Scene analysis
The fastest way to learn to edit is to see how others edit. Not as a viewer, but as an editor: counting shots, noticing where the cuts fall and asking yourself why. This lesson gives you a method for doing it with any film, series or video.
How to watch like an editor
- First time, as a viewer: what did you feel? What do you remember?
- Second time, with no sound: picture only. Count the shots and notice the size of each one.
- Third time, sound only: close your eyes. What is the sound telling you? Where are the J-cuts and L-cuts?
- Fourth time, frame by frame at the cuts that catch your attention.
The breakdown template
| No. | Length | Shot | Angle / movement | What happens | Sound | Why it cuts here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 s | WS | Eye level, static | She walks into the kitchen | Rain, door | Establish |
| 2 | 2 s | ECU | High angle | Envelope on the table | The rain continues | Direct attention |
| 3 | 3 s | CU | Eye level, slow dolly in | She recognizes the handwriting | Music comes in (J) | Emotion |
You can download this template as a PDF from templates.
Questions to ask yourself
- What's the tightest shot in the scene, and at what moment does it come?
- How long are the shots at the beginning and at the end? Does the pace speed up?
- Who gets more close-ups? Whose scene is it?
- Is the axis respected? If it's crossed, why?
- Are there reaction shots? What do they tell you that the dialogue doesn't?
- What information does the sound give you that the picture doesn't?
Examples to analyze
Some types of scene that are studied in every film school, and that you'll find in plenty of films:
- A tense conversation at a table: notice how the shots get tighter as the tension rises and when the tight close-up appears.
- A chase: cross-cutting between the one fleeing and the one chasing, shots that keep getting shorter and the sound tying everything together.
- A training or passage-of-time sequence (a montage): short shots over music, usually with match cuts.
- A long take: there are no cuts. How is attention directed? With camera and actor movements, and with focus changes.
- The first scene of a series: how long does it take to introduce the main character, and how does it do it?
If you find a scene with footage available for practice (some productions and editing contests release their raw footage), edit it yourself before watching the final version. Comparing your cut with the professional one is one of the best lessons there is.
Analyze what you see on social media too
Apply the same method to a reel that hooked you: how many cuts are there in the first three seconds? What's the hook? When does the first text appear? The best creators also edit with intention, even in vertical.
- Four viewings: as a viewer, without sound, sound only and frame by frame.
- Break it down in a table: shot, length, sound and reason for the cut.
- Always ask why it cuts at that moment.
Your turn: break down a two-minute scene
Pick a scene from a film or series you like.
- Do the four viewings.
- Fill in the breakdown template shot by shot.
- Write three sentences about what makes the scene work.