Carol Vernallis - The Kindest Cut

Carol Vernallis teaches Film and Media studies at Stanford University. She carried out vital research and analysed editing in music videos and in Hollywood film, distinguishing the distinct differences between the two. 
I have been studying her academic essay ' The Kindest Cut: functions and meanings of music video editing'. 



Differences between Music Videos and Hollywood Film


Music Videos:

• The order of shots is often unconventional. There is no specific or typical order for the shots to be placed in. Shifts more freely between shots.
• Time, space, character and narrative are revealed incompletely - you do not always learn everything from one music video.
• Multiplicity of shots of shots sometimes obscure paths.
• Discontinuity - pop videos often draw our attention away from the narrative by foregrounding other structures and elements. 
• Visual hooks create continuity. Non continuous shots linked by a single feature - unified by figure, shape, colour etc. 
• Sometimes elements (setting, colours, star, editing) are all equal, sometimes one is dominant and others are subordinate. 

Hollywood Film:

• Continuity is important - the film draws us into a narrative.
• Single clear path through the film's world.
• Unity of time and space.
• Conventional order of shots - typical shot order - film opening, establishing shots, two shots, medium close ups etc. 

Other additional points to be made are that music videos feature far more cuts than are used in film, and much more frequently. Also, editing in music videos has much more responsibility than in film as it directs the flow of narrative. 

Vernallis stated in her essay that music videos often use fast cutting or editing to the beat of the music, which often appears to have a rhythmic style similar to that of the song. This is often referred to by film and television critics as 'MTV style editing' and is a complete contrast to editing in film which is often far slower in pace. Despite there being obvious differences between the two styles of editing, both film editing and music video editing it can colour and change our views and understanding of the characters that appear in them. 

Vernallis also points out that in music video editing, sometimes the edits are meant to be noticed as it brings out certain elements in the song.