i am going to be analyzing  the editing in the final scene of Whiplash (2014 , directed by Damien Chazelle) and in the final scene , Andrew Neiman gives a jazz performance and  the editing helps to build the tension in the scene by using jump cuts to jump between the audience at the concert , the conductor , and the main character and these build tension because the shots are rapid.

During the performance the jump cuts are interspersed with quick cuts towards the rest of the band and this makes it clear to the audience that the entire band is feeling the same tension and pressure that  Neimen is and this creates a parallel between Neiman’s  struggles  and the struggles of the rest of the band and it shows that they are feeling the same thing , this is a prime example of a montage and it makes the audience feel the intensity of the scene because of the rapid cutting between the images.

This scene makes liberal use of J cuts because when the camera cuts away from Neiman and focuses on the band , we can still hear him when he is not in the shot and this helps to create the sense that the band are a team who rely on each other and the fact that the images of the band and Neiman are constantly being inter cut suggests that Neiman needs the band and the rest of the band needs Neiman and it is suggested that without Neiman , the band would fall apart. Furthermore, there are moments throughout  the scene where the camera cuts to closeups of Neiman and the conductor and this helps the audience to understand the intense pressure that Neiman is feeling  and it shows how the conductor’s feelings towards Neiman are changing , initially , he is furious with Neiman but by the end of the scene he is pleased with Neiman and this is shown to the audience when he smiles at Neiman before cutting to the end credits and this action alone resolves a major part of the plot because Neiman is only trying to earn the conductor’s approval and this indicated he has earned it.

I believe that the editing builds tension by getting faster and faster throughout the sequence and this makes the audience pay more attention to what is happening in the scene because if they don’t pay attention , they could miss a pivotal plot point and the scene wouldn’t make as much sense. The editing techniques that are used in this sequence are engaging because they show the relationships and prospectives of the people who are involved in the scene and it shows how those relationships have changed over the course of the film – in short the end sequence of Whiplash is edited in such a way that the audience is given a miniature representation of how the relationships between the characters have changed over the course of the film – the relationships have gone from hostile to peaceful and it is suggested that Neiman will become successful.

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