Film Editing Techniques

Almost 115 years after the first film was screened by Lumier Brothers in 1895, we witness tremendous changes not only in the production and dissemination but also in the aesthetics, semiotics and styles of this unique art form.
One of the greatest contributions of science in the second half of the 20th century is, undoubtedly, Information Technology which eventually paved the way for the evolution of a unique discipline called Information and Communication Technology. Popularly known as ICT, the new branch revolutionized all spheres of human life; and mass communication is no exception. As film is a medium of mass communication, any development related to ICT has always had an influence, whether direct or indirect, on film making. A revolution
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Editing software programmes haves transformed the dynamics of editing process which now involves a temptation for editors to make use of special effects for juxtaposing visuals. Do these software packages pave the way for changes in the nature of documentary film making is an area of enquiry today. Digital theorists have noted the possibility of computer software to merge existing tradition of photography, information design, and the varieties of moving image production (Lister 2005:305) into an expanded palette for motion graphics. According to Manovich, the result is a distinctive ‘hybrid, intricate, complex and rich visual language’ (Manovich 2006: 11). Therefore, it is worthwhile to make an attempt to examine what is new about how we produce, disseminate, and receive moving images in the context of documentary films in India. The researcher begins with enquiring how cinema in general and documentary films in particular, have evolved as a form of mass communication and their transformation into digital realm. The works of Marshal McLuhan, Bill Nichols and Lev Manovich among those of other prominent authors were helpful in building a theoretical understanding of how the amalgamation of both the hardware and software components of digital technologies supports new forms and contents. The work also focuses on other areas of enquiry like the changing processes involved in the production, dissemination and reception of Indian documentary films; audience perception on the effects on the new aesthetics and styles brought in by digital technologies; the space for new narrative forms provided by a global audience who are digitally and visually literate; and its extend of reach into documentary audience