Review of “Whiplash”

Inspiring events in a movie create a strong connection to human emotions and allows the viewer to understand and relate to the film. The motivation for the review is built on some of the mutual aspects of film editing used in contemporary cinema viewing. The emotional connection combined with editing aspects led to the selection of the 87th  academy awards winning movie “Whiplash” that shows the struggles of a young drummer called Andrew and his tutor Fletcher who pushes him to the limit. In the film, the victorious element of continuity editing and captivating transitions has been achieved to show prominence.[1]

            The primary function of the editing features is capturing the audience’s attention. It means that using various aspects of editing techniques such as angles form the gist of the movie, most of which the editor uses to capture the audience’s attention passionately.1 Such sections include the victorious parts, for example, where Andrew plays the solo set on the drums making an unforgettable experience to the audience. Halfway through the scene, the camera goes from wide shots then medium to close-up angles capturing every emotion of the drummer and Fletcher.[2]

The use of these transition effects illuminates the natural passion from the characters through the cuts made by the editor.

Whiplash’s editing aspects are similar to other films produced for the cinema such as ”The theory of everything” which is a film based on inspiring events about Stephen Hawking who is seen to overcome all odds after he is diagnosed with motor neuron disease. The styles of the movie such us continuity editing,  match with whiplash in that, the main characters thinking, emotions and behaviors determine these aspects and form of transitions like close-ups and mid-range shots. For example, some scenes show progression on Stephen Hawking disease as well as the fight he undertakes to be overcome the challenges.[3]

            Victorious scenes form the climax of films and dictate the editor’s style while concentrating on the essential details. Another movie that has demonstrated transition techniques similar to whiplash is ”Karate kid” through the inspiring transitions when the character (Dre Parker) is involved in training and fights in the movie. The editing technique followed the thoughts and actions of the character and portrayed spirit and determination. The scenes are similar to whiplash’s final scene as the sections with Fletcher had hard and abrupt scene cutting while conducting the jazz competition.[4]

Continuity editing can also be seen in the film ”The blind side” where the protagonist is portrayed as a pushover since he had been homeless and was surrounded by anger and violence. The editor then shows scenes of how he was taken in, and in school, He refuses to use his physical power to batter opponents while playing football. After an attitude change, and he’s seen flattening every player from the rival team. The flow continues as the transitions show University coaches unswervingly flock to him for his achievement.[5]

            Editors work with the stories emotion to determine the perfect way to apply a transition to capture the attention of the audience. In whiplash the cutscenes where Fletcher asks Andrew if he was rushing or dragging shows a lot of emotion due to the up close shots of the two. Similarly, ”The pursuit of happyness” shows the struggles of a father and son as they are in search of happiness. In the film, Will Smith and his real-life son Jaden bring an emotional depth to the characters they play.[6]

The editor uses close up transitions and the cut scenes to capture the responsiveness and emotion of the audience.

Bibliography

Desowitz, Bill. 2015. Inside the Making of the Savage ‘Whiplash’ Finale with Editor Tom Cross. January 9. Accessed 1 05, 2018. http://www.indiewire.com/2015/01/inside-the-making-of-the-savage-whiplash-finale-with-editor-tom-cross-189403/.

Elliott, Bellinda. 2008. The Pursuit of Happyness: Movie Review. December 15. Accessed 1 05, 2018. http://www1.cbn.com/movies/pursuit-happyness-movie-review.

Mahadani, Bhushan. 2015. What Kind of Editing Techniques Did Tom Cross Use in Whiplash? April 7. Accessed 1 05, 2018. https://www.quora.com/What-kind-of-editing-techniques-did-Tom-Cross-use-in-Whiplash.

Sandhu, Sukhdev. 2010. The Blind Side, review. March 25. Accessed 1 05, 2018. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/7520527/The-Blind-Side-review.html.

Scott, A. O. 2014. In ‘The Theory of Everything,’ Stephen Hawking’s Home Life.

November 6. Accessed 1 05, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/07/movies/in-the-theory-of-everything-Stephen-hawkings-home-life.html.

The Telegraph. 2010. The Karate Kid. July 29. Accessed 1 05, 2018. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/7916574/The-Karate-Kid-review.html.

[1] Desowitz, Bill. 2015. Inside the Making of the Savage ‘Whiplash’ Finale with Editor Tom Cross. January 9. Accessed 1 05, 2018. http://www.indiewire.com/2015/01/inside-the-making-of-the-savage-whiplash-finale-with-editor-tom-cross-189403/.

[2] Mahadani, Bhushan. 2015. What Kind of Editing Techniques Did Tom Cross Use in Whiplash? April 7. Accessed 1 05, 2018. https://www.quora.com/What-kind-of-editing-techniques-did-Tom-Cross-use-in-Whiplash.

[3] Scott, A. O. 2014. In ‘The Theory of Everything,’ Stephen Hawking’s Home Life.

November 6. Accessed 1 05, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/07/movies/in-the-theory-of-everything-Stephen-hawkings-home-life.html.

[4] The Telegraph. 2010. The Karate Kid. July 29. Accessed 1 05, 2018. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/7916574/The-Karate-Kid-review.html.

[5] Sukhdev, Sandhu. 2010. The Blind Side, review. March 25. Accessed 1 05, 2018. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/7520527/The-Blind-Side-review.html.

[6] Bellinda, Elliott. 2008. The Pursuit of Happyness: Movie Review. December 15. Accessed 1 05, 2018. http://www1.cbn.com/movies/pursuit-happyness-movie-review.