Working in tandem with editing tools: iterative meaning-making in filmmaking practices

摘要

This article analyses how novice users explore the interface of sophisticated editing software (Final Cut Express) when working with filters and special effects. Inspired by a multimodal and phenomenological perspective, the author seeks to elaborate a sociocultural approach in order to scrutinize these editing practices by using mediated action as a unit of analysis. The aim of the article is to understand how the editing software and its users work in tandem during the editing practice. The findings indicate that feedback from the software in the filmmaking process becomes a resource in the semiotic work of rethinking the visuals and soundtrack in the editing practices. As a result, the novice students could address more precisely how they wanted to communicate a specific scene visually and aurally.