Editing Analysis - Inside Out

Inside Out is an animation film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. The film revolves around the emotions we deal with in our everyday lives - fear, joy, anger, disgust, etc. - except that they are actual "beings" that exist in our head. Riley, played by Kaitlyn Dias, is starting school in a new city. Her father just got a new job in San Francisco and along with her mother, the family moves into a new house. 

How will the family adjust?

How will Riley as a young girl, navigate her way in a new school?

In this two-minute sneak peak of the film, the viewer gets a sense of the intense dynamic between our internal dialogues and our outward actions. This dynamic is achieved by pulling in and out of each character’s inner dialogue (emotions speaking) while they’re eating over the dinner table. At the beginning of the clip, there’s a slight confusion about where the voice posing the question: “Do you ever look at someone and wonder, what is going inside their head?” is coming from. Is it diegetic, coming from Riley, or non-diegetic that happens to be a voice-over walking us through the scene? Though we don’t get to hear that voice again, the following sounds and voices are easy to follow and understand.

A great editing technique that adds to the charm of this film is the constant match cut on action between the dialogue, taking place in the actor’s head, and their consecutive action. For example, when the “emotions” decide to signal the husband on the dinner table, the scene cuts immediately to the mom making a slight cough and looking at her husband. Also, when the “anger” emotion asks the crew to "prepare the foot,” the scene cuts to “fear” and “joy” inserting the keys in a launching position, shouting back, “ready to launch on your command, sir.”

A continuous shot/reverse shot takes place as the discussion heats up and the father experiences “high levels of sass” from Riley, who is also getting annoyed by her parents’ persistent intervention about her first day in school. Finally, a clear continuity system is established through out this scene, beginning with an established 180 degree line across the dinner table. The camera never goes behind Riley, but instead maintains multiple positions on the side facing Riley.