Parallel Editing Definition
Parallel editing is alternating between two or more scenes that are happening simultaneously in different locations to build a narrative.
Sometimes you could call this 'intercutting' or 'crosscutting'.
Why Filmmakers Use Parallel Editing
When I think about parallel editing, I always think about romantic comedies where we see two people getting ready at the same time. And the other thing I think about is The Godfather.
Filmmakers use parallel editing not just to tell us what's happening in two different places at the same time, it;s to get us to feel two emotions simultaneously.
In the case of a rom-com, we're building anticipation of two people headed to one location to finally meet. Or maybe we see them having typical days and know they will eventually lead to one another.
In the cast of The Godfather, parallel editing is used to build tension. In the baptism scene, we see Michael Corleone becoming a godfather to his nephew and then also see all the hits he has performed on the five families.
So, we have a ton of tension from the building of the killings juxtaposed against Michael's religious loyalty to his own family.
Filmmakers use this to show a ton of story and to get us tapped into emotions. You can link scenes and people together. It can create a sense of urgency or excitement. And it can also be used to draw comparisons or contrasts between different situations.
Parallel Editing Examples in Film and TV
I gave a couple of examples above, but let's look at a few mots that happen across movies and TV so you can really get your hooks into what this technique is and how you can use it.
- The Silence of the Lambs (1991):
- Jonathan Demme's thriller uses parallel editing to build suspense as the FBI closes in on Buffalo Bill. The film cuts between the agents' approach to the house and the killer's actions inside, creating a sense of urgency and dread. Only to then cut to Clarice somewhere different.
- Inception (2010):
- Christopher Nolan's film is a masterclass in parallel editing. It weaves together multiple layers of dreams and reality as we see which dreams are happening while other dreams are happening. In one, a van is falling, in another waves are crashing, and in another, a bomb is going off in the snow.
- Breaking Bad (2008-2013):
- In a great homage to The Godfather, this show has Walter White orchestrate hits on a bunch of witnesses and drug dealers at different prisons all at the same time.
Summing Up Parallel Editing
This is one of those techniques that you really only recognize if you're looking for it. The best editing should tell a seamless story, but if you look closely, you can see these tricks making you feel certain things and delivering you multiple story points.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
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