In the Blink of an Eye : A Perspective on Film Editing

by Murch, Walter; Coppola, Francis Ford

• ISBN13: 9781879505230
• ISBN10: 1879505231
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-04-01
• Publisher: Silman-James Pr

Summary

In the Blink of an Eye is celebrated editor Murch's vivid, multifaceted thought-Sprovoking essay on film editing. Starting with the most basic question -- "Why do cuts work?" -- Murch treats the reader to a marvelous "ride" through the esthetics and practical concerns of cutting film. He offers his insights on continuity and discontinuity in editing, dreaming, and waking reality; the blink of the eye as both an analog to and an emotional cue for the cut; non-linear digital editing; and much more. "An incredibly lucid trek into the formidable craft of film editing, which in my opinion is the core of the cinematic art form. Walter Murch's depth of insight into this subject is astonishing, and the book is a must for anyone who is interested in truly understanding the filmmaking process". -- George Lucas

Author Biography

Walter Murch is an editor, sound designer, director, and screenwriter who has been honored repeatedly by both the American and British Motion Picture Academies for his picture editing and sound mixing. Among the many notable films he has edited and/or mixed are The Conversation, American Graffiti, Julia, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather Part II and Part III, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, House of Cards, Ghost, Crumb, The English Patient, and The Talented Mr. Ripley

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix	(2)
Francis Coppola
Preface	xi
Cuts and Shadow Cuts	1	(4)
Why Do Cuts Work?	5	(5)
"Cut Out the Bad Bits"	10	(5)
Most with the Least	15	(2)
The Rule of Six	17	(4)
Misdirection	21	(2)
Seeing Around the Edge of the Frame	23	(3)
Dreaming in Pairs	26	(3)
Team Work: Multiple Editors	29	(3)
The Decisive Moment	32	(11)
Methods and Machines: Marble and Clay	43	(9)
Test Screenings: Referred Pain	52	(5)
Don't Worry, It's Only a Movie	57	(7)
Dragnet	64	(6)
A Galaxy of Winking Dots	70	(3)
Afterword: Non-Linear Digital Editing: The Unbearable Lightness	73