Slow cutting is a film editing technique characterized by frequent
lengthy shots. Though it depends on context, it is estimated that any shot longer than about fifteen seconds will seem rather slow to many modern-day viewers, especially those who are accustomed to mainstream Western movies, where slow cuts are uncommon.
Slow cutting can be used to establish a mood before
fast cutting injects energy. Slow cutting may also be used in scenes of calm or reflection, and filmmakers can use slow cutting to slow down the pace, just as the second movement of a symphony or concerto typically does.
Films and television
Notable films that use the slow cutting technique are: ''
Citizen Kane'', ''
Russian Ark'',
''
2001: A Space Odyssey'',
''
The Prisoner of Zenda'', ''
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'', ''
The Adventures of Robin Hood
''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Epic film, epic swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and written by Norman Reilly Ra ...
'', ''
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'', ''
Grapes of Wrath'', ''
His Girl Friday'', ''
Mildred Pierce'', ''
Treasure Island'', ''
Darby O'Gill and the Little People'', ''
Psycho'', ''
The Omen
''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Sp ...
'', ''
Rambo: First Blood Part II'', ''
Robocop'',
and ''
A Clockwork Orange''.
American director
Ken Burns used slow cutting for his television
documentary series about the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
.
Directors
Most of the early films directed by
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni ( ; ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents", ''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and '' ...
use slow cutting.
Other directors known for the technique include:
George Marshall,
John Stahl,
Edmund Goulding,
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor ( ; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer, producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO Pictures, RKO when David O. Selzn ...
,
John Farrow
John Villiers Farrow, Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic), KGCHS (10 February 190427 January 1963) was an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Spending a considerable amount of his career in the United States, he was nomina ...
, and
Ernst Lubitsch.
See also
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Long take
*
Motion picture terminology
*
Fast cutting
*
Slow cinema
Slow cinema is a genre of art cinema characterised by a style that is minimalist, observational, and with little or no narrative, and which typically emphasizes long takes.Steven RoseTwo Years At Sea: little happens, nothing is explained ''The Guar ...
References
Further reading
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Cinematic techniques
Articles containing video clips