The Theory

Professor Carol Vernallis analysed the editing between Music Videos and Hollywood Films. When conducting this research, she idenitified distinct approaches of editing between the two. From this she produced the theory: 'The Kindest Cut: Functions and meaning in music video editing.

She found the main differences between the editing of music videos and Hollywood films is that; Music videos have a unconventional order of shots, it has sometimes obscure and incomplete pathways and the editing can take us away from narratives and reality. This is compared to Hollywood films where the order of shots would be conventional and continous meaning it will draw up a narrative, there would be clear and simple pathways and will give more of an idea about the time and space around the characters. 

Music Videos

As you can see from the snapshots from the music video 'Come a little Closer' By Cage the Elephant, the use of the greenscreen backdrop gives it a sense of an 'infinity background', taking away the sense of reality, time and space from the music video.

Also, one thing she found in the editing of music videos is that visual hools are used to connect non continuous shots which wouldn't happen continuously one after another in real life. The screenshots from the music video 'Eat That Up, Its Good For You' by Two Door Cinema Club are all connected by a 'whip pan' which is used to keep the video fresh and the viewers hooked.

HollyWood Films

With the editing of HollyWood films, the typlical conventions is that there is a clear, single pathway, there is a conventional order of shots and the continuity of the editing draws the viewers into the narrative. These snapshots from the latest 007 film 'Skyfall' demonstrates the conventional order of shots and the narrative made by the continuity of the editing.