Rule of Threes

Here’s a terrific editing tip that I learned from a fellow journalism teacher at UC Berkeley. Have you ever heard of the “Rule of Threes”? I’m not talking about the composition principle of dividing your frame into thirds horizontally and vertically.

“Rule of Threes” originated as a writing tenet. It means that three of something is better than two of something. Why? Because “three” creates a rhythm (in the shortest amount of time), whereas “two” does not.

In film editing, try using three consecutive elements such as three photographs, three brief news clips, three consecutive soundbites, and three text cards (or three lines in one text card).

My editors know that if they cut two photographs in a row, they can add a third to create a lively tempo. If a third photograph is not available, they scale up one (enlarge), rotate it slightly, and use that altered “close up” image as the third in a sequence.

For another use of “threes,” one that denotes a beginning, middle and end, check out My Article on the Three Act Structure. Then try squeezing reality into three acts!

Last but not least, my apologies to esteemed director Mark Decena for getting the name of his film wrong in my last blog. It’s not “Black Farming”, but “Farming While Black: The Story of a Rising Generation of Farmers”. Tickets are still available for the world premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival. You will be inspired!