More Information, Less Contemplation: Film Edits Mirror The Rapid Acceleration Of Contemporary Life

Scales have long been a symbol of balance. In most representations of scales there are two dishes hanging by chains on either side of a pole that teeters on a post. Place weights on one side and the arm dips until an equal amount of weight on the opposite plate brings the scale back into balance. It is a wonderful emblem the cant be achieved with electronic scales or industrial scales. Changing from scales that balance to scales that respond with a digital number is a great metaphor for our times and our lives. We have access to more information in a minute then our great grandparents could gather in a lifetime. This data has led to great achievements in many fields from industry to medicine. It has also increased the pace of our lives. Not to long ago there was a spring where information bubbled up, now we are in the midst of an ongoing flood of information impossible to consume or digest. Films are a great example of this changing pace.

In the past editing a film used to require something called a flatbed. An editor would find segments of film from a bin that would have strings of clips hanging from little hooks and dropping into a giant canvas bag on wheels. He would decide what he wanted to insert into the film, go to the bins, find the clip, cut the film on the flatbed then splice and tape the piece to be inserted. The editor would repeat this for the dialog and sound track. Every edit demanded a labor intensive effort which took time. Aware that each cut was a commitment to time and effort, the editor would be thoughtful about the reasons for the edit, considering the effects and imagining the outcome prior to cutting the film. Every physical cut meant destroying a frame and a half of the work print. Every cut was deliberate and thought through ahead of time.

The introduction of digital technology altered the way films are edited and viewed. What would have taken hours to accomplish can now be done in minutes or even seconds, without sacrificing any work product. If an editor has a questionable idea, he doesnt have to think it through. He can try it and see what it looks like with little time or effort spent. Creative thinking is replaced by quick action, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. All the restraints of finding, slicing and taping clips are gone. Because of the ease of making an edit the number of cuts in a typical scene has increased dramatically. The old rules of filmmaking are changing and the language of film has evolved.

Examine a movie from the 50s and compare it to a current action film. The amount of information fed to an audience is very different. Films are frenetic, exciting, stimulating assaulting the senses and immersing the audience in a full out rapid fire experience. It is like the difference between being moved by a painting and being literally moved by a roller coaster. Most teens find the pace of an older film almost impossible to endure. The rapid stimulation and movement of films made today reflect the larger social trend; while we are capable of processing more information quickly, it has accelerated our pace of life to almost addictive frenetic levels.

There is much to be gained by our ability to collect and process massive amounts of information quickly. However, if we lose our capacity to sit quietly and reflect on what the information really means have we gained anything?

Connor Sullivan recently spent time researching electronic scales for a customer he does work with. He purchased several industrial scales to use for his business. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

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