The movie Confessions of a Shopaholic (2013) was directed by P. J. Hogan and edited by William Goldenberg. Editing plays an important role in any movie, and it is particularly noticeable in Confessions of a Shopaholic. The title explicitly states what the movie is about, and the viewer is expecting to see a film related to shopping as well as a main character addicted to such a habit. As a result, editing and scene changes are important parts of the effect that the director wanted to exercise on the viewers.
A first important part of the movie is the way one scene leads into another. Scene transition familiarizes the audience with spatial features and creates a sense of connection to the surrounding world. The opening scene starts with a long and continuous shot showing people trying on shoes. The first several minutes of the movie have interchanging scenes; these are long and continuous shots of Rebecca looking at the shoes and understanding that she has to buy them. The slowing down of speed creates an intimate moment where Rebecca is enchanted with the shoes.
The movie makes use of quick transitions when Rebecca is shown to be lost in her habit, misunderstood and searching for a way to stop her negative behavior. The feeling of having such a close relationship with clothes can be seen when there is a quick transition or change of the items shown to the viewer. The switch from one piece of clothing to another accentuates the enormous number of possible garments, and large amount of money needed to satisfy a hunger for fashion. All Rebecca can think of doing is sitting in the store and picking out clothing (Bruchheimer, 2013).
The graphic relations are also widely present in the movie. There is a contrast between some grey and unhappy routine and going on a shopping spree. Thus the contrast between simple routine and shopping is made even more noticeable. A sad and uneasy look on Rebecca’s face when she sees the bills is reflected in and supported by the background, illustrating depressed and lost mood. Rebecca’s inner peace is disturbed by her behavior, and the change of mood from being happy and smiling is caused by seeing someone who is deeply saddened. Looking out the window, onto the street, creates a sense of separation between the two worlds. The viewer inside the store sees one thing while people on the street cannot see well what is going on inside.
The hard and concrete walls separating the two worlds are shown with particular contrast to the frail nature of clothes and seem to block a person from the rest of the world, engulfing the souls in cold stone without any feelings and sympathy. Contrast is created by showing Rebecca spending her time with her clothing, while the time apart reinforces the view that they are inseparable, and she cannot help worrying when she is away from her clothes. When numerous clothes are shown, the interchange and interplay of colors create such a situation where there is an overlap of many different types of graphic representations.
Another part which shows the importance of editing is the scene where Rebecca is hiding between clothes. There are no fade-outs or smooth transitions, and the viewer is expecting Rebecca to be exposed hiding between dresses. The point and angle of view are critical because she is shown in a personal way where she becomes a part of the clothes she so desperately buys. The constant change of moods, scenery, places and atmosphere reminds that it is impossible for Rebecca to focus on one thing in life. It seems that this will go on forever, feeling lost, trying different things on and still not being able to find a way-out. Closer to the end, Rebecca realizes that the time she has been spending with her clothes is about to end, and she is saddened by this fact. The slow transition from the focus on clothes to the personal life is made with the close-ups of Rebecca’s emotions (Bruchheimer, 2013).
It is important to edit the shots in such a way, so that every time there is a return to the same thing the difference from the previous frame is not so evident. This is done in a very quick and cut-up way, so that the viewer’s perception of the scene is not ruined and continued to cause a more personal effect. At the end, when Rebecca is shown disappointed and is walking away, there is almost no editing of the scene, as the camera is moving together with the person. This crates an effect of a person being physically present in the moment and sharing the emotions of the character. It is obvious that editing the continuity and close-ups to the main actor make either a distancing effect or a more private one. The continuous shot of emotions is accented by the camera moving in unison. This editing technique adds realism and makes the major part of the screen stand out in relation to the background (Orpen, 2003).
References
Bruchheimer, J. (Executive. Producer). (2013). Confessions of a Shopaholic. Burbank: Walt Disney Studios.
Orpen, V. (2003). Film Editing: The Art of the Expressive. London: Wallflower Press.