When The Editing is Bad on Purpose
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2020
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For his new film I'm Thinking of Ending Things director Charlie Kaufman subtly breaks a lot of filmmaking conventions and rules to create an uncomfortable and unsettling atmosphere. In this video essay I analyze the movie's editing and how Kaufman and his editor use editing to effect the audience.
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Thanks for watching! If you liked this breakdown, here's a playlist of all my essays on editing: ua-cam.com/play/PLXJ3434wIyxPdSdn44VgSzhVCJPwKHrbE.html
Excellent work on this. I'm impressed. It took me a little time to digest this film after I viewed it. As per the usual, Kaufman has crafted a puzzle and you need to be up for the challenge as a viewer
But I was so absorbed in the web of characters and projected fictions that I completely ignored the editing (except where it was obvious). Not my normal way of viewing movies!
Thanks for bringing me back. ;)
what is the track you scored with?? please
Worthy video Thomas . . thanks
The editing in this film is brilliant, is almost like when you remember things in your head, not in real life.
I never thought about like that. Damn, that is SO true! That’s literally a perfect way of describing this film.
Yes, I believe that's what they were going for. The events in the movie are contorted memories of old-janitor-Jake. Like in dreams, the other characters are caricatures of people he knew/knows (his parents, the high schoolers) or embodiments of who he wishes he would have become (Lucy, the nobel prize winning Jake). Every situation seems fluid but lacks continuity because of the cuts. Great film.
Exactly
@@polarbear8445 exactly
Yeah. It’s the constant change of the narrator’s outer clothes that got me.
"Charlie Kaufman and his editor" -- It seemed odd to leave out Robert Frazen's name, especially in a video entirely about editing.
The cult of director is still powerful
He cut out his name ;)
@@ezra6094 confoundingly stupid move on his part
Ah. Cmon. Give the guy a break.
I really don’t think you understood the most crucial reason why the editing in the film is the way it is. Sure it helps to accentuate the unsettling tone, but the editing is mainly the way it is to mimic how the human mind is always thinking ahead and interrupting itself when thinking of a fantasy. The young woman and Jake aren’t 2 different “characters” as you say, but 2 different parts of the same mind. Jake’s mind. Her thoughts are an extension of Jake’s thoughts and when they talk to each other, it’s a combination of Jake imagining how this relationship in his head would play out, and him having debates and discussions with himself about topics like movies, plays, his views on life and time, etc. When they argue, it’s Jake arguing with himself and doubting his views on certain topics and moments in his life. It’s a form of his own self criticism/self hatred. When you think of a topic in your mind, you don’t think of each sentence from beginning to end individually, your mind is constantly interrupting and changing the thoughts that pop up within it. It’s the reason the young woman’s clothes change color. Its the reason Jake is seemingly able to read her thoughts, because they are his own real world thoughts seeping into the fantasy that he’s trying to suppress. It’s the reason characters seem to teleport from place to place. It’s the reason Jake seems to get distracted by things in the real world such as the swing set, or how the word “wow” is an all purpose exclamation. Jake is constantly changing details - whether big or small - about the fantasy. Like I mentioned before it’s why the characters clothes change, but it’s also why his parents change age, and why the band aid on his dads head is switching sides. Jake is forgetting little details and trying to find different places in time to place his fantasy.
Yeah. Even his iteration of the edits didn't punctuate any of the points he was trying to make, which, I get the points in it of themselves but he did not achieve them with any of his examples. Felt like he picked two random scenes and tried to retro-fit an edit that clashes with the actual scene itself.
With all due respect, you're explaining the film, while Thomas is explaining the subconscious impact of the subtle changes in Editing.
Well, for his start and stand point he needs to expose these characters as two different characters. (It doesn't affect overall, if you guide with the idea "They're same" or with they idea "they're different" you get same results as you have to show a given space to each one, speaking of the editing of their interactions.
I think Thomas, and everyone watching who's seen the movie, understands that perfectly well. He was just trying to avoid spoilers, and assuming that his audience were smart enough to understand how the editing technique related to the films twist.
Seems like some rationalizing in the comments above, but I think you’ve identified a key facet that the content creator may have missed.
If they were omitting the thematic angle to the editing to avoid spoilers, they would have at least alluded to it in general terms. And how many people are watching this before they’ve seen the actual movie?
This movie makes me feel bad about the people in my daydreams
that dinner scene was soo intense... better than horror movies
Charlie Kaufman’s style of horror always scares me more than any traditional slasher hahah
//. thats true
toni collete is fucking terrifying if she wants to be.
the 2nd most intense family dinner scene with Toni collette
That shot where Jessie Buckley makes eye contact with you by looking directly into the camera while reciting the final verse of the poem? Kind of freaked me out, and that's when I was truly enthralled.
Toni collete is so amazing in this movie. I litterally shed tears while watching her, i thought her character is a poor mother with deteriorated memories.
Very true. As disturbed as I was by her performance, I also couldn’t help but feel sad for her. She was such a 3D character!
Kaufamn is a literal genius in this film. The camera work is ridiculously amazing. I've watched this film 5 times now and I've figured it out. It's the saddest, most self-hating film I've ever seen. I'm addicted to it. The level of disparity, longing, self-hatred, regret and suffocating nostalgia. Pray we are never the Janitor!
You should try reading the book lol
Try synecdoche
*I’m thinking of Editing things✂️🎞
Did anyone notice that random shot in the first car sequence where it seems like the camera is moving outside the car and the Young Woman turns as if she's noticing something fly past the car? I think about that shot a lot and why it was there.
She looks at the camera, and it's right before she starts the poem. And at the end of the poem she looks back at the camera again. I don't know what it means but it kind of bookends the poem.
I'm glad you pointed that out. i found that very specific shot unsettling when i first watched the film, it really affected me in a weird way. I couldn't stop thinking about it, I kept wondering "why was that scene even there?" i still don't know what it means but it was supposed to be there even if it doesn't feel "right", and it's a Charlie Kaufman's film so it's ok to be intrigued by it. or completely confused and having no idea of what's going on.
@@user-vx1ut3dv5d When Lucy talks to the janitor about Jake near the end of the movie, she says he was staring at her. I think the moments where she looks behind herself represents how she reacted to being stared at by Jake...
She does it a couple of times, I think she is looking at Janitor/Jake. The scene where she recited the poem she looks at the camera, looking at Jake as she speaks.
In the book there are multiple times where someone is watching her through a window, I think in the movie she catches glimpses of this figure outside the car.
I'm Thinking of Editing Things.
The editor's name is Robert Frazen,
just for those who were also annoyed that the guy was only refered as 'kaufman's editor' throughout the entire video.
Solid essay, man. As always.
Personally, I absolutely loved the intentional "bad" cuts of I'm Thinking of Ending Things. This is a deliberate choice from Kaufman and I think not only does it add to the unsettling, uncomfortable nature of the tone of the film, but it directly relates to how the characters are experiencing the world around them through their perspective. Clearly, Kaufman did not want to address what the film is actually about, and I believe any audience member will come up with their own interpretation, but I believe the editing is rooted in the juxtaposition of the two perspectives in the film: Jessie Buckley's character, and Jesse Plemons character. Their unending conversation (both internally and externally) alongside the editing technique are messing with time to give credence to where their relationship will inevitably end up: drifting apart through physical death or boredom. I try and support this opinion of mine with the example of the topic that Jesse Plemons character brings up through a David Foster Wallace Book (A Supposedly Fun Thin I'll Never Do Again - GREAT READ BTW). Both the title and subject he interjects into the conversation give meaning to what potentially is happening to them in the story. The editing is paced in a way to give it not only a sense of irony, but to itself be ironic in how it's skipping through time in telling us the story. Super Meta, maybe, but I think it works.
Thanks again for this video, man! Glad to support, excited for more!
Great insight, great comment.
@@roel.vinckens Thank you!
@@JonathanWymer The pleasure is all mine. Your comment made me go back to the movie AND David Foster Wallace.
So... Thank you!
I'm pretty sure the ending and meaning is actually relatively obvious and agreed upon to a certain extent. Just watch it twice. Most everyone is already in agreement of what the subject of this movie is and how this subject is framed to make this plot
I'm Thinking of Ending Things' Good-Bad for my mental health. Nevertheless, Great video!
I loved the strange editing in the film, but these "fixed" edits of yours made it feel even stranger to me!
Yes! I totally like the flow on original, I don't mind the non continually cuts between the scene, which is strange cuz it feels and looks right. Lol but thanks to the vid I finally notice the jump cuts
The point of the unsettling editing really is that it's in the janitors head and he's creating the world as it goes. It's like a dream. Everything seems real but when you really look you notice there are pieces missing or something isn't quite right
The moment I saw that skip in time during the edit, I knew nothing can be real anymore - the narrator is no longer reliable. Thanks Thomas for pointing this out to everyone! Most people don’t see it and even if they do, they aren’t as bothered (as I am) about it. It’s hard to appreciate the art of the cut esp if viewers have never edited before. Because as editors, we do check the cut frame by frame countless times so most things aren’t by accident
the editing was 100% intentional. I mean it's charlie kaufman, he's gonna hire the right people
Thank you for this video! I've been editing for almost a decade, and professionally in the past few years and this gave me a lot to think about that I didn't pick up on. The scene with the invisible dog petting really threw me off!
4:43 The reason it was cut like this is that it could be a possible foreshadowing letting us know this is the same person in the car. The voice without a face almost comes across like this is all in his head; which it was.
Unlike Bohemian Rhapsody which is award winning bad-bad editing...
This was a really well-done video essay.
A side note I'd like to make to filmmakers out there when watching content like this about subverting expectations in editing and making deliberate and intentional choices to further the story narrative or feeling... is that these filmmakers also know the "rules" completely and entirely. Please, learn the rules and don't just make a bad film and claim you're subverting our expectations. Learn the rules and then learn how to effectively break them.
this guy has mastered the "chill af" demeanor that is a hallmark of working editors
Love your channel! Keep rocking!
Really incredible just how fine that line is, between something feeling like a mistake vs it feeling deliberate. Must have taken a lot of trial and error, and certainly takes a lot of guys to just keep at it until you get it just right.
Genius essay once again. Nicely done! This is a subtly phenomenal film ☺️
Pretty cool breakdown. Thinking back on the film after it was finished and I was realizing what I had seen, my feeling was that the guy was such a sad sack that he couldn't even have a good fantasy life. He wish the story happened, but he kept sabotaging it by having the imaginary girlfriend notice flaws and question things that should have been perfect.
Some of the best and unexpected time jumps I've ever seen were in Beau Is Afraid.
The editing of it is incredible. It feels neurotic, wrong, crazy, insane, but it does makes absolute sense in the world of the movie.
Are you planning on doing any videos on Beau Is Afraid?
To be honest, your two seconds didn't quite achieve what you intended to express, on the contrary, it costs the continuity of the sequence. That wide shot seems redundant as they are already IN the barn, and having conversation inside, and you cutting it back with a wide shot is just odd.
Exactly. I'm afraid this essay missed the mark.
You're one of the best creators on YT man. Always a treat to look something up and find out you did a video on it.
The uncomfortable time slips in the cuts were on purpose to show that this is what's happening in the mind of the main character. None of this is real and when we think we time jump and slip just like this. We can span the course of a whole day with great detail in a matter of seconds. So in my opinion upon watching this movie a second time all the editor's choices in "uncomfortable" cut choices make perfect sense. Therefore, people like us notice it but the regular film watch doesn't but FEELS something is off.
These choices were not mistakes but done with intent.
i love how u used the same aspect ratio from the movie, nice touch :)
Thanks!
Good essay and great video
My theory is that it's not exactly trying to make you feel uncomfortable it's more trying to convey the detachment of the characters to the situation. It's like the editing (substituting the viewer) doesn't care enough to focus on the subject matter and rushes through the inconsequential dialogue, relating us to how the characters feel.
I watched this film on one of those TV screens that makes everything look like 60 fps, adding another layer of discomfort, and perhaps revealing the best medium for experiencing it.
This movie was great, I got misty eyed during the part when the girl was talking to the old janitor telling him that their interaction didn’t matter to her. It was like he formulated all of these fake ideas about her in his mind for his whole life, and nothing even existed. He didn’t even exist in her mind. Then, the part when the pig animation was leading him was symbolizing him being led into the afterlife. Not sure how that is how others interpreted that part, but that is how I saw that
I love how he keeps the ratio of his video like the ratio in im thinking of ending things.
Thanks for the insights, really helped to open my eyes on editing overall.
On a second note, what track are you using at 8:00?
Found it! Hans Johnson - Baroque
Watching this movie is like dissociating over and over again, and this shouldn't be a good thing BUT IT IS
Me encantan mucho tus videos, saludos desde México
Is the thumbnail and title change a way to experiment with this format? Reminds me of newer film video essays I've been seeing
I really enjoyed this film. it kinda lost me at the end when it turned into a weird dance movie/dream sequence. But I guess that's what it was trying to do, so kudos?
(I ended up looking up an explanation to the janitor dance sequence and the play/awards sequence. I understand their purpose, but I still didn't enjoy it the same way I enjoyed the rest of the film)
The first three quarters of the film I'd awards a 8.5 as a deeply unsettling movie, I just wish it had stuck the landing and gave us something satisfying to watch for the ending. Naked old man tripping as he embraced death was a pretty fun consolation prize
Why should you receive an ending that you want? The film wasn’t offering you a service meant to satisfy you, the film was never following conventional rules, you just liked some moments of divergence and disliked others.
@@redmondkerr7551 why shouldn't I receive an ending I want?
@@redmondkerr7551 I think an ending that satisfies is pretty important for a films last impression.
Instead of me loving and recommending I'm left at odds and honestly can't recommend it to anyone
Just wanted to add that this man is so handsome and his voice so soothing 🤗🤗
I was very impressed with this movie because I love Kaufman, but with him, the focus is always (understandably) on the screenplay. This was his first movie where I felt the screenplay wasn't necessarily the driving force, and the editing (as well as the performances) were a big part of that. Ultimately, it felt more concerned with established a certain feeling and atmosphere than getting ideas across.
Might just be me, but I thought the cuts to you were a little distracting even when the distraction was intentional. Otherwise great video!
In terms of a FORMULA for editing: the book „cutting rhythms from Karen pearlman“ is the closest I know for being an editing formula. AND ITS AMAZING!!!
this movie is so perfect in every way that it doesn't deserve to share the same streaming service as the kissing booth 2
true
I really need to rewatch this film
Did you?
Anyone know what the song at the beginning and end is? It's really catchy.
0:51 What are you saying? A picture can sad without me being sad in the picture? :)
This editing style meant to be like that, There's no technical editing issue at all. This is one of the best Piece of Visual ART.
I‘m thinking of editing things
0:50 anyone know what that music is from?
Great video how did u think ITOET ranks among Kaufman’s work
My personal from worst to best is: john malkavich, adaptation, itoet, anomilsa, esotsm, synecdoche.
Honestly this movie is one of the best movies i've watched recently, it was perfectly made, charlie Kaufman is one the best, this movie is really important to watch, it has great dialogue, great cinematography, great performance, The idea is just 👌👍🎬, i think this movie has a lot of messages and senses like regret for ex...... Etc, disappointed it was not nominated, the book also is great, this is an amazing movie.
I need to watch a Thomas Flight film please
took me forever to understand the title of this video
I really enjoyed the editing. That’s was the first thing that stuck out to me in the film. It’s strange and disorganized
Thomas likes the word Rules
YES! Nobody else is talking about this aspect of the movie for some reason, thank you! Great video
I've never seen the film and have never heard of it. But upon watching the first few seconds of the clips you showed, I can already guess what kind of mood the filmmaker is trying to invoke in me as a viewer.. damn, that's some good editing+directing.
I could tell that the editing was the main reason for the foreboding, off-kilter feeling this film emanated in its first half (the second half has plenty of other things contributing to it!), but it's always great to see a detailed breakdown like that!
Concerning your video style, mind if I ask what made you start talking with the camera, rather than having just voice-over? I suppose it's less work to not have to edit footage to go with your voice for everything? If so, very understandable, but I would then consider setting up the camera in a way where you can talk more directly at it. Your face was often slightly cut off from the frame and the sideways position just seemed a bit awkward.
Great video still and keep up the good work!
I've started experimenting with it for a few reasons. 1. I think it's nice to have a more personal connection with my audience, letting them see who I am. 2. It allows me to illustrate certain things more clearly. Sometimes when you're describing a certain idea if the clip shown isn't a clear representation of that, I think showing a random clip can be confusing or distracting.
I appreciate the feedback, if you're talking about the section at 5:01 being cut off, then I'd recommend rewatching that, you might see why I did it that way. If that's not what you're talking about, I like the side angle because I think it feels like you're there with my while I'm editing, but if you don't like that effect then I totally understand!
@@ThomasFlight Hi, yes, I got the metacommentary there! I just found the position in general (not just there) a bit awkward and distracting, but this is, of course, ultimately a matter of taste. To be fair I might have found it awkward also simply because I'm used to previous videos of yours with only voiceover. I just figured since you are clearly trying different things out - and with these things it's trial and error - you might appreciate the feedback. Thanks for the response :)
Okay, good to know you found it awkward elsewhere! I definitely do appreciate the feedback, I'm still trying tto to figure out if I like it and how I want to do it, so hearing what my audience likes is helpful. Cheers, and thanks for watching!
I'm thinking of ending things, more like I'm thinking the Oscars will snub this movie... oh...
This is fantastic! It's one of those things that you notice, but it's hard putting your finger on it.
As old Mr Plinkett would say: _you didn't notice it, but your brain did_
That's the beauty of editing!
I knew the movie was playing with continuity but I never realized that the editing was also playing with us. Great insight Thomas and can't wait for the next video.
This is one of the movies that was absolute brilliant, but that I will never ever watch again.
The editing in this film was brilliant. However, it did not need to last a whole 2 hours. It was so long that I felt like I was going to throw up.
This is the saddest movie I’ve ever seen and I relate too much to it..
great vid as usual thomas! p.s. you are so pretty
I’m a simple woman, I see Toni Collette in the thumbnail and I click.
... the ad came right in the middle of your sample alt edit. Kind of ruins the effect!
Yeah sorry I had left on UA-cam's automatic ad placement. Fixed it. Thanks for letting me know!
I got my girlfriend to suffer through this with me, now to see if I can get her to last through Valhalla Rising.
Just got done watching this movie. Definitely one of the weirdest yet best movies i have watched
This movie perfectly exemplifies the quote “it insists upon itself”
my guy edited his video to make its 9:59 seconds long lmfao what is this uncomfortableness im feeling rn
Yeah to be frank, I think you are ascribing a value judgement on deliberate creative choices. This film's syntax is psychedelic (as in manifesting the main character's psyche), so trying to analyze it in a traditional narrative sense and adhering to it as the "correct way" is going to be frustrating and odd, because the character whose head the film inhabits is who he is. It's more useful to think of "correct/incorrect" editing as a function of story and language, do they complement, do they serve each other? This is a film that masterfully tells multiple layers of story through visual language, and the experience of watching it and feeling what you feel is deliberate and purposeful, reminiscent of a Lynch film.
I'm not saying the editing is bad...
I'm saying it breaks conventions which is GOOD. That's what gives it the psychedelic syntax you describe).
There are rules to editing, created and codified by Walter Murch. The best part is that the rules are prioritized in order of importance, with the highest being emotion of the scene- the one rule you can't break, and all other rules are subservient to communicating the emotion of the scene. So yes, there are rules, and the rules tell you exactly when to break the rules.
Thank you for waiting until the film was available on streaming platforms. Most of the world lives in countries where cinemas will only screen shitty superhero blockbusters and comedy flicks. I don't even have access to Netflix, but I can always download the film via torrent :)
hey he was in breaking bad
don't forget about sound! the constant lack of coherence between the visual and aural frame is very upsetting
What do you mean?
The sound design is also fantastic, but that could be its own video. Too much to tackle at once.
I feel terrible saying this, but this film bored me so much I had to watch it in 3 seperate parts 3 different times over a course of 2 and a half months. But God, I absolutely LOVE the films aspect ratio.
This movie was so confusing I almost understood none of it...
Anybody else who got Martin Scorsese Masterclass Ad...Almost liked before watching the real video😁
i can't be the only one who thought your edits made the scenes even more jagged and akward
Sorry, I had to pause the video mid-sentence because I wasn't sure if the music was from this video or from another tab, it's just too loud and distracting.
nahh
Just finnished watching the movie. I understand nothing!
i thought i was gonna see some bad editing. misread the title. akward movie. kinda liked it.
I love Charlie Kaufman but this one fell flat for me. For me it felt like a perfect case of “just because you meant to edit or film something a certain way as an artistic choice doesn’t make it good or enjoyable to watch”
😎🙏💯
I fucking hate how hot Thomas is, like bro why are you so gorgeous I’m tryna learn something
Kauffman and his editor is so insulting. Say his name, he's not a dog.
This film is sooooooo Criterion.
what if the guy who edited this was jsut bad at it? i think that would be funny i think
When an untrained film critic doesn't understand filmmaking craft or technique.
Why you Didn't make the whole video in 4:3 instead? Like there's blackbars on 95% of the whole video
The editor has a name dude, come on...
Yeah it was a dumb oversight I feel bad.
It hurts to watch 30 second in.
Good essay, I never considered that could be beneficial towards your film.
Damn, you´re handsome af!