Leading the audience to believe what you want them to believe ...

When watching the film "The Bounty Hunter" there was a particular scene that caught my interest in regards to editing and post production. This scene was a scene in by which one character, "the bounty hunter", is waiting in what he thinks is Nicole's house who is the person that he is trying to capture and arrest. The scene shows cuts between the bounty hunter (Milo) waiting for her to arrive home from work and of Nicole walking home from work and arriving at the house. It then cuts to Milo creeping around the house in order to not be seen or heard by Nicole. Milo then waits by the door, it then cuts to Nicole opening the door but as the door opens we cut back to Milo and the door is opening, however it is not Nicole walking through the door but it is in fact someone else, as it's Nicole's boss. Milo had been waiting in the wrong house for Nicole to arrive home, all though the audience were led to believe throughout the entirety of the scene that Milo was waiting in Nicole's house and that this was the point in which he was going to arrest her. Through clever editing the audience were lead to believe something that was in fact not so and was incorrect and they were fooled by the film.

I think that this truly shows the power in which editing holds within a film. When the audience is spoon fed information, as many do within Hollywood films, the audience will believe whatever they are being told or shown or are being lead to believe is true. Editing meant that the audience were tricked into thinking that Milo was in fact in Nicole's house and nothing gave them the thought that he was in fact not in the house. It meant that the audience were left with the element of realisation and surprise which was unexpected.

Another scene, or more of a clip that i also found interesting within this film was a scene where Milo is at a Las Vegas casino and is in his hotel room and about to get into the elevator to go down to the casino for the night. The clip shows Milo getting into the elevator, the doors shut, then the doors open again and Milo is standing in the elevator looking worse for wear with a beer in his hand, his clothes torn and he looks drunk. Instead of showing Milo actually being in the casino and showing the night in which he had, it is shown within a couple of seconds. Again, this shows the power of editing and how information can be presented to the audience through clever editing such as this. This meant that there was no time wasted in showing a casino scene and showing what happened, it is all shown and expressed in the way that Milo looks and walks out of the elevator that clearly shows that he has had a late night filled with gambling and alcohol.