two edits are two wide shots of one man in the air but the frame is presented below him with a low angle shot as he is in the sky above the people previously shown and the cut after is a medium shot of the people looking up at the man in the sky. Once dialogue occurs between the group and the being in the sky, the same low angel and wide shots continue but showcase the use of eyeline matches. This gives the audience the sense of verbal conflict in the scene. 

For the purpose of this scene in the movie it exemplifies the various aspects that the film relies on. Being an action movie, the first shots of a group of people running together towards something unknown would show the audience that they're working together as a team. The camera pans/following their action also may assist the audience in believing the plot elements more as well as a big conflict was being anticipated through the beginning of the film. Lastly, the multiple edits to showcase various perspectives of the same action makes the setting of where the scene takes place more grounded in reality as it wouldn't be as impactful if the audience interpreted it as just a series of SFX.