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Many filmmakers regard editing as the single most important creative step in determining the look and shape of the finished film. A good editor can save a film that has been directed in a mediocre fashion, and poor editing can damage the work of even the finest director.

Editing is the work of joining shots (scenes recorded by the camera, usually on film) to assemble the finished film. The editor selects the best shots from the large amount of film footage (raw, unedited film) provided by the director and the cinematographer, assembles these in order, and connects them using a variety of optical transitions. In theory, the process of editing begins with the completion of filming, or cinematography. In practice, however, the editor may begin consultations with the producer and director and may even begin cutting the film, taking scenes and putting them together, while principal filming is being completed. Most editors, however, will not watch the process of filming or view the locations where the film is shot. This allows them to view the footage unhampered by knowledge about the actual conditions that existed in front of the camera and to visualize with greater freedom various ways of combining the shots.

Over the years, the basics of editing have remained relatively constant. The first task is to assemble a first version or rough cut, which is done by eliminating all of the unusable footage containing technical or performance errors. These may include out-of-focus shots or shots containing unstable camera movement, lines where an actor has made mistakes in delivery, inaudible sound recordings, or lighting problems. Once all of this footage has been removed, the editor then assembles the remaining footage in a narrative sequence. This rough assembly will be pruned, refined, and polished to yield the final cut. The final cut is the completed product of an editor’s work. It includes the complete assembly and timings of all shots in the film’s finished form. It is in going from the rough cut to the final cut that the real art and magic in editing lies.

With the introduction of computers, editors began to use a nonlinear, computer-based editing system. Film footage was converted to videotape, which was then digitized and stored on computer disk, giving an editor instantaneous access to any frame or single image, shot, or edited sequence distributed anywhere in the existing footage. The editor would then decide which footage to work on by using notes that described the characteristics, strengths, and flaws of particular shots. Prior to the 1990s, when the film industry adopted digital editing systems, editors worked directly with the actual film itself and had to search manually through all of the footage to find a desired shot or segment. This older approach was a linear system: the editor could only search for one shot at a time and had to do so by viewing footage sequentially, from beginning to end.

Digital systems made editing a much faster process, and the complex control they gave editors over the digitized footage helps explain why so many films had many more cuts and shot transitions than in earlier decades. Many shots were only a few frames long, less than a second of screen time.

While digital systems gave editors greater control over their footage and increased their ability to manipulate it in ever more elaborate ways, these systems had disadvantages. Unlike editors who worked in linear systems, those using digital systems did not view a film image but rather an electronic image on a small monitor screen, which was degraded in quality, with poor resolution. This could bias editors toward close-ups because they would look better on the monitor than long shots. Furthermore, because the monitor’s image was a poor guide to the visual qualities of the actual film images, editors were forced to rely more heavily on their notes about the footage. It has been argued that editors using linear systems got to know their footage better because they had to manually search through all of it to find what they needed. The editor working on a digital system would not access footage that the notes had excluded. With recent advances in digital technology, even these disadvantages have been addressed.

 

1

Many filmmakers regard editing as the single most important creative step in determining the look and shape of the finished film. A good editor can save a film that has been directed in a mediocre fashion, and poor editing can damage the work of even the finest director.

The word “mediocre” in the passage is closest in meaning to

Aunprofessional

Btoo rapid

Coverly complicated

Donly average

 

2

Editing is the work of joining shots (scenes recorded by the camera, usually on film) to assemble the finished film. The editor selects the best shots from the large amount of film footage (raw, unedited film) provided by the director and the cinematographer, assembles these in order, and connects them using a variety of optical transitions. In theory, the process of editing begins with the completion of filming, or cinematography. In practice, however, the editor may begin consultations with the producer and director and may even begin cutting the film, taking scenes and putting them together, while principal filming is being completed. Most editors, however, will not watch the process of filming or view the locations where the film is shot. This allows them to view the footage unhampered by knowledge about the actual conditions that existed in front of the camera and to visualize with greater freedom various ways of combining the shots.

According to paragraph 2, what advantage does the editor have in not being present during the filming?

AThe editor is able to begin cutting the film before the filming is completed.

BThe editor has more time to consult with the producer and director.

CThe editor is free of influence from the filming when cutting the film.

DThe editor spends less time completing the work.

 

3

Over the years, the basics of editing have remained relatively constant. The first task is to assemble a first version or rough cut, which is done by eliminating all of the unusable footage containing technical or performance errors. These may include out-of-focus shots or shots containing unstable camera movement, lines where an actor has made mistakes in delivery, inaudible sound recordings, or lighting problems. Once all of this footage has been removed, the editor then assembles the remaining footage in a narrative sequence. This rough assembly will be pruned, refined, and polished to yield the final cut. The final cut is the completed product of an editor’s work. It includes the complete assembly and timings of all shots in the film’s finished form. It is in going from the rough cut to the final cut that the real art and magic in editing lies.

The word “basics” in the passage is closest in meaning to

Atechniques

Bessentials

Cstandards

Ddemands

 

4

Over the years, the basics of editing have remained relatively constant. The first task is to assemble a first version or rough cut, which is done by eliminating all of the unusable footage containing technical or performance errors. These may include out-of-focus shots or shots containing unstable camera movement, lines where an actor has made mistakes in delivery, inaudible sound recordings, or lighting problems. Once all of this footage has been removed, the editor then assembles the remaining footage in a narrative sequence. This rough assembly will be pruned, refined, and polished to yield the final cut. The final cut is the completed product of an editor’s work. It includes the complete assembly and timings of all shots in the film’s finished form. It is in going from the rough cut to the final cut that the real art and magic in editing lies.

All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 3 as images that are removed for the rough cut EXCEPT

Ashots lacking stability or focus

Bshots in which actors’ lines are spoken incorrectly

Cshots that are in an incorrect sequence

Dshots that are too light or too dark

 

5

With the introduction of computers, editors began to use a nonlinear, computer-based editing system. Film footage was converted to videotape, which was then digitized and stored on computer disk, giving an editor instantaneous access to any frame or single image, shot, or edited sequence distributed anywhere in the existing footage. The editor would then decide which footage to work on by using notes that described the characteristics, strengths, and flaws of particular shots. Prior to the 1990s, when the film industry adopted digital editing systems, editors worked directly with the actual film itself and had to search manually through all of the footage to find a desired shot or segment. This older approach was a linear system: the editor could only search for one shot at a time and had to do so by viewing footage sequentially, from beginning to end.

According to paragraph 4, how does the availability of a nonlinear editing system affect the work of an editor?

AIt allows computerized shots to be transferred to videotape.

BIt helps the editor identify flawed shots.

CIt enables the editor to work directly on the actual film footage.

DIt allows the editor to locate particular frames or sequences in the film footage with ease.

 

6

With the introduction of computers, editors began to use a nonlinear, computer-based editing system. Film footage was converted to videotape, which was then digitized and stored on computer disk, giving an editor instantaneous access to any frame or single image, shot, or edited sequence distributed anywhere in the existing footage. The editor would then decide which footage to work on by using notes that described the characteristics, strengths, and flaws of particular shots. Prior to the 1990s, when the film industry adopted digital editing systems, editors worked directly with the actual film itself and had to search manually through all of the footage to find a desired shot or segment. This older approach was a linear system: the editor could only search for one shot at a time and had to do so by viewing footage sequentially, from beginning to end.

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 4 about the older linear editing systems?

AThey require converting film footage to videotape before editing.

BThey allow editors to search more efficiently for a particular shot or segment.

CTheir use by the film industry continues, along with the use of digital editing systems.

DTheir use does not require detailed notes about the footage.

 

7

Digital systems made editing a much faster process, and the complex control they gave editors over the digitized footage helps explain why so many films had many more cuts and shot transitions than in earlier decades. Many shots were only a few frames long, less than a second of screen time.

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

AEditors who worked most quickly with digital systems preferred their film footage to have more cuts and shot transitions than did editors of previous decades.

BBecause digital systems afforded speed and control, newer films often had more cuts and shot transitions than earlier films did.

CDigital systems had improved the speed of editing but not the control over the cuts and shot transitions in digital footage.

DIt was more difficult for the editor to control digitized cuts and shot transitions when working fast than it had been in earlier times.

 

8

While digital systems gave editors greater control over their footage and increased their ability to manipulate it in ever more elaborate ways, these systems had disadvantages. Unlike editors who worked in linear systems, those using digital systems did not view a film image but rather an electronic image on a small monitor screen, which was degraded in quality, with poor resolution. This could bias editors toward close-ups because they would look better on the monitor than long shots. Furthermore, because the monitor’s image was a poor guide to the visual qualities of the actual film images, editors were forced to rely more heavily on their notes about the footage. It has been argued that editors using linear systems got to know their footage better because they had to manually search through all of it to find what they needed. The editor working on a digital system would not access footage that the notes had excluded. With recent advances in digital technology, even these disadvantages have been addressed.

What is the purpose of paragraph 6 in the passage?

ATo suggest that not all of the effects of using a faster system were good

BTo emphasize the important improvements in editing film that resulted from the use of digital systems

CTo indicate that films were edited better when editors used a linear system

DTo explain how editors gained greater control over their footage

 

9

Look at the four squaresthat indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage

At this point, the images and footage become a film that still requires a great deal of work.

Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square  sentence to the passage.

10

Editing plays a very important role in determining the quality of a finished film.

AIn the first stage of work, the editor uses the original footage to select, arrange, and connect shots using visual transitions.

BAfter creating a rough version of the film by removing unusable footage, the editor trims, refines, and polishes it to arrive at the final version.

CThe linear process of editing film footage has been replaced by editing digitized footage, a process that allows the editor more direct control.

DThe producer and cinematographer usually expect the editor to view the filming process to better understand how to combine the shots.

EThe quality of the editor’s work is measured by the number of connections and shot transitions in the finished film.

FThere are many filmmakers who would prefer to return to linear systems of editing, believing these to allow greater artistic expression than can be achieved with digital editing systems.

 

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