How does editing make meaning in the British films you have studied?[20]

In the middle sequence of ‘Moon’, editing makes meaning with a montage made from jump cuts of Sam 2 searching for the clones while he is always in the centre of the screen. Because of this and the fact that there isn’t a change in shot length, and because it’s fast paced editing we get the idea of fragmentation in the Sam’s lives. This is because Lunar Industries has been using them for labour and has lied to them. They are actually clones that only live to work. This links to the ideology of capitalism which the film often explores as it shows that the workers aren’t benefiting from their work, just like not everyone benefits form capitalism; the film offers a Marxist critique of capitalism. During the closing equilibrium, the audience hopes for change when Sam 22 leaves for earth, but it’s far more disappointing than this.  The edited in mise en scene of the yellow and blue lighting when Sam 2 is going to earth makes his journey seem positive, as they are both bright colours and yellow can have the connotation of happiness. To contrast, Sam’s attempt at telling the world about Lunar Industries doesn’t work as the people on the earth haven’t changed. They call him an ‘illegal immigrant’ and a ‘wacko’. This links to the idea of determinism which the film explores, in this moment, this ideology is supported as Sam’s free will made no difference to the world or Lunar Industries. Plus, the movie also ends on a sad note because the audience know that Sam has a limited time to live. Also, during the ending sequence, the motif of the non-diegetic Eliza arrival countdown is very prominent, and it acts like a ticking time bomb for the Sam’s. This editing builds tension in the audience.

In the opening sequence of ‘Moon’, the editing makes meaning because it is a montage edit that uses documentary footage with an animated sequence made to be an advertisement for the company Lunar Industries. This montage edit and animated sequence provides lots of contrasting information about Lunar Industries. For example, the montage edit shows how Lunar Industries presents themselves as an environmentalist company, but isn’t. The long shot of the greening deserts contrasting to the long shot of polluting factories, with a voice over that says how Lunar Industries is planning on making a positive change, paired with the non-diegetic major piano music, makes Lunar Industries seem like a good and environmentalist company. However, the animated sequence shows that they use the moon to get energy to save the earth, they are swapping one finite resource with another and therefore are not an environmentalist company. This makes them seem untrustworthy to the audience. Their representation of 70% of the population also makes them untrustworthy to the audience, as well as presenting them as corrupt. Despite initially making it seem like they will help everyone, the binary opposition of the east and the west is created. On the globe during the animated sequence, they highlight the 70% of the world as West America, meaning they will only help what the audience assume to be a developed country. The audience might also assume that the previous montage was full of lies, because the long shot/mid shot of the children sorting through rubbish looked like an under developed country that was really struggling, and we get the idea that Lunar Industries might not be helping them. These are ways in which we are shown Lunar Industries as corrupt, making the only dramatic irony in the film as we know that the company is not trustworthy before the Sam’s do. The reason why this is the only dramatic irony in the film is because of the films themes and genre involving secrecy and mystery, we find out information at the same rate as the Sam’s so we can identify with their human like emotion which proves to us that they’re not emotionless clones and that they didn’t deserve to be treated so badly.

During the ending sequence of ‘Under the Skin’ editing makes meaning with the slow cut rate while Laura is running away. Normally in a tense and scary scene, the cut rate is faster, but the film doesn’t need to tell the audience what to feel in this scene with the editing or with the sound (hence why there’s no non-diegetic noises); the scene is scary and horrible by itself. Also, during the ending sequence, there are several editing techniques that portray the idea of calmness, peace and freedom to the audience. For example, the super imposed tree image on Laura when sleeping gives the idea of freedom and calmness in the beauty of nature. This is a Romantics idea that links to the extreme long shot of the motorcyclist standing on the mountain as it’s a reference to the Wanderer above the Sea of Fog painting which is about the sublime and being close to nature, another Romantics reference. During this scene, we consider the binary opposition of human and alien and whether the alien can see the beauty and sublime in nature that humans can. Another example of editing in the ending sequence that shows freedom and calmness is the long duration shot of the snow after Laura has died, as she doesn’t fit in anywhere anymore (not human enough to fit in on earth, and she can’t go back home after feeling empathy), this shot gives the idea of freedom in death for Laura, which is a bitter sweet ending to the film for the audience.

In the middle sequence, the editing makes meaning with the cross fade of Laura in her alien form and Laura in her human form.  They are looking in different directions, which suggests to the audience that they now have different paths in life and new moral principles; Laura is becoming more human and possibly breaking away from the lies that her planet told her about humans. Or, it could show that is looking inside of herself and analysing her identity, she is recognising that she is becoming more human. This message is also shown through mise en scene, as Laura later gets out of her van which is a symbol for her old life and starts to walk. Plus, at the end, when she goes in a van she can’t make it work, showing that she has come too far from her old life to go back again and that she doesn’t belong there anymore. This links to the binary oppositions of human and alien, the fact that Laura belongs to neither of them shows how she fits in no where anymore because of the job she was given; this links to the ideology of capitalism and how it doesn’t benefit everyone such as its workers. Laura’s job took away her identity, and the company of such would have known that would happen if the woman before was also a “failed” alien. It’s suggested that this woman was a “failed” alien because there are links between her and Laura, not only do they look similar, but the close up of the woman’s face at the beginning where she is crying is similar to the close up of Laura holding her human face at the end of the film which is still blinking. This similarity also provides a circular structure to narrative, along with the open ending, as we assume as an audience that they will just bring down another alien.