Modern Family - Editing

Modern Family- Flash Mob  

Cross cutting is cutting back and forth between two or more events or actions that are taking place at the same time but in different places. Cross-cutting is used to build suspense or to show how different pieces of the action are related. Modern Family uses this technique often when the illustrating a story being told by the character that is being ‘interviewed’. This gives the audience a visual on the tale that's being backed up by dialogue.

 Close up is a shot showing a detail, like only the face or hands. Whereas a cutaway is a cut away from the primary subject to something the filmmaker has decided is equally or more relevant at that time. Often cutaways consist of shots showing the reaction of one character to another. This is often used to compress time in what appears to be a seamless manner. This again is another technique which is usually created to emphasis the emotion from the character that helps to build up a documentary experience.

Camera shots are part of the subject matter that is viewed and filmed by the camera. In this particular clip, there is a juxtaposition if different camera shots. This is show when footage is shown through a mobile phone and then flickers between the staged camera shots that look as if they’ve been shot from a distance. This looks as if the director has collected different footage to construct the scene.    

A transition is an easy way for one shot changes to the next. Usually created through layering of images. To add to the effect of a documentary, Modern Family don’t actually use such editing skills as it would detract from the raw camera shots and angles that assist to the production of modern family.      

Modern Family is an American television comedy series, which follows a family and records their antics. Although a scripted show, is made to look like a documentary. This is a style called ‘mocumentary’ where the fictional characters talk directly into the camera during many situations that arise throughout the series. This is created through Editing that is the process of rearranging, adding and/ or removing sections of video clips. This is all part of the post production.