Editing in "BBC Sherlock"

When I was about 14 years old, I was searching for a new TV series to watch and came across the title "Sherlock."

I've always been a huge fan of anything Sherlock Holmes-related, so I was intrigued to see what a retelling of the tale of the infamous detective would be like in a modern setting.

It only took me one episode to get hooked to the show.

This was the TV show that sparked my love for video editing.

Sherlock makes use of editing in such original and creative ways that I had never seen in any film or TV show before, that as I was watching it, I found myself thinking “I wish I knew how to do that,” or “I want to try recreating this edit one day.”

BBC Sherlock (2010)

In Sherlock, the cinematography and editing both come into play to tell the story in a visually striking way. This also contributes to the narrative by giving hints to the viewers, allowing them to piece two and two together in their heads while watching every episode.

This is especially visible in the show’s transitions from one scene to the other, as they are known for using a multitude of different transitions and effects.

From fade-ins, to swipe transitions, to passerby effects, Sherlock has pretty much done it all. The video linked below goes into much greater detail on all of the different types of transitions used throughout the show, so have a look at it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IDBZ5AsUuk

Sherlock - How Creative Transitions Improve Storytelling - konradnoises

Additionally, they also often show written information, such as text messages, blog posts and newspaper articles on screen, and show the main character Sherlock Holmes’ thought process visually, by having the new clues he discovers float on screen as he is examining a crime scene. This allows the viewer to have a small peek into the mind of the great consulting detective, in a way that has, dare I say, never been done in previous adaptations of his story.

This combined with the intricate camera work used throughout the show and the use of both practical and digital special effects, as well as the clever writing (for the most part, that is) makes the whole show extremely entertaining to watch.

While this wasn’t my first time dabbling with editing, as I had made a few montages of trips and excursions that I had been on when I was younger, Sherlock was the TV show that truly made me consider editing as a career.

This was the point where I really began paying closer attention to editing in the films and TV shows that I liked, pointing out the interesting techniques and mistakes they made, and attempting to recreate them in my own free time.

While I am nowhere near the Sherlock editors’ level, I am constantly trying to learn new skills and creative ways to edit videos, and hope to one day reach a point where I can edit professionally for film and television. It might take a while, but with enough practice and perseverance, I’ll get to this point eventually.

Sources:

• Screencaps: Sherlock - Lost In Time https://www.lostintimegraphics.com/screencaps-sherlock.html

• Sherlock - How Creative Transitions Improve Storytelling - konradnoises https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IDBZ5AsUuk