ABSTRACT
This chapter will look at two types of common scenes: two-handers
(scenes with two characters talking in them) and chases. The two-
handers are trickier to cut, but the chases are what win the editing
awards because they are fl ashier, more visible editing. The analysis of
each of these types of scenes draws on the theories and vocabularies
proposed in this book, as well as theories proposed by others, and
applies both to the practice of editing common scenes. In the case of
two-handers, I will use the defi nition of a scene proposed by Robert
McKee in Story 1 to provide a framework for extracting cutting prin-
ciples. When discussing chases, I will make use of the work done by
Ken Dancyger in The Technique of Film and Video Editing 2 in defi ning the
elements of an action sequence. His explanation of the kinds of shots
found in these sequences helps defi ne some of the options an editor
has when working with her material.
