Editing Analysis

It might sound cliché but one of the best editing sequences (and a personal fave at that) is the training montage in 1976’s Rocky. The film is credited with being shot in 28 days, so it’s pretty amazing to make the decision that you have shot enough material for a feature length film, and yet it was done beautifully. For this sequence, the shots relied heavily on the soundtrack playing over it. The shot opens with Rocky going for a run. The triumphant horns playing in the opening seconds of the music over the sequence contrast with the beautiful shot of the sun rising, peeking through overhead train tracks. We then get a shot of the camera moving backwards, which effectively captures him running towards the audience and his goal. This goes on for another 20 seconds or so, then bam! We get a close up of Rocky at his punching bag. The audience by this time is so focused on him, that you can almost feel the pulsating sound of his fists against the punching bag. Cue the “trying hard now” lyrics of the soundtrack still playing over the sequence, as Rocky is now engaging in an intense series of push-ups. An electric guitar solo comes in, and we get more shots of Rocky training: trainers punching him, sit-ups, and perhaps one the most interesting scenes in a film, him training in a butcher’s meat freezer, which by the way ties into Rocky’s working class roots. After this, we get a long shot of Rocky running again, however this time it’s from the side, instead of head on. “Getting strong now” are the lyrics playing over this shot as his legs move faster and faster. When we finally get to one of the most famous scenes in all movie history, Rocky running up those famous steps, the camera does it with you, and even turns with Rocky as he turns to face the Philadelphia skyline. It then zooms in on a tilt shot to show him jumping with his hands in the air, before finally zooming in to his face in slow motion. The final shot is a close-up of his face and fist in the air, in still-mode. This gives viewers the time they need to digest the awesome experience they just felt.