How are the sequences from ‘Pillow Talk’ & ‘Fringe’ different? Discuss the differences in pace and style of editing as well as the effect the editing has on meaning/the audience’s reception of the extracts.
The paces of these extracts are very different. In Fringe, they use cuts frequently throughout the extract. There is a cut every few seconds. The quickest cuts in this extract are at the beginning, when there is quite an intense conversation between two men, one of them speaking through a laptop. They also use quite a lot of cuts in the second conversation; they do this so we can see their reactions to what is being said. This fast pace of cutting makes the extract more exciting & modern. However, Pillow Talk uses no cuts in the first conversation between the two men & does not use many cuts throughout the rest of the extract. Generally, the camera stays on both the people in the shot which is quite boring & is also very out-dated & old fashioned.
The style of editing also differs between these two extracts. Pillow Talks style of editing is very old fashioned, this is obvious as the camera stays still mostly throughout each shot but in Fringe, the camera is constantly moving. However, both these shots use straight cuts frequently from one person to another & from different scenes. They use no other types of transitions throughout the extracts. Fringe uses different shot types in the extract, e.g. at the beginning they use an extra close up at an angle which connotates the intensity & importance of the conversation but the distorted angle makes it also seems very mysterious. Fringe also used a long shot in the third scene when two men are talking at a desk & it uses close ups during the conversation. It does this so we can see their facial expressions & reactions to what is being said. Pillow Talk used either mid shots or long shots throughout the extract but its uses a close up in the final scene when they are kissing. They do this because it is quite an important part of the scene & they want us to see the intensity of the kiss between the two characters. In the second scene the screen splits whilst the two characters are on the phone. This is effective as we can see both of their facial expressions at the same time rather than constantly cutting between the two. It makes the extract more interesting & different.
The audience’s response to these two extracts may differentiate depending on their age, gender & likes & dislikes. Also, the audience may respond differently depending on the time it was created. E.g. Pillow Talk was filmed in the 60s so at the time the editing was recent & people liked it but now days it looks old fashioned & quite boring due to the slow pace & out dated style of editing. Age may affect the audience’s response. E.g. young people would most likely prefer Fringe as it seems to have an exciting story line & has a modern style of editing. It also has a fast pace which would keep them interested. However, the older generation may prefer Pillow Talk as they grew up with that old fashioned style editing & pace. Gender would also effect an audience’s response; e.g. men would most likely prefer Fringe as it’s got a fast pace so it is more exiting & the genre may appeal to men more. However, Pillow Talk has a slow pace & is about love & relationships, so that may appeal more to women. Finally, people’s general preference of film genre would also affect their response to these extracts. People who like romantic films would prefer Pillow Talk but people who like exciting, action films would prefer Fringe. The editing in these extracts is related to what is happening within the scene. In Pillow Talk, the screen splits when the two characters are having a conversation on the phone so we can see both their expressions; this makes it easier & more interesting than just doing straight cuts. In Fringe they use straight cuts during the conversations so we can see each characters facial expression & they use an angled extra close up at the start of the extract to show that something mysterious may be going on. As an audience, we can gather opinions of the characters by what is being shown of them in the extracts. In Fringe, the second conversation is between a young man & an older man who is interviewing him. We never see the older man smile or show much emotion so we instantly do not like him as he seems quite heartless & rude. Also due to the extra close up & mysterious look of the black man in the first scene, he comes across as quite an important character. In Pillow Talk the first scene we see is a man who wants to steal a woman he likes from the man she is seeing. We also see him on the phone with her giving her negative thoughts about the man she is seeing, this makes the man come across as a stirrer & quite sly & sneaky. This then leads us to making false assumptions of the man the woman is seeing.
Finally, these extracts do have a similar effect on meaning because they both cut into the near future in each scene. However, in Pillow Talk, in the second scene whilst the two characters are on the phone the screen splits to show both characters at the same time even though they’re in different places. This could connotate a love/hate relationship between them as they are not getting along on the phone but they are in the shot together. This also makes us see chemistry between the two charcters. In Fringe, the first scene intercuts to a different parallel universe, there is an image of a space ship in the sky which distorts & disappears into the atmosphere. This could connotate that something strange is going on between the universes.
