A Deleuzian Analysis of Image and Sound in Contemporary Cinematic and Video Editing.

Abstract

Video editing in contemporary media is no longer merely a technical process of connecting images and sounds; rather, it has evolved into a platform for the production of meaning, the representation of time, and the creation of perceptual experiences for audiences. In this context, Gilles Deleuze’s (1925–1995) theory of the time-image provides a novel framework for analyzing the relationships among image, sound, and time in audiovisual works. The present study, entitled “A Deleuzian Analysis of Image and Sound in Contemporary Video Editing,” seeks to examine the role of editing, various types of cuts, visual rhythm, and sonic elements in shaping the audience’s temporal and perceptual experience. Furthermore, it aims to demonstrate how creative editing can transcend the mechanical linkage of shots and contribute to the production of conceptual, emotional, and temporal layers of meaning. The primary objective of this research is to analyze the functions of image and sound in contemporary video editing through Deleuzian philosophical concepts, particularly the time-image, the virtual, and the crystal-image. The central research question investigates how contemporary video editing, through the interplay of image, sound, and editing cuts, can generate a multilayered and temporally structured experience for the audience. The study is based on the hypothesis that creative editing in contemporary videos, by moving beyond linear narrative structures and employing complex audiovisual connections, exhibits characteristics of the Deleuzian time-image and has the potential to transform the audience’s perception of time and reality. This research adopts a qualitative approach and is conducted using a descriptive-analytical methodology. The data were collected through library-based research, theoretical sources related to film philosophy, and the analysis of selected cinematic films and contemporary video works. In the analytical process, visual elements, sonic components, editing rhythms, and various types of cuts are examined in relation to Deleuzian concepts to explain how time is represented and perceptual experience is constructed in contemporary editing. The findings indicate that contemporary video editing, through its use of non-linear structures and the complex interaction between image and sound, provides a framework for the emergence of new temporal and perceptual experiences, which can be effectively analyzed within the theoretical framework of Deleuze’s time-image.