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phantom sounds which are heard as though through Bill's ears. The imaginary sounds could have been introduced during the race but this would have been less effective because they would have competed for attention with the roar of the bikes. (" The music1 starting on shot 16 was deliberately introduced there not to add to the excitement of the race but to take the realism out of the track and to prepare for the phantom cheers which grew out of it as Bill finally brings his bike to a stop. ")
In the course of the sequence, the editor has cut away five times to shots of Tommy. Static shots of this kind used in a sequence intended primarily to convey swift, exciting movement, may af first sight appear unsuitable. In fact, they perform several important functions.
In the first place, it is necessary here to suggest that in the course of the contest the riders have gone round the track four times. If this were to be shown in full, it might become unnecessarily tedious. The use of the reaction shots (or, for that matter, the individual close shots of Chick and Bill) bridges the time gaps between the long shots of the race itself. By cutting away from the race and then cutting back again, a lapse of time is implied which makes it acceptable to the spectator to see that the race has meanwhile progressed. In this way the editor can unobtrusively cut down the screen duration of the race and yet make the spectator believe that he has seen it in its entirety. (See, for instance, 22 and 24. Both shots show the riders covering the same stretch of track. The short insert (23) makes the audience accept the implication that while they have been seeing Tommy, the riders have had time to cover a whole lap.)
In addition, the static reaction shots break up the movement of the fast action shots and make them all the more impressive by contrast. If a sequence of this length were to be composed entirely of long shots of the race the effect of movement would be slowly frittered away by the lack of variety in the images. It is precisely through the variation of the images that an effect of speed is conveyed.
The further purpose of the reaction shots is to guide the spectator's response. The variations in Tommy's facial expression set the key to the spectator's appreciation of what is happening in the race and form an important factor in producing the desired emotional effect.
As in the previous extract, all the cuts in this sequence are
1 Notes by Jack Harris.
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