The Importance Of Editing In The Film Notorious

There are many techniques used in films that help to strengthn the plot and rmphasize a certain theme. Usually, to most viewers, these camera techniques go seemingly unnoticed. Yet, this ability to fly under the radar ensures the success of the style, as smooth transitions and clear storytelling are hallmarks of the editing process known as continuity editing. One approach of continuity editing is known as point of view editing. Basically, the viewer is able to see a scene from a character’s perspective. Notably, point of view editing plays a significant role in the film Notorious. With the repetition of point of view throughout the film, Notorious utilizes point of view as a vital aspect of the film, as it provides clues to the viewer, heightens

To illustrate, there are several scenes in the film that use point of view editing. One example is when Alexander watches as Devlin and Alicia talk at the party. From Alexander’s point of view, the two are innocently greeting each other. However, when the camera zooms in, it shows Alicia inconspicuously slipping Devlin the key to the cellar, unbeknownst to Alexander. In addition, there is a similar of view shot when Alexander sees Devlin and Alicia kissing near the cellar. Although they wanted Alecander to see them kissing to hide the fact that they were just intruding in the cellar, from Alexander’s point of view it seems as if he is catching them in an affair. Both of these examples are analogous to Alexander’s scene in the cellar. Particularly, like most point of view shots, the scenes in Notorious all add a certain level of depth to the film. By being placed in a character’s perspective, the viewer not only sees the overall picture, but also what is going on in the character’s mind. For example, when Alicia is slipping the key to Devlin, the viewer is obviously aware of the trickery, but until the point of view shot, they do not know whether or not Alexander saw the handoff. Similarly, when watching Devlin and Alicia kiss near the cellar, the viewer knows that they are trying to deceive Alexander, but they do not know whether Alexander believed their sham. In both of these scenes, once the camera shows Alexander’s point of view, the viewer gains the knowledge of the character – that is, they know the angle of the situation that the character is seeing. Simply put, the character’s point of view is not always