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Editing Techniques In Moonlights

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Moonlights is a 2016 movie that explores the life of a young Gay black man growing up in Miami. He faces many challenges pertaining to his neighborhood, his school and home life with his mother. The film allows us to follow Chirons life struggles and experiences with bullies, his identity and family struggles. The main themes in this movie focus on his identity as a black man and a gay man and how he struggles living with both. Moonlight uses specific editing techniques, sound effects, color and motifs to accurately express his internal battle with acceptance and self realization.
One of the most interesting things I noticed when watching the film was the way in which Chiron adopted traits of Juan later in life. The scene at the beginning …show more content…

One of the most important motifs is water and involves the use of the sound of waves throughout the movie. When the movie first starts before we even see anything we hear waves, this is also mirrored at the end of the movie. Chiron is also shown washing himself with water many times in the film and each time it represented emotional cleansing. One example is when he learns to swim with Juan at the beach. The camera is at a level where it's going just above and below the water. The sound of water is also exaggerated in the scene where Chiron takes a bath alone. The scene is mostly silent besides the sound of the water from the bath forcing people to focus on Chiron being alone and independent. Moonlight is referenced when talking about the glowing skin of Juan in the light. This is used to enhance the theme of Chiron accepting and embracing his identity as a black man. Water, waves, and the beach represent freedom. Water tends to reflect light more and I think that's why this motif is used, not to mention Juan first told him about the story while sitting at the …show more content…

We see him running and we are in the same sequence of events but the scene is chopped up. We see him running and all of a sudden he's in a different area with the boys. We can understand how he got there but we only see parts of him running to the abandoned house. Along with the shaky camera work matching Chiron’s breathing, this enhanced the intensity of his situation. Editing is a great way that filmmakers can use to make a scene more interesting to watch. Match on action cuts are used in the first fight with Kevin and Chiron when they were little along with shaky camera work. The overhead angle is also used a few times in the movie to look down on Chiron. But most of the time in the car the camera is positioned behind him. I think this reinforces the idea that we are following him and his journey through life, it makes the viewer feel like they are

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Throughout Moonlight, the use of both diegetic sound from Chiron's perspective and non-diegetic music are utilized to help create a sense of intimacy and identification with Chiron. Despite the scarce and scattered dialogue from Chiron throughout the course of the film, the audience is able to gain a well-rounded sense of his emotions and thoughts through the use of Chiron's first-person diegetic sound and the non-diegetic score, which help to place the audience inside Chiron's mind and gain an implicit rather than explicit sense of his thoughts and feelings. The lack of copious of dialogue from Chiron's character is an artistic choice that creates a greater dependence on other elements of sound to tell the story and characterize Chiron. The diegetic sound the audience experiences from Chiron's perspective helps give the audience a sense of Chiron's tendency to revert inward during stressful situations and tune the world out. Hearing the sound

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Between these words and the water, a common symbol of rebirth and new starts, this scene had allowed Chiron to cleanse and wash away his past as he evolved into a new stronger person. The significance of this scene is very powerful as Juan has helped him along his journey growing up and providing a safe and secure space for Chiron to grow. This short but impactful scene was also captured in a way that had drawn the audience closer and engulfed the viewer into the changing

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Moonlight is a story of human relationships and how the social pressures surrounding a person can shape and mould a person’s development and identity. Told in three chapters of Chiron’s life, Moonlight is a complex visual biography of a black man and his search for his place in the world, his sexual identity, and his efforts to navigate the chaos surrounding his upbringing. Circular camera movements are used prominently throughout the film. We are first introduced to this technique when the camera follows Juan as he approaches his drug dealer, who is talking to a buyer. The camera starts revolving around the three subjects in a swirling, smooth motion.

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First of all, this scene was filmed from a half submerged perspective that has a noticeable, but gentle sway to it that makes it feel as if the audience was in the ocean. As well this half submerged perspective has waves that continuously splash into the camera lens. What that allows for is the cuts from shot to shot in the water to feel seamless. When I rewatched the scene it got to a point where I could no longer distinguish what a cut was and what was just Chiron moving in the water. I also enjoyed how the scene begins with the diegetic sounds of wind and the ocean, but as Chiron and Blue get into the water all we can hear is a violin beginning to play, and as the violin begins to pick up Blue’s dialogue breaks the silence, and we regain the sounds of the

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