The function of editing

EDITING FUNCTION

The editing of a film has symbolic importance. Editing creates implicit (suggestive, not directly expressed) meaning between each shot whilst mise en scene and cinematography create meaning within shots.

The Kuleshov Effect.....
takes its name from Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov from the mid-twentieth century. He felt that he montage of scenes  was far more important than any other aspect of filmmaking, making everything else seem irrelevant. In essence, the Kuleshov effect is filling of blanks or connecting the dots. Kuleshov explained that nay shot, even one of an actor sitting at a table with a constant facial expression, when juxtaposed with another shot, this time of a bowl of soup, a woman in a coffin, and a child with a toy bear, the film clip now has a deeper meaning to the audience. The audience can "marvel at the sensitivity of the actor's range". 

Any shot in a film has two values;

1. the meaning of the shot and of itself
- the shot of the man is still a shot of a the man
- the shot of the bowl of soup is still a shot of a bowl of soup 

2. the meaning created when the shot is juxtaposed with another shot
-the shot of the man juxtaposed with the shot of the bowl of soup = suggestive hunger

The idea of the Kuleshov Effect is that editing can shape our perception of the relationships between shots, as well as scenes.