introduction
Editing, that is, screening, selecting, decomposing and combining the massive materials captured in the film production process, and finally forming a coherent and smooth work, with clear meaning, clear theme and artistic appeal. In the film production process, editing is an indispensable link and the final link in the creation of film art.
In film and television creation, the portrayal of the character image is a very key link, in the development of editing technology, we can find that in the portrayal of the character image, the editing has played a very significant effect on the portrayal of the character.
For example, in contrast montage, comparing two images can often make a particular image more vivid and more prominent.
As can be seen from the development of editing, the concept of montage and long shots together bring a wide range of space for creators to express their emotions, so that the characters in movies and TV series become richer, and the influence on the characters has become increasingly significant.
The movie "This Killer Is Not Too Cold" tells a touching story between a professional killer and a little girl. The main characters are as follows:
Warm killer Leon. The protagonist of this film, Leon, has a cold personality and a withdrawn and introverted personality. He has a special job - a professional killer.
He traveled from Italy alone to the metropolis of New York to make a living, feeling out of place with everything around him. He lived in isolation and had no friends.
Cold-blooded cop Stan. The police are supposed to be guardians of social justice, but Stan is a complete villain. He is a cruel and cold person, he is a drug trafficking business in secret as an anti-drug policeman, he is a person who easily cannot control his feelings.
"Problem Girl" Matilda. Matilda is only twelve years old, adjacent to Leon, has no parents since childhood, is often bullied by the family, covered in injuries, smoking, lying, vulgar, full of calm that does not match her age
How editing helps shape the character
1. Lyon
The close-up shooting shows Leon his calmness and determination when he carries out the order. Over the next period, the drug dealers disappeared one by one before they saw Leon's shadow.
The drug dealers left behind were all terrified, sweaty, and anxious, all of which showed how terrifying Leon was.
A direct confrontation with a drug dealer: seeing the drug dealer's eyes through a bullet, he makes a call in horror, and Leon suddenly emerges from behind the drug dealer. This scene made everyone realize that Leon is a top killer.
Also, one more interesting thing is that for the first ten minutes of the film, we don't even see Leon's face, we can only get to know him through a few close-ups.
For example, when Leon first appeared on the screen, a large hand holding a bottle of milk suddenly jumped out of the screen, and then, a side face of Leon appeared on the screen;
It was a man with round black-rimmed glasses, and he only had time to capture a vague shadow during his mission, which added a bit of mystery to Leon, especially when he was in the real world.
The delicate combination of music and camera expresses the personalities of the characters. Leon came out of his house and had a brief conversation with Matilda in the aisle, when the sound of music became soft and cheerful, and when he returned, the sound of music became low and sad.
Leon closed the windows and curtains, took off his coat, and walked slowly into the bathroom, after taking a shower, he thought at his desk, picked up another glass of milk, and began to tidy his clothes, and finally, he began to carefully organize an orchid at home.
After doing all this, Leon threw a gun on the table, then leaned back on the sofa, put on a pair of sunglasses, turned out the lights, and fell into a deep sleep.
From this picture, we can deeply appreciate the lonely mind of Lyon and the high vigilance brought about by his professionalism.
Halfway through the movie, Leon takes Matilda to his new home, and when he first enters the hotel room, Leon begins to pace back and forth in the room, carefully observing every corner, looking for possible clues;
When Leon was sure that there was nothing wrong, he sat down in a chair, and then his music stopped, and it can be seen from this scene that Leon has always maintained a high degree of vigilance and caution towards himself as a murderer.
In the subsequent interaction between Lyon and Matilda, accompanied by the overlap of accordion and other instruments, the film is full of joyful atmosphere, contrary to the oppressive atmosphere in the early stage of the film, suggesting that Lyon's life has become full of new vitality because of this little girl.
The two had a good time, and Leon was finally able to live a normal life and sleep peacefully. At this time, Lyon is no longer the Lyon who killed bravely on the battlefield, but in the company of Matilda, there is a more humane Lyon
The repeated use of iconic symbols reflects the character traits of the characters from the side. In the movie, the silver queen is the image of Lyon, which represents Lyon's pursuit of a better life. Leon considers him his friend, because it never asks questions, but only silently accompanies him.
Matilda tells Leon that it will grow better just by planting it in the dirt, and Leon is putting his head down and without saying a word, he is anointing the leaves of the Silver Queen.
It is something that has no roots, and Lyon himself has nothing to rely on in the metropolis of New York, nor does it have a fixed way of life.
At the end of the movie, Matilda comes to Lyon alone and plants Lyon's favorite Silver Queen in the land, so that Lyon finally finds his home in the city.
The use of subjectivity shots highlights the tragic consciousness of the characters. At the end of the movie, Leon pretends to be a policeman and walks step by step towards the outside of the building;
And at the end of the movie, he sees a road to the outside of the building, that road is in front of him, he struggles to leave, but at the moment when he struggles to leave the building, the background panel on the screen collapses;
Leon fell to the ground, and the background panel on the background panel let out a mournful scream, as if to tell everyone that Leon did not leave the building.
Using such a subjective lens, complex thinking and inner feelings can be reflected with visual subjectivity, allowing the audience to substitute themselves into the role, feel the charm of the character, and thus let themselves enter a person's inner world.
2. Dan
Use methods such as close-up and top-down of the face to show the character's deformation. When this villain Dan first appeared on the screen, he was wearing a suit and a pair of headphones, shaking his head.
In a close-up, Stan walks towards Matilda's father, and at this time, judging by the expression on her father's face and the cold sweat on his forehead, how frightened he is, which also indirectly shows what a terrifying person Stan is.
When Stan comes to Matilda's house again, we can see five of his entourage appear in turn, and then Stan appears;
He stopped in the aisle, took a small box from his arms, put it in front of his ear and shook it, the camera gave him a close-up shot of his hands, and inside the box were some green pills, which he took out and swallowed.
Then there was a top-down camera that showed Stan's fierce face in front of everyone. From this, we can see that Stan is a deformed and perverted character.
The music and the set work together to reflect the callousness of the characters. Before setting out, Stan told one of his subordinates that he enjoyed the calm before the storm;
This tranquility reminded him of Beethoven's Sonata of the Tempest, so Stan raised his spear and struck the board to the beat of the music.
Then Stan casually told the story of Beethoven to Matilda's father, and when he did, he even started playing the piano. A set of images shows the madness and indifference of this character.
3. Matilda
Matilda appeared for the first time in cheerful and bright music. She was wearing a pair of cartoon trousers, a pair of round shoes on her feet, a black bib around her neck, meticulous short ear-length hair, and a slightly green little face, and was skillfully swallowing clouds.
This series of close-up shots allowed us to see the uniqueness of this little girl and paved the way for the next plot.
When Leon questions why she was injured, Matilda slowly buries her head in her hair, saying that she fell from the car, but from the later plot, she lied that her face was hit by a family member.
From this point, we can see Matilda's stubbornness, she does not want others to have any pity for her, and then the director also specially arranged the scene where Matilda receives a call from the school teacher, and she pretends to be her stepmother and says that she is dead.
Then, a trace of sadness appeared on Matilda's face, and when she said these words, the tears and helplessness in her eyes made people can't help but pinch a sweat for her.
Her childhood life was supposed to be simple and happy, but Matilda did not feel the slightest warmth in this home, so she became rebellious, willful, smoked, lied, and skipped school.
revelation
From the film "This Killer Is Not Too Cold", we can clearly feel how music shapes the characters and advances the plot in the film.
In the film, music is more of a kind of thinking, a higher level of expression beyond the real environment, creating a special philosophical realm.
In addition, the profound human meaning in the film requires both the audience to reflect positively and the audience to guide passively, and music plays a guiding role.
The orientation of music has played a great role in the deep interpretation of the film, and the audience can also get more aesthetic pressure from it, from emotional feelings to the realm of philosophy.
So, in the last song "Shapeofmyheart", the infectious power of the song reached a new height, so that all the audience who heard this song could not help but shed tears, reminding them of the bits and pieces with the protagonist, making the theme of the entire film more prominent.
Close shooting plays a non-negligible role in portraying the image of the character and expressing the emotional and mental condition of the character. We can find from "This Killer Is Not Too Cold" that every time the protagonist appears, there will be a partial close-up shooting.
For example: when Leon appears, he wears a pair of black sunglasses and his rough hands, which show the identity of the character;
Matilda appears on stage, a recent photograph of her wounded face, with a cigarette in her hand, reflecting the character's tragic life;
Stan appeared on stage with a pair of clean brown boots, and he showed off the character's personality and preferences with a headset with his head dangling over his head.
However, when shooting close-up, you must also have a certain flexibility and cooperate with other shooting, so that you can make the most of it.
"Imagery often wears many hats in films, it can be used as a symbol of the background of the times and the character and identity of the characters, used as instrumental props, and sometimes can hint at the development and change of the plot and the fate of the characters, and used as a narrative prop."
In the book "This Killer Is Not Too Cold", Leon's favorite flowers and plants are his own symbol, which makes Leon's character more distinct.
However, we cannot impose a symbol outside the narrative because we want to symbolize, and this symbol that is outside the narrative will not only not add new meaning and sublimation to the film, but also damage or affect the original narrative chain, or make the audience doubtful.
epilogue
For a film, editing is the second creation of a film, and the shaping of characters is a key part of a film;
Many films strive to create characters with strong personalities and realistic life, and the perfect combination of the two makes a movie a good film.
The assassin Leon in "This Killer Is Not Too Cold", the little girl Matilda, and the big bad Stan, these are very memorable;
And the music and pictures in the film are just right, as well as that trace of soothing, these are indispensable elements of the entire film, and it is precisely because of these that this film has become a classic.
Bibliography:
[1] Hou Jun and Hu Hui: "Character Image Construction in Biographical Films"
[2] Zheng Yongtao: "Character Shaping of TV Reality TV Shows Under the Post-Editing Valve"
[3] Wang Yin: "Editing - The Second Creation of Film and Television"
[4] Yu Yi: "On the Application of Editing Skills in Film and Television"