Types of Editing

Disjunctive Editing:

Disjunctive editing is a process that has for some time sparked mixed reviews and commentaries, because it can be uncomfortable to watch. Its purpose has been, in certain cases, to question the norms of camera motion established many years ago; to challenge our perception of the way we've come to view films and accept them. Disjunctive editing, as opposed to invisible editing, makes the editing process very apparent; it ignores the basic rules of film-editing that were established for the purpose of creating a seamless experience.

Therefore, this type of editing interferes with the film's narrative, however it can be done purposely for effect. The results are that the audience is suddenly pulled back when it notices editing has taken place. It is often associated with amateur films or student films, but that is not always the case.

One of the greatest and most famous examples where disjunctive editing is praised for its intentions is “Breathless”.

The following is an example from Breathless that demonstrates perfectly the idea behind Disjunctive editing.





Invisible Editing:


Invisible editing was discussed at lengths during several of our classes. I was particularly intrigued by the amount of attention and —much to my amazement— the level of theory and base knowledge required to achieve realism. I understand now that film-editing entails much more than what can be seen on screen. There is much that goes on before our eyes that our brain —for whatever reason— chooses to disregard from the over-all experience. It's in this minute oversight that film-editing becomes an art of manipulating what is truly detected on-screen and what will go unnoticed.

After watching an entire movie concerning this phenomenon, it became apparent that invisible editing is meant to be enjoyed without the audience ever seeing it. Its task is to join shots and construct a movie that feels like there are no cuts —it must be done in such a way that it never interferes with the film's narrative.

In the next entry, I will be discussing the various, conventional rules and techniques that are essential for Invisible editing. I will also explain how they relate indirectly to Disjunctive editing.

For now, here's a quick example of editing that is invisible: