Cutting Rhythms, 2nd Edition

Chapter 5

Physical, Emotional, and Event Rhythms

The next few chapters of this book breaks rhythm down into different types: physical rhythm, which is what we will call patterns of image and sound; emotional rhythm which is the shaping of rise and fall of emotions in the characters and in the spectators; and event rhythm, which is sometimes also called movement of plot, movement of story, or even “structure.”

As discussed in Chapter 1, the movements of actors, on however large (whole body) or small (blink) a scale, are the expression of their internal rhythms and emotions. Leisurely strolling and frenetic running have different rhythms, their timing and energy have different feelings and different meanings in the context of a character’s story. ...