The Invisible Cut Read online

  CUT TO:

  Close shot of Sundance reacting.

  FRAME GRAB #3

  He leans in.

  CUT TO:

  High long shot of robbers and train in foreground and approaching train and smoke in background.

  FRAME GRAB #4

  CUT TO:

  Medium long shot of train in full view.

  FRAME GRAB #5

  CUT TO:

  Close shot of Butch and Sundance.

  FRAME GRAB #6

  BUTCH

  What the hell is that?

  CUT TO:

  Medium close shot of train moving straight toward camera.

  FRAME GRAB #7

  Train continues to move toward camera until the front (cowcatcher) is in close shot.

  FRAME GRAB #8

  CUT TO:

  Close shot of engine.

  FRAME GRAB #9

  CUT TO:

  Close shot of smokestack.

  FRAME GRAB #10

  CUT TO:

  Close shot of top of train and steam vents.

  FRAME GRAB #11

  CUT TO:

  Close shot of empty cabin.

  FRAME GRAB #12

  CUT TO:

  Medium shot of train car.

  FRAME GRAB #13

  CUT TO:

  Close-up of Butch and Sundance.

  FRAME GRAB #14

  CUT TO:

  Close shot of train whistle.

  Camera moves in on whistle as it blows.

  FRAME GRAB #15

  CUT TO:

  Medium close shot of train car as door slides open.

  FRAME GRAB #16

  CUT TO:

  Medium close shot of car with horses galloping out.

  FRAME GRAB #17

  CUT TO:

  Medium shot of car with horses galloping out.

  FRAME GRAB #18

  CUT TO:

  Medium shot, from behind, of horses galloping away.

  CUT TO:

  Medium close shot of horses, another angle from behind, of horses galloping away.

  CUT BACK TO:

  Close shot of Butch and Sundance.

  BUTCH

  Whatever they’re selling, I don’t want it.

  DECONSTRUCTION

  Scene edited by Richard C. Meyer

  The buildup to the arrival of the train and the posse starts with the audience seeing only black smoke moving across the distant horizon and hearing the chugging sound. The editor, Richard C. Meyer, cuts to shots of Butch and Sundance hearing the sound and looking off to see what’s making it.26 The editor then cuts to still another shot of the smoke and to shots of the other two robbers reacting. When the editor cuts to yet another shot of the smoke, this time the smoke is billowing more and appears slightly closer, with parts of the bank’s train in the foreground to show that the train is getting nearer (the “out” frame is Frame grab #1). The tease of not actually seeing the train, only its smoke and its sound, makes the robbers — and the audience — strain to see (as Butch and Sundance do in Frame grabs #2 and #3, the “in” frames of each shot). The editor also cuts out of both shots using motion to underline the impact: a camera move onto Butch and a body move from Sundance.

  frame grab 1

  frame grab 2

  frame grab 3

  Then the editor cuts to a master shot of the two trains and robbers shown in clear relation to each other: the bank’s train is in the foreground and the arriving train appears in the distance, in full view for the first time (the “out” frame is Frame grab #4). Although Butch and Sundance did not seem to be anywhere near each other in their previous close-ups (Frame grabs #2 and #3), in this master shot they are standing right next to each other, but the audience won’t notice this mismatch, because their focus is on the arriving train.

  frame grab 4

  The next shot, a closer view of the train, still moving horizontally, is the first clear shot of it (Frame grab #5). In the next shot Butch and Sundance are standing together in a medium shot, showing increasing concern (the “out” frame is Frame grab #6).

  frame grab 5

  frame grab 6

  The editor creates a building sense of impending danger both with his choice of shots and by their length. The first shot of the train (Frame grab #1) is more than two seconds long. The subsequent shots (Frame grabs #4, #5 and #6) are about four seconds long. These shots are longer because the editor is milking the mystery and can take his time. The train, which had been moving in a relatively non-threatening horizontal direction, is next shown moving straight at the camera: The editor has saved the most dramatic shot of the train for last. This shot, over six seconds long and the longest in the scene, starts with Frame grab #7, showing the train in a cloud of smoke, and ends with Frame grab #8, where the front end of the train completely fills the screen. The editor cuts out the moment the train stops. The constant, chugging sound — which has been used up until now as a slowly building threat — is topped by the screech of the train coming to a halt.

  frame grab 7

  frame grab 8

  Now the threat is more real and the pacing changes markedly. The scene also becomes more stylized as the editor cuts to close shots, showing different parts of the train. The tension builds with a shot of the black, dripping pistons and engine (Frame grab #9), a shot of the black smoke and smokestack (Frame grab #10), as well as steam and its vents (Frame grab #11). The buildup continues with the eerie shot of an empty cabin (Frame grab #12) and the mysteriously closed door of the train’s car (Frame grab #13). These shots of the train are only about a second long, but they feel shorter because of how close the angles are. The sounds that play over these shots are also a reflection of the danger ahead. First we hear the train’s eerie hissing and its idling noise, which sounds almost like a heartbeat — putting pressure on both the robbers and the audience as they watch and wait. That sound is accompanied by the subtle sounds of the pistons turning and the steam coming out of the vents. Our fearful reactions are then mirrored in the faces — in close-up now — of Butch and Sundance (Frame grab #14).

  frame grab 9

  frame grab 10

  frame grab 11

  frame grab 12

  frame grab 13

  frame grab 14

  The dramatic turning point comes with the shot of a train whistle: The editor cuts in the middle of a camera move that ends up in a tight shot, and cuts out just after the whistle blows its full steam (the “out” frame is Frame grab #15). The shot of the whistle blowing is barely over a half second long, but feels even shorter because of how fast the camera is moving and how close the shot is. The surprising, high-pitched whistle sound, coming after the lull of the train’s subtler sounds, helps to set up this turning point. The editor then cuts to a straight-on shot into the train car, revealing a empty black space (the “out” frame is Frame grab #16). The audience should actually be able to see the horses of the posse inside the car from this angle, since the subsequent shot shows them bursting out (the “in” frame is Frame grab #17). In reality, the actors had to ride their horses on a ramp from the other side of the car in order to get them up to speed, so that previous shot would have been impossible to capture. But as it turns out, the dark empty shot (Frame grab #16) is not just a necessary cheat; it made the next cut work very effectively. After the mysterious black void inside the train, the bursting out of all those galloping horses is both shocking and thrilling. The grind of the sliding door that announces their appearance only adds to the excitement.

  frame grab 15

  frame grab 16

  The difficult stunt of the horses jumping out was shot with multiple cameras, and the editor used the first two camera angles in order of their impact. The editor chose the most exciting angle for the initial burst, where the camera is shooting more from below and at a closer angle, which makes the horses’ appearance scarier. The editor cuts into this shot the moment we see the first horse’s head at the edge of the door, and cuts out when th
e second and third horses show themselves (that “out” frame is Frame grab #17). The next shot (the “in” frame is Frame grab #18) is not a match to the previous shot. In Frame grab #17, the first horse is well away from the car and the second horse is almost halfway out, while in Frame grab #18 only the front legs of the second horse have emerged. But a matched cut would probably have been boring, and even a jump cut wasn’t necessary. The editor’s goal was to capture energy from one shot to the next and create the most momentum possible. These shots are also short, like the previous shots of the train and, again, they seem even shorter because of the intensity of the moment and the speed of the horses.

  frame grab 17

  frame grab 18

  The next two shots are not as dramatic visually, since the horses are galloping away from the camera, but they let the audience clearly see the number of the threat: six men on horseback, to be exact. And, as is characteristic of the movie’s dark humor, this ominous scene is capped off by Butch’s wry line: “Whatever they’re selling, I don’t want it.”

  THE SECOND CHASE SCENE – THE CAR & THE TRAIN

  FRAME GRAB ILLUSTRATION: THE FRENCH CONNECTION

  The selection from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid showed the pursued waiting for the pursuers. In contrast, this scene from The French Connection shows the pursuer, a cop driving a car, very actively chasing the pursued, a villain inside a train. Because the sequence from The French Connection was shot in a more improvised, less choreographed style than the scenes from Butch Cassidy, it offered different challenges for the editor, Jerry Greenberg.

  The setup:

  Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) is a hard-nosed New York City cop who stumbles onto a very big, impending heroin deal. The French drug dealer’s associate, Nicoli (Marcel Bozzuffi), knowing that Doyle may be onto them, has just gunned down innocent bystanders on Doyle’s home turf in his failed attempt to kill Doyle. In response, an enraged Doyle pursues Nicoli on foot, but Nicoli manages to elude Doyle by jumping onto an elevated subway train. A desperate Doyle runs into the street, flags down a car, and forcibly takes it. Now the chase between the elevated train and the car begins. The editor intercuts from exterior shots of the train and Doyle driving, to interior shots of Nicoli walking through the train and ultimately shooting a cop. After that, the editor cuts to the train’s POV as it speeds along the tracks, then back to Doyle driving.

  (Note: I have chosen two sections from the sequence that follows — with a gap in between — to show an escalation of the chase and, as a result, a contrast in both the shooting and editing styles. They will be referred to as Part I and Part II.)

  PART I

  Long shot of street shooting past Doyle and dashboard.

  FRAME GRAB #1

  CUT TO:

  Close shot of Doyle in car with street in background.

  FRAME GRAB #2

  CUT TO:

  Long shot of elevated train, seen past playground in foreground.

  FRAME GRAB #3

  CUT TO:

  Long shot of car under elevated train, seen past playground in foreground.

  FRAME GRAB #4

  CUT TO:

  Close shot of Doyle looking up, then camera pans over and up to medium long shot under elevated train track.

  FRAME GRAB #5

  CUT TO:

  Medium long shot of Nicoli walking away from camera through train car.

  FRAME GRAB #6

  Nicoli walks to the front of the train and the front cabin, pointing his gun at the motorman’s head to make sure he doesn’t stop at the next station. Meanwhile Doyle has arrived at that station and runs up to the platform, expecting that he has beaten Nicoli there. Instead, he finds the train racing past him and the other startled people waiting on the platform. He runs back to the car and resumes his chase, driving more aggressively than ever.

  PART II

  Medium shot of Nicoli and motorman, gun pointed at motorman’s head.

  FRAME GRAB #7

  CUT TO:

  Long shot of train on tracks.

  FRAME GRAB #8

  Train moves toward the camera.

  CUT TO:

  Long shot, POV from car racing through streets.

  FRAME GRAB #9

  CUT TO:

  Medium shot through windshield of Doyle.

  FRAME GRAB #10

  CUT BACK TO:

  Long shot, POV of car, racing through streets.

  FRAME GRAB #11

  CUT BACK TO:

  Close shot of Doyle through windshield, looking straight ahead, then up.

  FRAME GRAB #12

  CUT TO:

  Medium long shot, Doyle’s POV of elevated tracks.

  FRAME GRAB #13

  CUT BACK TO:

  Long shot of elevated tracks showing car below and train above, with playground in foreground.

  FRAME GRAB #14

  CUT TO:

  Long shot, Doyle’s POV of street. Car approaches back of truck, then truck starts to turn left, cutting off car.

  FRAME GRAB #15

  CUT BACK TO:

  Close shot of Doyle through windshield, frantically steering away.

  FRAME GRAB #16

  CUT BACK TO:

  Long shot of car and truck side by side.

  FRAME GRAB #17

  Car gets sideswiped by the truck.

  CUT TO:

  Close shot of Doyle in car, even more frantically steering.

  FRAME GRAB #18

  CUT TO:

  Medium long shot, Doyle’s POV of street corner.

  FRAME GRAB #19

  CUT TO:

  Camera pans unsteadily from sidewalk to street.

  CUT TO:

  Medium side shot of car as it drives past camera and turns back onto street.

  CUT BACK TO:

  Long shot, Doyle’s POV of street.

  CUT BACK TO:

  Close shot of Doyle through windshield.

  CUT BACK TO:

  Long shot, Doyle’s POV of street.

  CUT BACK TO:

  Close shot of Doyle through windshield.

  CUT BACK TO:

  Long shot, Doyle’s POV of street.

  CUT TO:

  Medium close shot of Doyle’s legs and feet on car pedals.

  CUT BACK TO:

  Close shot of Doyle through windshield.

  CUT BACK TO:

  Long shot, Doyle’s POV of street.

  CUT TO:

  Close-up of Doyle through windshield.

  FRAME GRAB #20

  CUT TO:

  Long shot, Doyle’s POV of street and a woman wheeling baby carriage.

  FRAME GRAB #21

  CUT TO:

  Tight close-up of Doyle.

  FRAME GRAB #22

  CUT TO:

  Close shot of woman, then zoom in to tight close-up of woman.