The Invisible Cut Read online

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  Now there is a batting back and forth of close-ups between Gittes and Evelyn, and the dialogue overlaps, as Gittes accuses Evelyn of killing her husband. When Gittes implies that Evelyn might harm the girl, by saying “the girl is a witness,” it’s an especially painful accusation for Evelyn, so he cuts to her agonized, wordless reaction (the “in” frame is Frame grab #4). Then Gittes asks Evelyn if his allegations are true, and she vehemently yells out “no!” The intensity of her denial puts a bit of doubt in Gittes’ mind, and his rat-a-tat questioning loses some of its momentum. There’s a shift now in the pacing because of the ebb and flow of Gittes’ anger. Instead of overlapping dialogue, the editor gives the actors beats before they speak their lines.

  When Evelyn promises to tell the truth, the editor cuts to Gittes (the “in” frame is Frame grab #5) and gives him a beat by letting him blow smoke out of his nose before he continues to question her.

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  But it’s the calm before the storm, because now another, more powerful, wave of anger appears after the editor cuts to Evelyn and she confesses that the girl is her daughter (the “out” frame is Frame grab #6).

  With this answer, which Gittes assumes is a lie, he completely loses his temper and slaps her hard. The editor stays with this shot until Gittes has already swung his arm around (the “out” frame is Frame grab #7). When the editor cuts to the shot that now includes Evelyn (the “in” frame is Frame grab #8), her face has already jerked away from the impact of the slap. This classic technique works here, because the audience experiences the sound of the slap on the cut, which makes them blink and think they’ve seen the slap, even though they haven’t. The sound of the slap really plays a few frames later over that second shot of Evelyn, but because we hear instantaneously and our vision is slightly delayed, that sound seems to come on the actual cut.

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  The editor then stays on the second shot, which shoots past Gittes to Evelyn, and now Gittes slaps Evelyn four more times as she continues to infuriate him by saying over and over what he believes are lies: that the girl is her sister, then her daughter. The editor maintains the tension by staying with this shot through the point when Gittes throws Evelyn onto the couch. The dramatic arc peaks after her violent fall against the couch, when she turns to him and blurts out, “She’s my sister and my daughter!” Then there’s a break from this intense moment when she reacts to something off screen (the “out” frame is Frame grab #9). The editor then cuts to what she sees: the servant Kahn coming down the stairs (the “in” frame is Frame grab #10). This lull gives the audience and Gittes time to let Evelyn’s bizarre and shocking confession sink in.

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  Now there’s a shift in mood from anger to pathos, and again the pace slows. And although the previous cuts were propelled by direct eye contact, now the motivation for cutting to Evelyn is based both on looking and looking away, which reflects the pain and shame of her confession. After the shot of Kahn, the editor cuts to a close-up of Evelyn showing her eyes dart to Gittes; then she looks away for her devastating confession: “My father and I…” The editor continues to hold on her as she closes her eyes for a moment, then gives Gittes a defiant look and says: “Understand? Or is it too tough for you?” (the “out” frame of that shot is Frame grab #11). The cut to Gittes’ close-up (the “in” frame is Frame grab #12) comes on the first frame after her line, because the editor knows the audience is dying to see Gittes’ reaction. The editor holds on him as he sustains eye contact with Evelyn and subtly clenches his jaw.

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  In the next cut to Evelyn, she’s making eye contact with him; then she looks away and sobs, letting her forehead fall down on the table. It is at this devastating moment that the editor plays Gittes’ off-screen line “he raped you.” The editor holds on Evelyn’s close-up as she looks up at him pleadingly and shakes her head as if trying to erase the memories and then continues to stay on her, only cutting out of this shot after about nine seconds, when she finally looks away in shame (the “out” frame is Frame grab #13). The editor is now compelled to cut back for Gittes’ reaction (the “in” frame is Frame grab #14) which is the same as his previous close-up, and this time the editor gives him a very long beat — around six seconds — to show the reality sinking in on Gittes. He looks at her, looks down, his eye darting around in anger until, finally, he looks back at her and softly asks what happened after the rape.

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  The editor now cuts to Evelyn as she reveals her tragic story in painstaking detail. Her eyes briefly dart over to Gittes twice, but the editor cuts when she looks away again (that “out” frame is Frame grab #15). Then an interesting thing happens. The next cut to Gittes, a brief shot of his looking at her (the “out” frame is Frame grab #16) is not really motivated by any particular reason, since the off-screen line that plays over this shot — “I couldn’t see her” — does not beg for a particular reaction from Gittes. There are several possible explanations for cutting to Gittes here: The editor may have been motivated to cut away to Gittes so that when he cut back to Evelyn (the “in” frame is Frame grab # 17) her poignant line (“I was fifteen”) would have more impact. It’s also possible that the editor may have made the cutaway to Gittes so that he could change to another take when Dunaway spoke that crucial line. As was mentioned in the previous scene, the actress’ performance was somewhat erratic and often had to be protected. In fact, in this shot of Evelyn (Frame grab #17) it is obvious from her hair being more matted down that this is a different take from the previous ones, shown in Frame grabs #11, #13, and #15. Nicholson’s performance is so consistent, however, that cutaways to his close-ups (shown in Frame grabs #12, #14, and #16) could be fall-backs for whatever adjustments the editor had to make with Dunaway’s line readings.

  Another possible reason why the editor cut to Gittes (shown in Frame grab #16) is that the director may have used it as an opportunity to take out some unnecessary dialogue. In the original screenplay, after Evelyn talks about her husband taking care of her and that she couldn’t see her daughter, Evelyn says: “but I don’t want her to know. I don’t want her to know.” Gittes then says, “So that’s why you hate him,” and Evelyn says, “…no… for turning his back on me after it happened! He couldn’t face it.… I hate him.” It’s possible that this dialogue was eliminated in shooting rather than in the cutting room, but regardless of when those dialogue cuts were made, the choice is a very smart one. There’s no need for Evelyn to elaborate here or to justify her hatred for her father. Less is definitely more in this case.

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  An entirely new dramatic twist occurs after Evelyn’s confession, when she tells Gittes that her husband didn’t wear bifocals. She delivers the line offhandedly as she heads toward the stairs but does make eye contact with Gittes as she tells him. Then the editor cuts at the moment she starts to spin around and head up the stairs (the “out” frame is Frame grab #18). When the editor cuts away from her, she’s at the bottom of the stairs, but on the other side of the cut (the “in” frame is Frame grab #19) Gittes is already looking up at the top of the stairs. The editor needed to cut for the intensity of his reaction, for performance, rather than for matching, because this is such a key moment.

  The editor then holds on this shot of Gittes to show his mind turning, which allows the audience’s minds to turn as well: to the realization that the owner of the glasses will lead to the identity of the murderer. Whose glasses could they be, if not Mulwray’s? Who is old enough to wear bifocals and would have wanted Mulwray dead?… Noah Cross, of course! This moment is the first time since Gittes arrived at the bungalow that t
riggers music, to underline the powerful truth that’s being revealed. The editor continues to hold on this shot as Gittes takes a beat, looks down, deep in thought, then continues to stay with him for a total of about fourteen seconds as he walks over to the table and looks down again. This cues the cut to the insert shot of Gittes picking up the eyeglasses from the table (the “out” frame is Frame grab # 20). In this insert shot Gittes would have had to lean over the coffee table to pick up the glasses, but in the next shot (the “in” frame is Frame grab #21), Gittes is standing up straight and is just about to slide the glasses into his breast pocket. This jump cut is a classic editing technique that works partly because in Frame grab #20 Gittes’ hand is seen almost leaving the frame and it’s at peak motion, and that movement continues into the next shot. It also works because we want the editor to get on with it and maintain the dramatic momentum in the scene.

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  In the insert shot, the hand that’s supposed to be Gittes’ is not that of Nicholson, the actor portraying him. O’Steen explained that “If he [Polanski] needed an insert shot of an actor’s hands he’d just do it himself, because it was easier — and he knew what he wanted in terms of timing.”25 This is part of the reason why the inserts, which normally can feel static and disruptive, are unusually fluid in Polanski’s movies. But even when the inserts are of a woman’s hands, like the shot of Dunaway’s in the previous scene, O’Steen and Polanksi were able to make them seem visually dynamic by always cutting in motion.

  The musical score continues to play over this period of revelation for Gittes and during his subsequent heartfelt meeting with Evelyn’s daughter. When Evelyn then tells Gittes Kahn’s address, which is where they’re going to hide from the police, the editor cuts out tight, the moment she says her line, to Gittes’ strong reaction. And now the music swells. The editor also underlines the drama visually, by cutting to Gittes in the middle of a camera move-in, and then stays on Gittes for a beat as he looks down contemplatively (the “out” frame is Frame grab #22).

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  We later find out Kahn’s address is in Chinatown, where Gittes had experienced romantic loss once before. He had said earlier, after he made love to Evelyn, “I tried to keep someone from getting hurt and I ended up making sure she was hurt.” The editor’s holding on the shot of Gittes foreshadows the death — in Chinatown — of Evelyn, another woman he cannot protect from tragedy.

  ACTION

  When an audience views a performance, their muscle movements mirror what they’re watching, a phenomenon called “kinesthesis.” This can happen in such situations as sporting events, magic acts, or movies. In an action movie, for example, when there’s a lot of energy and excitement on screen, the audience will respond not only to the motion of the actors and objects but also to the movement from cut to cut. Some cuts are meant to feel smooth and seamless, but other edits, especially in this genre, are supposed to jolt the audience and give them a strong gut reaction to what they’re seeing. In a fight scene, for instance, the editor wants the audience to flinch when the actor takes a punch. An editor is also subject to kinesthesis. His own body will instinctively react to rhythm and motion on the screen, which will “tell” him where to cut.

  Story points always have to be made, but in an action scene the editor isn’t as tied down to the structure of the screenplay as he would be in a dialogue-driven scene. He doesn’t have to search for subtle moments. Even the conflicts between the characters are more exaggerated. The editing goal — to always cut in motion, to never complete an action — gives scenes in this type of movie their crucial momentum. Fortunately, because of that and the fact that the picture is not as married to the dialogue, the editor can take footage out more easily, too. The editing style — the visual rhythm from cut to cut — becomes faster, more visible, and usually more stylistic. Because the goal is to keep the audience on edge and emotionally unsettled, the editor has more freedom to break the rules. He can go a little wild on pans, tilts, and zooms. The audience is on such an adrenaline ride, most likely they won’t see a jump cut as jarring. In fact, they probably would be bored by a matched cut and prefer the bounced-around effect. Because there are fewer constraints and the action mostly dictates what has to be done, the editor will probably spend less time cutting this kind of scene than any other.

  Action scenes are sometimes storyboarded, because the logistics and cost of them may require specific planning. If the director is technically overwhelmed by how to cover a particular scene, the storyboard can be very helpful. However, sometimes the carefully illustrated frames of the storyboard can’t be exactly duplicated in the actual shooting, because of limitations on the set or location, and because the movie takes on its own life. Some scenes — especially those that are a one-time event such as a building being blown up — will be shot with multiple cameras covering different angles simultaneously. The editor will have many choices and the luxury of making matched cuts when he wants to.

  THE CHASE, THE RACE: BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, THE FRENCH CONNECTION

  Cross-cutting — whether it’s between pursuer and pursued or between competitors in a race — forms the core of this type of scene. The stakes are high, and the editor has to be very clear in showing which characters the audience is supposed to identify with, and where the characters are in relation to each other. This consistency is crucial, because if the audience is confused, both their involvement and the momentum of the scene itself are seriously weakened. Since pursuer and pursued are not always seen within the same shot, the editor has to find other ways to establish a common geography between the parallel streams of action. One way is to use a marker, a memorable spot in the scene that the pursuer, too, will later pass (a bridge, for example). Another way for the editor to keep the action continuous is by weaving a fabric of cutaways between the two or more active threads of the story. The cutaway shots can be static ones, like inserts or close-ups — say, a shot of hands on a steering wheel during a car chase — which heighten the audience involvement and punctuate the drama with emotion. Such shots are also useful in bridging time lapses, so that the editor can eliminate footage. This is a good example of where real time — showing the entire chase or race — is not nearly as interesting as movie time.

  The nature of the cutaway shots will determine their length. A still image, closer shot, or even a tracking shot of an actor in motion can be shorter because the audience can get the information quickly. With a long shot or just a more complicated shot that shows a lot of information, the audience needs more time to get their bearings. Shots of pursuer and pursued don’t necessarily need to be the same length. For the most part the cuts come faster as the action escalates and heads toward a resolution. However, alternating between a fast pace and slow pace can also heighten the impression of speed and create unique emotional impact — for instance, a chase scene on horseback could have short, high-energy fast cuts interwoven with shots in slow motion of the riders falling to their death. There are no hard-and-fast rules for editing as long as the cuts keep the audience in an increasingly heightened state of involvement from buildup to climax.

  THE FIRST CHASE SCENE – ARRIVAL OF THE POSSE

  FRAME GRAB ILLUSTRATION: BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

  The following pivotal scene is a variation of the chase scene, involving the pursuer and pursued. Only in this case, the pursued — Butch’s gang — is not running away, because neither they nor the audience learn until the end of the scene that there’s a posse on the train. This sequence is modeled after a classic and climactic scene from High Noon, the fifties Western, where the heroic former sheriff waits for the train to bring a murderous posse. The scenes from both these Westerns effectively use cross-cutting to show the arrival of the train and the people waiting for it, but the seventies version is less static and more stylized. In Butch Cassidy the good guy/bad guy distinction is also ambiguous, and the tone has a unique way of shifting back an
d forth between being ominous and humorous.

  In the previous scene, Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman), the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford), and the gang blow up a bank safe inside the train. The explosives they use are more powerful than they anticipated, and dollar bills come flying out of the vault and the train. The gang scrambles alongside the train, laughing and grabbing at the floating money, putting everyone on a high… just before the arrival of another train, which, unknown to the gang, carries a group of legendary lawmen that will end up relentlessly pursuing Butch and Sundance.

  EXT. TRAIN – DAY

  Medium long shot of billowing black smoke, moving horizontally.

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  CUT TO:

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  Camera moves in on him.