Certain editing techniques can alter the viewing experience.
Though recording a scene is as simple as pointing and shooting with a camera, most successful directors understand that the art of filmmaking is much more complicated. Understanding basic technique is essential to effective filmmaking. By employing a variety of technical and artistic cinematic techniques, filmmakers are able to subtly convey emotions and advance the story while taking advantage of the visual medium.
Framing the Shot
When a character is onscreen in a movie, his size within the frame determines what type of shot is being used. For example, a "long shot" features his entire body while a "medium shot" is from the waist up. Different shots have different effects on the audience. For example, a closeup---one in which the audience may see a character's face filling the frame---is much more intimate, and allows the audience to connect with the character on a more personal level than if he were off in the distance.
Other types of shots can elicit more emotions---for example, a "Dutch angle," also known as a "canted frame," is a shot in which the camera is tilted at an angle. This type of shot may be used to convey confusion, dizziness or madness. A low-angle shot, in which the camera is low to the ground and pointed upward, may be used to make something appear large or imposing.
Editing
Just as important as the material a director films is the way he edits it together. Long takes---shots that do not cut away for a significant amount of time---can be used to raise tension or increase realism, while scenes with short, rapidly edited shots may convey fast-paced action.
The way shots are edited together can also help the audience make inferences about what is happening. For example, you may follow a shot of a character looking out the window with a shot of what she is looking at. By cutting back to her reaction, you convey her feelings to the audience without having her say a word.
Similarly, a montage may be used to express something complex in a short amount of time. This is a series of related shots in a sequence that use the visual images to convey what is happening---a common example is a training montage, in which the audience sees a character progressively improving at a given task from one shot to the next.
Other Techniques
Filmmakers rely on countless other techniques in their craft. Unstable handheld cameras may be used to make action sequences appear more realistic, as though the cameraman were recording something actually happening. Sound is another factor---one technique is to manipulate what the audience perceives as "diagetic" sound. Diagetic sound is sound that comes from the world of the film---something that the characters could hear, like a car horn or dialogue. Non-diagetic sound includes narration or the soundtrack---the filmmaker may use your expectations and assumptions of what is diagetic to surprise you.
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