International Journal of Management and Applied Science, ISSN: 2394-7926 Volume-5, Issue-3, Mar.

-2019
http://iraj.in
THE ANALYSIS OF FILM EDITING TECHNIQUES IN THAI BEST
EDITING FEATURE FILM “BAD GENIUS”
TEERAPONG SERISAMRAN

Cinematic Arts, Suan Sunandha International School of Art, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University
E-mail: teerapong.se@ssru.ac.th

Abstract - The objective of this research was to analyse the film editing techniques that used in Thai best editing feature film
called “Bad Genius” (2017).This research is a qualitative research that studies about the theory, principle and concept of film
editing and used it to analyse the latest film that won the best film editing from Thailand’s “Suphannahong National Film
Awards”. This research contains the study from the documents , the film and analysing film editing techniques that were used
in Bad Genius. The result indicates that in Bad Genius , film editing technique is a concept-based edition. The film editing
techniques were not only used to link the every elements of the story together but also create emotion and understanding of the
story. For example, match cut was used to link the subject together. Parallel editing , cross cutting , montage and fast pacing
were used to create the tension and excitement for the audience that conform with the genre of this film ,Thriller. Ultimately,
the goal of the film editing techniques that were used in this film is to create empathy , affinity and emotional engagement from
the audience to this film.

Index Terms - Film Editing Techniques, Best Film Editing, Bad Genius

I. INTRODUCTION shots and combines them into sequences which create

a finished motion picture. Film editing is described as
Film is one of the seven branches of art including an art or skill, the only art that is unique to cinema,
painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, music, separating filmmaking from other art forms that
dance and film that is the latest art in the group. But preceded it, although there are close parallels to the
film was seen as the most powerful medium of all. editing process in other art forms such as poetry and
With filmmaking, it is possible to combine the features novel writing. Film editing is often referred to as the
and power of all six media to fuse and convey the story "invisible art" because when it is well-practiced, the
of life and society effectively. (Serisamran, T, 2017: viewer can become so engaged that he or she is not
126) aware of the editor's work.
As with most other film techniques, editing has In 1934 the Academy Awards introduced a new
evolved over time as the technology and audience category: Film Editing, awarding an Oscar to Conrad
expectations change. The very earliest filmmakers A. Nervig for his work on the movie Eskimo. Often
were afraid to edit film shots together because they called “the invisible art,” editing has made movies
assumed that splicing together different shots of possible since they first began, but the field still
different things from different positions would simply struggles to gain the appreciation from the general
confuse audiences. public that it deserves.
However, filmmakers quickly discovered that editing Bad Genius, known in Thai as Chalard Games Goeng
shots into a sequence not only contributed to the is a 2017 Thai heist drama thriller film produced by
audience's sense of tale, but also enabled them to tell Jor Kwang Films and distributed by GDH 559. It was
more complex stories as a result that we can see from directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya, and stars Chutimon
Edwin S. Porter’s primitive instances of editing in Chuengcharoensukying in her feature film debut as
films like The Great Train Robbery (1903) and Lynn, a straight-A student who devises an
Rescued by Rover (1904) . Afterthat D. W. Griffith exams-cheating scheme which eventually rises to
,one of the most important filmmaker in history, is the international levels. Bad Genius was released on 3
one who influence to editing. He did not invent any of May 2017, placing first at the Thai box office for two
the editing techniques he used but he made them weeks and earning over 100 million baht (US$3
emotionally and thematically significant. million), becoming the highest-grossing Thai film of
So that he influenced the art of editing worldwide. And 2017.
another filmmaker who influence to editing is one of The film performed successfully overseas. It broke
the most notable of the Soviet directors of this era, Thai film earning records in several Asian countries,
Sergei Eisenstein, who transformed the principles of including China, where it earned over $30 million,
classical editing into something more consciously making it the most internationally successful Thai film
intellectualized he called montage. Montage was a ever.
way to put together a number of shots, more or less Bad Genius dominated the 27th Suphannahong
quickly, in a manner that pointed out a moral or an National Film Awards, held for Thai films released in
idea. 2017. The film won a record-breaking twelve
The film editor works with the raw footage, selecting categories including Best Picture, Best Director Best

The Analysis of Film Editing Techniques in Thai Best Editing Feature Film “Bad Genius”

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 International Journal of Management and Applied Science, ISSN: 2394-7926 Volume-5, Issue-3, Mar.-2019
http://iraj.in
Screenplay and Best Film Editing, as well as Best 3.5) Montage
Actor and Best Actress. 3.6) Dynamic cutting
II. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 4. Film editing and Relation, there are 2 types are as
follows ;
1. To study about the concept of Film editing. 4.1) Match Cut
2. To find knowledge about the elements that made  The relation of direction (setting and
one film to be “best editing film”. performance)
3. To analyse film editing techniques that used in the  The relation of camera (shot size , camera angle,
best editing film “Bad Genius” camera movement)
4. To apply the concept of Film editing techniques in  The relation of light and color
filmmaking process.  The relation of meaning

III. TERMINOLOGY There are a number of studies that have investigated

the related issues that can be applied to this research, .a
Film Editing means a technical part of the study of research that related to film editing
post-production process of filmmaking. The term is techniques, the most interesting one is as follows.
derived from the traditional process of working with Asst.Prof.Dr.Khae Mungkornwong, “The Study of
film which increasingly involves the use of digital Editing Styles in Feature film : A Case Study of the
technology. best Editing Awards Films by The Academy of
Best Film Editing means the film that won the Motion Picture Arts and Science (AMPAS) in
Suphannahong National Film Awards in Best Film 1999-2008”. Research findings were that film editing
Editing category. nowadays is a concept-based edition, regardless of
Montage means technique in film editing in which a continuity and linkage between space and time with
series of short shots are edited into a sequence to complexity of various stories, as well as focusing on
condense space, time, and information. The term has editing to create emotion, meaning and sense rather
been used in various contexts. It was introduced to than to link the content together. In addition, dynamic
cinema primarily by Sergei Eisenstein, and early and match cut are used to link the subject together and
Soviet directors used it as a synonym for creative hitting, attack, conflict, jumping and wrong direction
editing. type of editing are created to conform to the whole
concept of the film with the only one goal. That is to
IV. CONCEPT, THEORY AND RELATED create peak inner feeling of the audiences.
RESEARCHES
V. SCOPE OF RESEARCH
From the study about concept and theory in film
editing, the researcher can summarize the framework The objective of this research was to analyse the film
in this study that film editing normally connected with editing techniques that used in Thai best editing
these 4 main principles ; feature film called “Bad Genius” (2017).This research
1. Film editing and Continuity , there are 3 types are as is a qualitative research that studies about the theory,
follows ; principle and concept of film editing and used it to
1.1) Continuity of Content , there are 2 types are analyse the latest film that won the best film editing
Continuity of Time and Continuity of Space. from Thailand’s “Suphannahong National Film
1.2) Continuity of Visual , there are 2 types are Awards”. This research contains the study from the
Continuity of Performance and Continuity of documents, the film and analysing film editing
Direction. techniques that were used in Bad Genius.
1.3) Continuity of Sound , there are 2 types are
Continuity of Ambience and Continuity of VI. EXPECTED BENEFITS
Music.
2. Film editing and Genre, there are 5 types are as 1. To gain knowledge about the concept of Film
follows ; editing.
2.1) Transition 2. To gain knowledge about the elements that made
2.2) Shot duration one film to be “best editing film”.
2.3) Rhythm 3. To gain knowledge about film editing techniques
2.4) Pace that used in the best editing film “Bad Genius”
2.5) Time and space 4. To apply the knowledge for editing the film.
3. Film editing and Narrative , there are 6 types are as
follows ; VII. RESEARCH RESULT
3.1) Parallel editing
3.2) Cross cutting This study is content analysis that used concept and
3.3) Flashback theory about film editing to analyse the best film
3.4) Flashforward editing Bad Genius and create the framework that
The Analysis of Film Editing Techniques in Thai Best Editing Feature Film “Bad Genius”

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 International Journal of Management and Applied Science, ISSN: 2394-7926 Volume-5, Issue-3, Mar.-2019
http://iraj.in
include the important elements of editing in films that
affect the films to success in giving the right emotion
for the audiences and in keeping with the objectives of
this research. In conclusion, we can divided concepts
and styles of film editing in two categories ; Realist
and Formalist.
Realist film editing style usually found in Drama ,
Documentary , War film genres.
Formalist film editing style usually found in Sci-Fi ,
Epic , Action and Drama (both Realist and Formalist)
The film editing style in Bad Genius is Realist.
Continuity of Time and Space ; Bad Genius has
continuity in time and space. The story was mainly
told in chronological order. The time and space in this
film is similar to real life. It didn’t emphasize in
manipulating the film.
Continuity of Performance and Direction ; It highly
emphasized in the performance and direction
continuity and didn’t make the audiences confuse.
Continuity of Ambience and Music ; It used the sound
that create reality but music is used for stimulating
audiences’ emotion for example in the scene that want
to make audiences feel excited.
For transition, Bad Genius mainly used cut to cut style Picture 2: Parallel Editing using for connecting the parallel
for making reality and didn’t use transitions by adding situations from difference space but the same time creating an
transition effects. Pacing of shots depended on the excitement for audiences.
scenes .if they are the normal scene , pacing will be in
the middle pace but it they are exciting scenes , pacing
will be in the fast pace. Because of Bad Genius is
Drama-Thriller genre, rhythm is one of the most
important element for this film and film editing
techniques using in this film created the perfect
rhythm. Montage is the good technique for creating
good rhythm and emotion for audiences.
Film editing techniques is proper with it’s narrative
style. Sometimes it used parallel editing or cross
cutting to tell the story from two or more difference
spaces or time but they are connected with the emotion
,situation and content. This techniques not only link
every elements together but also stimulate the emotion
like tension , exciting or anxiety. These techniques
took this film to reach the ultimate goal of the film
Picture 3 : Match Cut using for connecting the linkage content
creating empathy , affinity and emotional engagement by matching similar action.
from the audience to this film.
VIII. SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION

The result indicates that in Bad Genius , film editing

technique is a concept-based edition. The film editing
techniques were not only used to link the every
elements of the story together but also create emotion
and understanding of the story.
For example, match cut was used to link the subject
together. Parallel editing , cross cutting , montage and
fast pacing were used to create the tension and
excitement for the audience that conform with the
genre of this film ,Thriller. Ultimately, the goal of the
film editing techniques that were used in this film is to
create empathy , affinity and emotional engagement
Picture 1 : Cross Cutting technique using for connecting the from the audience to this film.
content from difference time and space.

The Analysis of Film Editing Techniques in Thai Best Editing Feature Film “Bad Genius”

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 International Journal of Management and Applied Science, ISSN: 2394-7926 Volume-5, Issue-3, Mar.-2019
http://iraj.in
Table 1 : Summary of film editing techniques in Bad Genius
Film
Film editing and Film Editing and Film editing and Film editing and
Film editing
Continuity Genre Narrative Relation
types
Bad -Bad Genius has -Drama, Thriller - it used parallel Film Editing Realist
Genius continuity in time and -Bad Genius editing or cross techniques of Bad
space. mainly used cut to cutting to tell the Genius took this film
-The story was cut style. story from two or to reach the ultimate
mainly told in - Pacing of shots more difference goal of the film
chronological order. depended on the spaces or time but creating empathy ,
- It highly scenes they are connected affinity and
emphasized in the - Montage is the with the emotion emotional
performance and good technique ,situation and engagement from the
direction continuity for creating good content. This audience to this film.
and didn’t make the rhythm and techniques not
audiences confuse. emotion for only link every
- It used the sound audiences. elements together
that create reality but but also stimulate
music is used for the emotion like
stimulating tension , exciting
audiences’ emotion or anxiety.

In conclusion , film editors should give precedence in REFERENCES

these 4 main principles ; Film editing and Continuity ,
Film Editing and Genre, Film editing and Narrative , [1] Serisamran, T.(2017). “Life and works of impressionist artists
within social and cultural context of Thailand for making a
Film editing and Relation. Film editing is both art and [2] short film script “The Impressionist”. Journal Suan Sunandha
science so it is important to learn more , practice and Rajabhat University, 9(3), 123-132
experiment for creating the right emotion and effect [3] Mungkornwong, K.(2012). “The Study of Editing Styles in
for pleasurableness of audiences. Feature film : A Case Study of the best Editing Awards Films
by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science
(AMPAS) in 1999-2008”. Arch Journal Issue 2012 ,Vol15,
RECOMMENDATION 68-76.
[4] Dancyger, K.(2013). The Techniques of Film and Video
Researchers can make this research further by using Editing : History, Theory, and Practice. Burlington : Focal
Press.
this model to analyse other films both researchers’s [5] Murch, W. (2001). In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on
countries and international. Film Editing. Silman-James Press.

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The Analysis of Film Editing Techniques in Thai Best Editing Feature Film “Bad Genius”