MEMENTO

Editing

Editing is the post-production part of any filmmaking. After the shooting of the film is done, the film editor will select shots from the raw footage, combine them together and arrange them into a sequence. As mentioned y Clayton (2012), a good editing of the film can be called as “The Invisible Art” because it could make the viewer engaged in the film without being aware of the editor’s work if the editing is well-practiced.

There are several techniques can be used in the film editing. First of all, a dramatic scene can be created by manipulating the tempo of the shots. This kind of editing is being called as rhythmic editing, which includes beat, stress, and pace in the editing. It contributes to the atmosphere and the mood of the viewer. This kind of editing often relates to music and sound. Next, we have continuity editing, which is a system of cuts used to create a smooth transition and maintain a continuous and clear narration in the film. It depends on the matching of screen direction, position and the temporal relations of shot to create a contiguous space and time between the successive shots. Besides, we can also use match cuts as one of the film editing technique. It occurs when the cuts of the shot are matched with the action or the subject of the film. It can include the use of long shots, medium shots, and close-up by changing the screen size significantly.

Editing is not just done to fulfill the continuity of the film, it can also be done for alternating the continuity of the film. Jump cuts can be used as one of the editing techniques. This technique can be used to disrupt the continuity of the narration and it could effectively draw the attention to the editing of the film. Montage can also be one of the film editing technique. Unlike continuity editing, this editing often alternates the continuity of the film. It can be referred as a sequence of the film which consists of a series of shots to condense space, time and information. Last but not least, parallel editing or cross-cutting is done by putting together two sets of actions that are happened at the same time. It is used to increase the excitement of the film and it could also bring a lot of attention to the audiences.

Memento (2000)

Synopsis

Lenny (Leonard Shelby) is an insurance inspector who suffers from short-term memory loss after he was attacked by John G who murdered and raped his wife. Although he couldn’t remember a lot, but he will never forget about the incident of John G. His only goal is to take revenge for his wife and kills John G. With this, he was used by a cop who issued his case, Teddy to kill a drug dealer, named Jimmy Grants by convincing him that Jimmy Grants is actually John G. When Lenny realized that he was fooled by Teddy, he lied to himself and targeted Teddy to be the “next” John G after Teddy revealed that his real name is actually John Edward Gammell. Lenny was also used by the Jimmy Grant’s girlfriend, Natalie to get rid of Dodd who was looking for Jimmy Grant’s money. After Lenny helped Natalie, she gave him the information to find the “next” John G (Teddy) and get him killed in an isolated house where Lenny killed Jimmy Grants.

Editing of The Movie

The editing of this movie is very unique. It does not fulfill the continuity of the film and the sequences are pretty much disconnected. A lot of jump cuts were used in this film, especially when it is going to the following scene. Unlike any other movie, the sequences of the story with colour is arranged backward, whereas the storyline with a grayscale overlay is in ascending order. The storyline with the grayscale filter happened before the climax of the whole story. (Barry, 2017) When it reaches the climax, it shows a transition of colour and link the two parts of the storyline. The scene of the grayscale storyline is added every time after the scenes with colours. Why the storyline before the climax is presented in grayscale is because it represents the past. According to Barry (2017), the reason why the storyline after the climax is presented in a reverse manner is because it could bring the audience into the situation of the main character.  

A good matching cut is also being used in this movie, just like any movies. Almost all of the conversation in the film is using matching cut to show the person who is talking by using a different image size significantly. When it wants to show the emotion of the character, a close-up will be used during the conversation. We can see a great example from the scene of Lenny going to Natalie’s house for the first time, which the moment of both of them was arguing. The close-up had shown to the audiences the emotion and feeling of Lenny and Natalie at that moment. We can also see the matching cut that is being used in the conversations of this scene as we can see from the changing of camera angles to show both of them talking to each other, apparently this is not the only scene.

Besides, we can see rhythmic editing when Lenny is looking for the pen before he sees Natalie and they start the argument. A simple action like looking for a pen had being shot in different angles and arrange them together in a really fast pace to bring up the excitement of the scene. Thus, audiences can feel that how nervous that Lenny is during this moment to find a pen so that he could write the truth about Natalie before he forgets about the things that happened earlier.

In conclusion, editing plays a really important part in any film to bring out the intended mood and atmosphere towards the audiences. A good mise-en-scene and mise-en-shot is important to create an interesting film but a good editing would also enhance the narration in a better way and make the film looks more interesting as audiences could enjoy the visual art in the film which is done by editing.

References

Barry. (2017). Memento (2000) : Movie Plot Simplified Ending Explained. Retrieved from https://www.thisisbarry.com/single-post/2017/09/28/Memento-2000-Movie-Plot-Simplified-Ending-Explained.

Clayton, T. (2012). Editing—the invisible art in film. Retrieved from https://dailytrojan.com/2012/02/21/editing-the-invisible-art-in-film/.

Graham, N, W. (2016). Memento Opening Scene - Analysis. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/4iqqzc2l8-_e/memento-opening-scene-analysis/.