When and where to make the cut: inspired by Walter Murch’s In the Blink of an Eye

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Check out these Walter Murch inspired editing tips, from his book, In the Blink of an Eye

Editing: The Lovely Mix of Technical Expertise, Artistic License, and Pure Instinct

I thought I would deviate from my usual tutorial format to talk a little more conceptually about the art of editing for today’s post.

I teach a course called Advanced Post Production Workshop at Columbia College Chicago. I created the class as an intensive study in advanced editing and effects techniques—using Avid Media Composer as the platform for instruction.

We begin the semester by cutting a complex dialog sequence, using ScriptSync to help assemble the 40+ camera angles that make up the scene. Because the students have so much to do technically in constructing the scene, they sometimes fail to see the forest for the trees on the first pass. That is, because they have so much material to sort through—and so many decisions to consider—they often tend to get caught up in building the scene, and forget to sit back and really watch. I think a lot of editors run into this issue from time to time. Therefore, it’s nice to introduce elements that really force you to be aware of how the decisions you are making affect your audience. Therefore, with this assignment, I find that it’s beneficial to concurrently study certain techniques from Walter Murch’s In the Blink of an Eye so that they keep constant check on their instincts, and don’t let the technical aspects of editing ruin the story creation process. read more...