Editing Action - The Craft of the Cut - page 199

Figure 11.1 A tracking shot across the side of the bed.
Figure 11.2 A medium shot of Katie putting on a dressing gown as she leaves the room.
Watch the four clips and think about which sections you would like to use in the opening sequence. You should
experiment with your own variation of this scene after completing this chapter, but for now, lets run through
what we used for the final film.
1. Scene 12 Slate 62 Take 5 is a good shot to open with because it establishes the situation straight away. An
incessant thud can be heard on the soundtrack as Katie sleeps and the camera gradually tracks across the
side of the bed to reveal the source of the sound. Select this clip and play it in the Event Browser. Most of
the action we need is covered in this clip, and one option would be to let it play up until the point where
Katie grabs the camera and starts for the door. We could then cut to the angle from outside the door as Katie
puts on her gown and goes to investigate. Even though the action of the scene would be served by using just
these two shots, we would be missing out on some nice coverage. The tracking shot across the front of the
bed as Katie wakes offers some great opportunities to milk the suspense a little longer, as does the angle of
her peaking through the doorframe. Let's see if we can put these to good use.