Singin In The Rain Editing Analysis

This essay will discuss the uses, strategies and the meanings that are generated by editing in cinema. The films that this essay will be focusing on are Psycho and Singin’ in the Rain. Both of these films are very different to each other and therefore use editing in varying ways in order to give the audience a different perception of the characters as well as the setting that these characters are involved in. Psycho focuses on building suspense for the audience throughout the film using editing, camera work and sound. This essay will be primarily focusing on editing with the discussion of camerawork where relevant.

In the film Singin’ in the Rain, there is a very simple use of editing, as well as an intentional lack of editing in some scenes. This is because the film involves an abundance of dancing characters who are not only performing as actors, but as dancers. Due to this, many wideshots are used in order for the audience to be able to see the actors in the film dancing. There are a lack of jump cuts because this sort of editing is not required to be used in order to create an effect or sense of pace for the audience in the same way the film Psycho does, in fact, there is no need for the audience to have a sense of pace in order to create suspense as the film is not intended to make the audience feel excited for what is about to come, but rather to show what life is like as a hollywood actor. The lack of complex editing and the use of the same type of shots rather than an assembly of multiple different shots of the same thing relaxes the audience instead of putting them on the edge of their seats like Pyscho would.

The audience that the film Singin’ in