Editing Dialogue Using Shot-Reverse-Shot

 After creating the rough cut and refining the pacing, the next step in our editing process was focusing on the dialogue scenes. Since our film relies heavily on conversation to build tension, it was important that the dialogue felt natural and easy to follow.

One of the main techniques we used was shot-reverse-shot. This involved cutting back and forth between characters during a conversation.

We used this especially in:

- The diner scene

- The car scene

This technique helps the audience clearly follows who is speaking and also shows reactions between characters. It is a common convention in narrative films and helps maintain continuity during dialogue.

During editing we noticed that some takes included mistakes, such as actors laughing or breaking character. Even though these moments happened naturally during filming, they would break the tone of the scene if left in.

To fix this:

- Cut out parts where actors laughed

- Replaced weaker takes with stronger ones

- Trimmed clips to remove unnecessary moments

This helped maintain a serious tone that fits the crime genre.  

One of the biggest challenges we faced was maintaining continuity. Because we cut between different angles and takes, we had to make sure everything matched.

For example:

- Timing between lines needed to feel natural

- Character movements had to line up between cuts

- Dialogue needed to flow smoothly.

We also had issues with scene lengths. Some dialogue scenes were too long and slowed down the film.