Slow cutting

Not to be confused with Slow slicing.

Slow cutting is a film editing technique characterized by frequent lengthy shots. Though it depends on context, it is estimated that any shot longer than about fifteen seconds will seem rather slow to many modern-day viewers, especially those who are accustomed to mainstream Western movies, where slow cuts are uncommon.

Slow cutting can be used to establish a mood before fast cutting injects energy. Slow cutting may also be used in scenes of calm or reflection, and filmmakers can use slow cutting to slow down the pace, just as the second movement of a symphony or concerto typically does.^[1]

Films and television

The Stranger (1946), with slow cutting resulting in a lengthy shot

Notable films that use the slow cutting technique are: Citizen Kane, Russian Ark,^[2] 2001: A Space Odyssey,^[1] The Prisoner of Zenda, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Grapes of Wrath, His Girl Friday, Mildred Pierce, Treasure Island, Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Psycho, The Omen, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Robocop,^[3] and A Clockwork Orange.^[4]

American director Ken Burns used slow cutting for his television documentary series about the Vietnam War.^[5]

Directors

Most of the early films directed by Michelangelo Antonioni use slow cutting.^[1] Other directors known for the technique include: George Marshall, John Stahl, Edmund Goulding, George Cukor, John Farrow, and Ernst Lubitsch.^[3]

See also

• Long take
• Motion picture terminology
• Fast cutting
• Slow cinema

References

1. Phillips, William H. (1999). "Editing: Pace And Time". Film: An Introduction. Boston; New York: Bedford/St. Martin's. pp. 154–164. ISBN 0-312-17818-2.
2. Brown, William (2013). Supercinema: Film-Philosophy for the Digital Age (1st ed.). Berghahn Books. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-85745-949-7.
3. Salt, Barry (March 23, 2022). "The End Of The Great Speed-Up—And After". Digital Scholarship in the Humanities. 37 (1): 218–228. doi:10.1093/llc/fqab049.
4. LoBrutto, Vincent (January 30, 2018). "The Old Ultra-Violence: A Clockwork Orange". The American Society of Cinematographers.
5. Fatah, Sonya (January 2017). "Alchemy And Archive; Ken Burns Is Putting The Finishing Touches On His Latest Film, The Vietnam War, Blending The Best Of Historical Material With Modern Editing Techniques To Create A Truly Immersive Experience". RealScreen. p. 62.

Further reading

• Lindgren, Ernest (1970). The Art Of The Film (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
• Stephenson, Ralph; Phelps, Guy (1989). The Cinema As Art (Revised ed.). London; New York: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-011981-7.
• Barker, Adam (1990). Elsaesser, Thomas (ed.). Early Cinema: Space, Frame, Narrative. london: BFI Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85170-244-5.
• Tian, Feng; Zhang, Yan; Li, Yingjie (March 17, 2021). "From 2D to VR Film: A Research on the Load of Different Cutting Rates Based on EEG Data Processing". Information. 12 (3): 130. doi:10.3390/info12030130.