How are the sequences from ‘Pillow talk’ and ‘fringe’ different? Discuss the difference in pace and style of editing as well as the effect the editing has on meaning/the audience’s receptions of the extracts.
In the English language, a Diatonic shift is a phrase used to describe the way the language has changed over a period of years. We can apply this phrase to pillow talk, a romantic comedy from 1959, and Fringe, a US science fiction TV series, from 2008. In these 50 years, film language has shifted dramatically.
In watching both extracts, the obvious difference is the pace of the edit. The extract of Pillow Talk opens with a medium shot of two people talking, and doesn't cut until the conversation is finished (0-24). In the first 10 seconds of fringe, there are 7 cuts. These are close up shots, and both of the men look on edge. Non-digetic mood music is played in the background. All these elements combine and add tension.
The way Pillow Talk “dramatically” starts the extract is, “Remember that girl I told you about? Jan?”(0-10) with a slight zoom towards both characters. Its a minimalist approach, but bearing in mind the main reason for long shots of conversations is because film is expensive. Its much safer, and cheaper to shoot a long take, then try and break it down into smaller shots. This would increase the margin for error. Nowadays, most cameras are digital, meaning that if errors are made, you can simply delete and re-film. This allows film-makers to achieve much more than they could in terms of shot types.
On closer analysis, we notice that there isn't any non- digetic sound in Pillow Talk, the only sound is Digetic. A noticeable difference between the two extracts is the use of communication. In pillow talk, the form of communication, apart from direct speech, is an analogue telephone. This was the technology at the time. On the edit, it uses split screen (30-1.39) to show the conversation instead of cutting back and fourth. Fringe however, uses the latest technology of the time, in a futuristic way. It has its own, “Skype” like program (0-8), and instead of filming a split screen, or cutting back and fourth, we see an over the shoulder shot of a man talking to a computer. This works very effectively, and the effect it has on the audience is that it looks like an efficient, and futuristic way of holding a meeting. This also shows how film language has changed over the years. Split-screen has become outdated. The last film I remember seeing it in was “The Hulk”, and it literally ruined the movie.
The clothes in pillow talk were modern at the time, but now they've become archaic. This isn't necessary the give-away to when it was made, we gather that by the camera format, and use of elongated static shots. As cameras have become smaller, therefore less heavy, it has become easier to get more interesting shots. 1950's cameras weighed tonnes.
The blimp (16-18) in fringe is also a good indication of how much has changed over 50 years. Computers are used to edit films, and some contain cgi, such as the terminator, and inception. Now most films use some form of cgi. In fringe, the blimp in the sky disappears with a phased sound effect. This would not have been possible 50 years ago, as films were literally hand made.
This means that we can stun please the audience. The possibilities are endless to what you can edit into films. Films such as avatar take cgi to the next level, where you really see the wow factor. The audience's reception of cgi films are generally positive. However, 50 years ago Pillow Talk was a cutting edge romantic comedy.
The lighting in Pillow Talk is bright, and clear. However, in Fringe, to add drama, its dark, and very contrasts.
To conclude, these are two very different films. They show how film language has changed over the years, and how pace plays an important part of audience reception, and conveys meaning to the audience.
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