Speaker 1: One of the most important concepts in film editing is rhythm. In film editing, rhythm refers to the pacing of edits. You are most likely to notice the rhythm of editing when it is synced up to music, as

Speaker 2: in this trailer for Suicide Squad.

Speaker 1: While this style of editing that syncs the pacing of edits to music is exciting, in films it tends to be mostly used for movie trailers, musicals, and montages. Most of the time, rhythm in film editing is less obvious, but can still have a huge impact on how we emotionally and psychologically engage with a scene. How editors use rhythm to create tension or infuse calm is the focus of this video. In most films, the average shot duration is between 4 to 6 seconds, meaning the editor will stay on the same shot for 4 to 6 seconds before switching to a different shot.

Speaker 3: Here is an example.

Speaker 1: Once an editor has established an average shot duration, they can then alter the rhythm by speeding up shot duration

Speaker 2: or slowing down shot duration.

Speaker 1: Fast-paced editing is typically associated with tension. For example, the rhythm will usually get much faster during a chase scene, an angry argument, or a violent encounter. Slow-paced editing, on the other hand, is typically associated with calm, for example a romantic encounter, a tender moment, or a sad occasion. To illustrate how rhythm can inject tension or create calm, we will look at the shower scene from Psycho. The shower scene from Psycho is generally considered to be one of the great accomplishments in terms of film editing. If you're a movie geek like me, there's a fabulous documentary titled 7852 that focuses exclusively on this groundbreaking scene. One of the reasons why this scene is so highly regarded is the way it uses rhythm. To illustrate how the shower scene from Psycho manipulates rhythm to accentuate both calm and tension, we will watch the classic scene and overlay a visual reference to show the pacing of the edits for the entire scene. This way, you can see exactly when the shot duration speeds up, adding tension, and when it slows down, infusing calm and releasing that tension. The shower scene from Psycho is generally considered to be one of the great accomplishments

Speaker 2: in film editing. The shower scene from Psycho is generally considered to be one of the great accomplishments

Speaker 3: in film editing.

Speaker 1: The bells marking each edit highlight the rhythm of the editing in a way that we are used to experiencing rhythm, in an audio format. But, by marking each edit on a timeline, we can now see the rhythm of the editing. The rhythm has three distinct sections, before the attack, the attack itself, and after the attack. Before the attack, there are 13 edits over 72 seconds, which calculates to an average shot duration of 5.5 seconds. The longest shot duration in this section is 18 seconds long, and occurs right before the attack. This long 18 second shot duration is equivalent to when the music goes silent in a horror film, right before a jump scare. It's the calm setting up the storm. The attack itself is only 22 seconds long, and has a staggering 31 edits, which calculates to an average shot duration of just under three quarters of a second. The editing in this section is brutal, just like the attack itself. Once the attacker leaves the room, the third section begins. The post-attack section has 8 edits, over a 67 second period. Shot duration in this section slows, to an average of 8.4. The longer shot durations in this section releases the tension of the attack, and restores calm. Hopefully this explanation of rhythm in editing, and analysis of the famous shower scene from Psycho, gives you a better appreciation for how editors use rhythm. Of course, like all arts, rhythm in editing goes way beyond simply using fast editing to build tension, and slow editing to release that tension or infuse calm. So watch some of your favorite movies, and see how they use rhythm. Since you won't have bells to highlight the edits like I've done in this video, a simple trick is to clap your hands for each edit. This will help you feel the rhythm of the editing. If you come across any scenes that use rhythm in interesting ways, share it by posting a comment below.