In-camera editing is a technique where, instead of
editing the shots in a film into sequence after shooting, the
director or
cinematographer
The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...
instead shoots the sequences in strict order. The resulting "edit" is therefore already complete when the film is developed.
The process takes a lot of planning so that the shots are filmed in the precise order they will be presented. However, some of this time can be reclaimed, as there is no editing, cutting out or reordering scenes later on. When the last scene is filmed by the director or cinematographer, the production is completely finished.
A benefit of the technique, largely now irrelevant due to the rise of
digital video
Digital video is an electronic representation of moving visual images (video) in the form of encoded digital data. This is in contrast to analog video, which represents moving visual images in the form of analog signals. Digital video comprises ...
, is a reduction in the cost of the production. When the cost of film was a significant fraction of the budget, filmmakers used this technique to optimize film usage.
Because of its apparent simplicity, in-camera editing is also popular with new students who may lack experience with editing, or who want to skip the editing step. It can also be a very educational process because of time and organizational skills that are required. The discipline required to plan out each shot is a useful
pedagogical technique. Many introductory video production courses cover the topic of in-camera editing for this very purpose.
The technique may also be used to limit directing and editing interference in a production (often on the part of
producers or financiers) because the film exists only as shot, with no options for editing. Any subsequent editing would require costly
reshoots and pick-ups.
Finally, if the filmmaker does not have access to
film editing
Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film stock, film which increasingly involves the use Digital cinema, of digital ...
equipment (notably, a
non-linear editing system), then in-camera editing may be the only available option.
Notable uses of in-camera editing
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
used the technique, notably in ''
Rope''.
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as Fran� ...
also made use of it in his film ''
Breathless
Breathless may refer to:
Aircraft
*Paradelta Breathless, an Italian paraglider design
Film and television
* Breathless (1960 film), ''Breathless'' (1960 film) (''À bout de souffle''), a French film directed by Jean-Luc Godard
* Breathless (1982 ...
''. Both of these directors helped to create in-camera editing in films and led to the technological advancement of in-camera editing. Steven Spielberg is said to be an ardent fan of this technique.
References
{{Film editing
Film and video technology
Television terminology