DEATHMATCH

 DEATHMATCH [| Edit] [| 0] [| 2] [|…]   In this challenge you and your team will defend either **//Run Lola, Run// or //Memento// as the best edited film of all time. Use your new knowledge of specific film editing techniques to support your arguments (and tear down your opponent's film). In addition, feel free to add your own thoughts about what makes the editing so** **perfect.**


 * You must have two responses on this page - one of your own, one in response to someone else (so you might need to come back later).**
 * You must precede your responses with** your name written in another color **.**


 * Hint: screenshots.**


 * Important Film Terms for Editing:**

**Continuity / Discontinuity**
Concepts in **Bold,** we covered in class and should be used in this discussion. Correct use of other concepts (not in bold) we haven't gotten to yet will be considered for your ranking in this challenge.
 * =**Match Cuts**= || =**Temporal**= || =**Spatial**= || =**Other**= ||
 * **Match on Action** || Flashback || **Parallel Editing** || Jump Cut ||
 * Match on Idea || Flashforward || **Cross Cutting** || Fade ||
 * Rope Match || Ellipsis || **Intercutting** || **Dissolve** ||
 * **Graphic Match** || **Montage** ||  || **180 Degree Rule** ||
 * **Eyeline Match** ||  ||   ||   ||
 * //Other//? ||  ||   ||   ||

Diego: Alright to start off I believe that run lola run uses some great editing cuts and techniques to progress the story. A big technique that they use often is parallel editing. In fact they do this in three parts, which separates the movie into basically 2 flashbacks and the current time. Using parallel editing they describe the three different ideas that she has for helping Manni out, yet they make these different sections clean enough so the viewer understands that they were actually just seeing her thought process right after she hangs up the call from Manni. Therefore, using this parallel editing technique the story progresses, but can be take back to her thinking after she hangs up the phone, back to where the director wants it to go. Spencer(reply to Diego): Alain: I agree with Diego, and to support him, I also believe that Run Lola Run includes effective use of Cross Cutting, such as when each time Lola got close to Manni. The screen would change between the two characters, with Manni walking towards the supermarket and Lola running around the corner. As they got closer, a split screen shot is used. This builds suspense to the maximum. Also, in the first run, Manni seems to be looking off screen and straight at Lola as the split screen is in effect(not sure what the term is). Run Lola Run also follows the 180 Degree Rule, as it stays on the left side of Lola and the right of Manni from the point where they split screen until they meet. The use of different lighting also shows different scenes and situations, as there is a flashback of Lola and Manni in a bed, in which the screen is red. In each run, there is also a shot of the father and the housewife talking, which is filmed in black and white. These demonstrate the differences in time and when they are taking place. Andy: I would agree with Alain, but clearly he did not watch the great and much more awesome film Memento, fact is if you are talking about flashbacks and flashfowards then Memento is a much better example. I felt like the black and white in Run Lola Run really didn't contribute to anything, it felt out of place and odd. However with Memento there is a clear purpose to the doing of black and white, "showing the differences in time and when they are taking place" much better. Steven : I concur with Alain and Diego; Run Lola Run uses more sophisticated editing in order to enhance the story. I want to add to that by pointing out that very often in Run Lola Run, many still shots are put together to form a sort of backstory. This is done several times throughout the film, often with the same character. The same character have various backstories depending on which run they are in. For example, the old lady's backstory in the first run is that her child was taken away from her by social security, and she had stolen a baby from a park. In the second run, the woman wins the lottery and lives a happy life. Each series of photo shots is roughly 15-20 still photos. Many of the series of photo shots break the 180 degree rule. Many of the photos are like jump cuts from one to another. These jump cuts seem are good for the backstories as they seem to speed up time. Another interesting thing that Run Lola Run has is a match cut whenever she is running down the stairs. When the camera goes in to the mother room, we see a cartoon version of Lola in the TV screen, and the camera slowly pushes towards the TV. This provides us with a simple graphical transition between the two shots, and is important because one is reality and the other is an animation.

Andy: Y'all are clearly all crazy, fact is of all of the things we covered in class, the movie Run Lola Run doesn't even come close when you look at the movie Memento. You may ask Why? Well just think of awesome parallel editing that took place as well as the cross cutting. The jumps between black and white are cross cutting at it's finest example. For those of you who didn't know, the black and white and the color cross cutting really messed with the audience's mind. I don't think there is a "real" name for the backward sequences but i guess you will just that cross cutting, it is done in a way that it's never done before. There were also great things in Memento, such as the flashbacks and the flashforwards, not only did it really mess with the viewers, it also added to the mood of the film, the mystery. Just like the Russian film maker we saw in class, the director of Memento did not care for the film's continuity, he wanted the viewers to figure it out for himself. So clearly Memento is a much better film showing of all of these film techniques that we covered in class.

(whoops sorry about whose stuff i accidentally deleted)

Alain: Andy, you make some great points, but is the disregard of the continuity truly a positive thing? If you purposefully confuse the audience, it makes the story harder to understand. Also, Momento actually had a backwards continuity, since all the scenes were shown before the previous scene in one sequence, and in the right order for the other one (black and white). This means that he actually DID care for the continuity, but he made it in a unique way, so you're a bit wrong there.

Sophie (in response to andy): Although the cross cutting in Momento is great, I still feel like the cross cutting in Run Lola Run serves a better purpose. Every time when Lola is running, things are simultaneously happening too, such as when she's running to her dad's office. This creates a lot of suspense, for each time we will wonder if she catches her dad cheating or not. Such cross cuttings while Lola is running really adds to the intensity of the film and brings the whole movie together. Just like how the Momento is known for letting the audience figure everything out, I think the editing in Run Lola Run is the exact opposite by really guiding and helping the audience.

Todd: Although you made a good argument about how it is slightly confusing, does that stop it from being a greatly edited movie? Although it is set up in a very different way using parallel editing and gets confusing, the way they use black and white clarifies the movie and separate both the parts which causes it to make more sense. Lastly if you think about it out of all the movies that you don’t understand till the end a lot of them became my favorite because the amount that the viewer is intellectually involved

Celine (TEAM MEMENTO): It was difficult determining which was better: A movie that goes backwards in time versus a movie that goes in a loop with many variations. However, I must take a stand and agree with everyone who claimed that Memento was the superior film. Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan, employs various editing techniques used to magnify the suspenseful nature of the movie. The frequent use of jump-cuts throughout the film leaves the viewer feeling confused, as if there were still some unfinished business left to be solved; a feeling much like the state-of-the mind of the protagonist, who suffers from short-term memory loss. The editing in Memento is truly superb and it’s what really shapes the movie: Had every scene followed a chronological order, then the film’s flaws would be much more noticeable. For instance, there really isn’t a character arc, or any resolution for the relationships between the characters… But the fact that the beginning starts with the last scene, and the end starts with the first scene, only adds to the overall intensity of the movie. Don’t get me wrong; I still think Run Lola Run is a good movie, but Memento is much more brilliant when you look at it through an editor’s eyes: Scenes in black and white move forward in time, whilst scenes in color move backwards in time. This is a novel and brilliant concept, unlike Run Lola Run, which simply deals with a loop covering different scenarios.

Helen: I agree with everyone that supports the film //Run Lola Run// has better editing than //Momento.// By saying this I think //Run Lola Run// demonstrates distinctive examples to all the editing techniques that we learned in class. The film itself shows a lot of **parallel action**. The character Lola encounters several different events happening while she’s running. For example, her father and his secretary’s(?) dialogue on their affair. While Lola was running, the film cuts back and forth between their conversation and Lola’s way to his office. Then the two stories intersect when Lola runs into the office interrupting their conversation. Another example of parallel editing also includes the part where Manni gets tired of waiting and goes to rob a grocery store. Again, the stories intersect when Lola finally arrives at the grocery store to help Manni rob the bank. This type of editing in the movie was used to create tension between the audience and the characters. And at the same time, tell us what is happening to other characters when Lola is on her run. Instead of just playing a story back to back, cutting small parts between them can create a sense of suspense in the two scenes as well. Another edit that the film showed was **montage editing**. This was displayed in the Lola’s first run, where she was accidentally shot by a careless policeman after robbing the grocery store with Manni. Right after she “dies” from the shot, the movie plays back a clip where Lola and Manni were in bed, and Lola wanted to leave him. This connects the audience by showing Lola dying after the gunshot means that she leaves him, while in the play back in the shot Lola wanted to leave him. <range type="comment" id="456932102_7">This creates a juxtaposition in order to establish the story as a whole.</range id="456932102_7"> Lastly, another significant edit in the film would be the **eyeline match.** In the first run and the second run, Lola runs to her dad’s office to ask for money. Even though both of them are in separate shots, we know that they’re talking to each other because the shots were short and played back to back. This is to tell the audience that even though these two characters are in separate shots, they are actually talking to each other. Their eyelines correspond to the height of person they’re talking to. Lola’s dad’s eyeline is slightly looking down, while Lola’s is looking up. This creates a sense of realistic eye contact between the two characters.

Celine (In response to Helen): I disagreed when you claimed that Run Lola Run “has better editing than Memento.” Although the movie may show a lot of parallel editing, montage editing, or eyeline matches, it still is not as sophisticated as the editing in Memento. Memento employs an amazing montage technique, by playing the film in reverse, which makes the viewer reevaluate everything that had been previously established in the last scenes. As far as I am concerned, no other movie has made use of such an unusual montage technique, unlike Run Lola Run, which is rather bland in comparison to Memento.

Spencer: I am going to agree with Andy here. Memento is much more craftily edited. The entire story is played back through the eyes of a man with short term memory loss. The story plays out like a person remembering his past memories (ironic). Not until the end do we find out that he is actually a serial killer and doesn't even know it. The story is even narrated by a person who doesn't even remember who he has met or what he has done before. The use of black and white was at first confusing and unnecessary for me, but as I continued watching the film I understood a bit more behind the reasoning for it. The color sequences are actually played out backwards while the black and white scenes play out in forward order. What is at first confusing is that the color sequences are flashback when in fact they are not. If you were to watch the black and white sequences in order and then the colored sequences (excluding the first one) then you would have a chronologically correct movie. When each colored segment ends it fades out and fades into the black and white clip. Each clip is short just like Leonard's memory, but it also fades out just like Leonard's memory does as well. It is difficult to explain the cuts used as it only follows the storyline of one character and never shows the perspective of another. <range type="comment" id="456932102_8">In a way there is no parallel cutting because it is cutting in sequence of events</range id="456932102_8">. The way we view the film it is cut in parallel cuts some cross cutting between colored and black and white scenes, but the story itself is not cut between two story lines.

Mickey : In Run Lola Run <range type="comment" id="456932102_9">I felt like there was a large variety of shots </range id="456932102_9">:D. One of the techniques most used in Run Lola Run was Parallel Editing, because there was not one specific storyline in the movie but rather multiple which end up colliding. For example a time when Parallel Editing was used was when Manny was chasing the homeless man who has his bag of money, while Lola was in the casino gambling for money. The effect this has on the movie is it gives it a much faster pace making the movie more complex, and causing the viewer to be on the edge of his or her seat waiting to see what will happen next. I feel as if Parallel wasn't used in this movie, then it would not be as impactful as it was, but instead be a very dull movie. Another technique used in Run Lola Run quite often and effectively was the montages. <range type="comment" id="456932102_10">The montages of Lola running showed the viewer that Lola is running a large distance but large portions of the actual running is cut out, so the viewer would just have to assume that Lola was running the whole time, even during the parts not shot. </range id="456932102_10">I feel this is a very important part of the movie because if Lola's running sequence was simply shot in one shot, it would either be a very long boring 10 minute shot that isn't important to the movie at all, or it would show that the distance that Lola actually ran wasn't that far, giving less meaning to the title of the movie.


 * Helen: ** Even though Momento tells the story of a man with amnesia and that he doesn't know he's a serial killer, //Run Lola Run// also shows the future for each of the characters that Lola bumps into. For example, Lola bumps into a woman in her dad’s office, the camera zooms into a close up of her face quickly transitioning a series of pictures telling us the what her death with would be. The editing used in this technique would be the **<range type="comment" id="456932102_11">graphic match**. </range id="456932102_11">Even though the pictures were all different instead of consecutively, we know what happens to the woman. This lets the series of pictures transport their own messages to the audience instead of actually telling us what happens to the woman by showing the whole process of her being killed.

Mickey (in response to andy's): Andy i'm sorry to break it to you but I have to disagree with what you are saying because I believe Run Lola Run represents the differences in time and when they are taking place much better then in Momento. You argue that through the use of black and white footage Momento is able to distinctly shows differences between times but I'd say Run Lola Run does it in a much better way. Through montages Run Lola Run distinctly shows different times in a person's life, for example while Lola is running and bumps into the lady with the baby it shows a montage of her past. In this montage you do not just see one specific part of her past, like how she got the baby, but rather see all the important parts relevant to the story, where as in Momento you only see one portion of the past not giving the viewer a lot and sometimes confusing them.

Diego: Going back to the point of the parallel editing, Andy you are right that Memento does present the audience with a back-track, however that is commonly done. And, you might say that the presentation of Run Lola Run's parallel editing is common too, but the way it was presented with going back to the camera facing straight on with her just sums up the point that it was just her thought process in such a complete way. Run Lola Run also uses some great intercuts looking at the picture that Helen put up. <range type="comment" id="456932102_12">In those three different intercuts</range id="456932102_12"> after someone gets shot, or they get away with the sort of dark very serious moments of them talking, are at first confusing to the viewer but then you realize what's going on. And it has so much meaning like Helen said Lola wanted to leave him. Just slipping those few intercuts into the movie can help move the movie along.

<span style="color: #c0c0c0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Noah: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">The way Memento was edited is what makes this film extremely distinctive from other films. Because the film has a fragment and non-linear structure it is told backwards with scenes jumping back in fifteen-minute increments of story time. <range type="comment" id="456932102_13">Memento’s unique non-linear narrative structure actually matches the character of Leonard Shelby.</range id="456932102_13"> Leonard remembers things in short increments of time but still maintains his investigation of his wife’s murderer, John G. So the audience will see the film like Leonard sees life, fragmented and out of order, but in the end come full circle with Leonard through multiple story plots, restrictive narration, and many close-ups of clues. Every few minutes the reverse order sequence is cut by a chronological sequence. In order for the film to remain comprehensive, Nolan used <range type="comment" id="456932102_14">relational editing</range id="456932102_14">. He would connect two scenes of the reverse order plot by repeating the first few seconds of a scene in the conclusion of a scene that appears later in the film. In one instance, Leonard arrives at Natalie’s house. When she opens the front door for him he yells, “Natalie, right? Who the [expletive] is Dodd?” and shows a Polaroid of a man, named Dodd, with bloody nose and duck-taped mouth. <span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #111111; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">That scene continues with Leonard spending the night with Natalie at her house after she explains who Dodd was. Ten minutes later, the film is further back in time from when Leonard asked Natalie that question. He is a hotel room with Dodd who Leonard has no recognition of, but the audience does, and he realizes he beat him up and quickly gets him out of town. After he deals with the Dodd situation, he arrives at Natalie’s house for answers yelling, “Natalie right? Who the [expletive] is Dodd?” In reality, the scene that appeared second in the film happened first, so by connecting the beginning and end of two scenes, the timeline stays in order even though it is edited out of order. The use of this repetition of key lines and themes help create familiarity to the story which is an important principle of film form to understanding the film.

Noah: I disagree with everything everyone said on the grounds of I am right. Memento is better than Run Lola Run because it was nominated for two academy awards, one of which was Film Editing. Also to make a top notch response to an editing related question, you must also tell how the story is told. In Memento, Nolan uses non-linear narratives in films frequently, but he also uses restrictive narration along with it. Restrictive narration is when a film’s narration reveals one character’s thoughts and feelings, but not any other characters. This narration causes suspense in Memento because Leonard often does not even know where he is or what he’s suppose to be doing and his thoughts reflect his confusion to an audience trying to put the stories pieces together through Leonard. In Run Lola Run... there's no story its just a girl who will do anything her boyfriend but keeps messing up... where is the story in that?

Todd: Momento uses great editing techniques that push the story forward and help you see what the story is about. One part is the cutting of the films in the beginning that blurs the lines between match cuts and parallel editing. When watching you don’t really know what it is because the lack of relevance to the progression of the story and seems random. Later on in the story though you begin to see the relevance and then you realize that it is parallel editing. Also the fact of one part being black and white helps you differentiate the to scenarios so it is not overly confusing. Which makes them somewhat like flashbacks although they aren’t in his memory, which brings the next point. I agree with Spencer on how it is very ironic that the parts that happened previously are shown in black and white which also makes it look like it was a memory regardless the fact that the main character couldn’t have those memories. This puts the audience on an offset and makes you question if he remembers or not and makes him seem way more messed up. The black and white scenes where also done really well using<range type="comment" id="456932102_15"> matches on actions</range id="456932102_15"> which are done so well it is seamless and the showing using of close ups for most of them makes it a lot more intense.

Steven (In reply to Todd): While the idea for a non-linear storyline in Memento was brilliant, I feel as though it had less to do with editing and more to do with the actual narrative structure. While the editing was clever in Memento, I feel as though Run Lola Run had more examples of unique and interesting montage editing, parallel editing, and graphic matches. Other than the disjointed narrative structure in Memento, there are not many more examples of anything particularly unique or interesting. Memento is undoubtedly a brilliant film, which I enjoyed even more than Run Lola Run, Memento's brilliance has more to do with it's narrative structure, which is enhanced through parallel editing, rather than Run Lola Run's constant, unique, and interesting choice of edits that enhance much more than the narrative structure, but also enhances the themes.

Marcello: Momento was a truly spectacular film, with the directors creativity and editing choices truly making something unique from anything I've seen. The series of flashforwards to flashbacks, until finally they join together in the end of the movie was a very powerful choice the director choose. Without these editing choices, I feel that the impact of Momento would be far weaker than it actually was. The whole story is about a man with seriously short term memory loss, and as such I think that the director wants to keep the audience off balance. As the main character is always confused about the surroundings, I think he wants to make the audience confused, until the final revelation towards the end of the film. The film does follow the 180 degree rule, such as in the scene inside the tattoo parlor, during the dialogue. This isn't the only part however, and the director clearly understands how to film the shots. I'm surprised however, seeing how it almost feels like several rules are being broken in this film in terms of editing, you have to wonder why the 180 degree rule wasn't broken. Although I did like the editing choices in Run Lola Run, I feel they are less impactful and powerful as in Momento.

Marcello (in response to Mickey's response to Andy): Mickey, your argument to Andy's point on how Momento doesn't show good sequences of time compared to Run Lola Run I feel is quite weak. Let me begin by saying this, the black and white scenes between the color scenes are moving forward, sort of acting as the beginning while not being at the start of the film. The color sequences run backwards, piecing themselves together until they reach the black and white story. I would agree that this can be quite confusing at the start, but I feel that the director purposefully chose to do this, as in the end when the two color and black and white stories join, it all makes sense. The strength of this choice of editing is that it correlates to the plot of the film, engaging the viewer to want to understand, and mold together the movie Momento. Mickey, your reference to the montage scene, in particular the one with the old woman and baby, and how it is stronger with helping the viewer understand timing is extremely false. As these montage sequences do give us a side backstory (like the guy riding the bike), it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the plot. I felt that these montage sequences were not necessary, as ever time Lola would repeat time these montages would change from the previous one. It absolutely made no sense, and further more, could confuse the viewer much more than the time sequences in Momento.

Sophie: I feel like Run Lola Run’s editing is stronger out of the two movies because its editing enhances the mood, pace and plot of the movie overall. The movie has a clear theme throughout: Lola’s race against time. All the editing methods used in this movie serve a central purpose, which is to enhance the tension and the plot. One way they did it is the smart use of match cuts. For example, at the beginning of each run in the film, there is a match cut of Lola running down the stairs, then we see Lola as a cartoon figure running inside the TV she just passed. This match cut of turning Lola’s run on the stairs into a cartoon scene is a little bit confusing at the beginning, but soon we know that every time this match cut appears, a new run is started. Just like the consistence of how the runs all start, when a run is ending (and turning into a new one), there is a match cut of the money thrown into the air and dropping back down again - on its way down, there is a match cut of the money and the telephone that Lola uses to call Manny. The match cuts helps the audience to get a better sense of the plot, and brings consistency to the whole movie. They also engage the audience and keeps them focused. In Momento, I find the two story lines going chronologically different confusing at certain points of the movie. I often had to think and reorganize the information given to me. In Run Lola Run, I feel like the editing techniques are all used to help the audience to watch and understand the film with ease, while in Momento the audience has to understand and figure out what is going on on their own. To me, Run Lola Run's editing is better as a whole and this is why I think it's better.