How Does Pace Contribute to a Film?
Rhythm and pace are important concepts to understand when producing films. Especially as the pace can set the tone of your story. The use of pace in your film can help you to define elements of the story. That will set the tone for how your script, story, and shooting plays out. So, how does pace contribute to a film? And what can you do to maximize the use of pace and rhythm in your story?
Consider the use of pace and rhythm in the delivery of all sorts of videos. We see pace come into play in everything from a television commercial to a YouTube vlog to a TikTok review.
You might not even realize the importance of pace when creating some of these forms of content, but it’s secretly defining your project and guiding some of the most important elements including script, shots, and edits that will come up in post.
Pace and Rhythm are Like Dancing
As you look at how pace contributes to a film, it’s important to understand that the pace of your film is not the rhythm. While a certain rhythm is to be expected from various types of films, the pace can literally influence just about every working element of your story.
Think about it like a dance, when dancers perform they follow a certain rhythm that sets the stage for the overall flow of the team, but the pace is a bit less refined. They can set a fast pace, with a rhythm that varies.
The dancers know when to speed up, and when to let the audience sit in awe of their splendor. The same is true for the pace of a film. The pace sets the tone for the editing and the music and everything that comes together to create the story.
No Set Formula for Pace
While there is no set formula for film pace, there are some ways that you can definitely use pace to your advantage in your filmmaking.
Pace sets the tone for your audience, drives their expectations for what’s to come, and contributes to the emotions that they feel toward your film and the characters. Although there is no right or wrong, there are some expectations.
Different Strokes
Your audience will likely expect that an action film has a certain pace or rhythm about it. They’ll expect that there are rapid cuts and quick edits on action. If you’re showing a drama, the audience will likely expect something a bit more relaxed, with a bit of lengthened time added to a cut or the use of more absorption time in dramatic scenes.
Likewise, pacing sets the tone for a horror film, too. Your audience will expect short slips that are face-paced and show in quick-succession with plenty of disoriented actors.
No Right or Wrong
As you can see, there may be no distinct right or wrong with the pacing of each style or type of film, but the audience is certainly influenced by the type of film to expect a particular pace.
Thus pace contributes to the way the audience envisions a film, how they connect, and how they interact with the footage that they see.