Editors Speak - Editing is the foundation of the film art.
It's very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that mastering of the NLE system equates in some direct way to editing ability.
It is certainly true that editing is a technical art and an editor who doesnt understand the technology and the technical process of managing the edit is, quite frankly, NOT an editor. I know far too many people who call themselves Editors but who actually dont understand editing technology nor editing process. The result is an editor who is unable to fully exploit the tools of editing; and editor hamstrung by their own ignorance; an editor wholly reliant on assistant editors - the equivalent of a painter who doesn't know how to mix paints or prime a canvas.
That said, what can never be forgotten for the editor is that Editing IS Filmmaking. That films are made in editing and that, as Stanley Kubirck said,
"everything that precedes editing is merely a way of producing film to edit". Many other major filmmakers have voiced their state of concur to this idea:
"The essence of cinema is editing. It's the combination of what can be extraordinary images of people during emotional moments, or images in a general sense, put together in a kind of alchemy." - Francis Ford Coppola
Editing is directing the film for a second time. To gauge the psychological moment to know exactly where to cut - requires the same intuitive skill as that needed by a director. - Kevin Brownlow
"A film is not shot but built, built up from separate strips of celluloid that are its raw material... Editing is the foundation of the film art. - Vsevolo Pudovkin
The humbling truth is that a film is made in the editing room. The most magnificent performances and the best intentions mean nothing if they don't cut" - David Mamet
In this light the online video resources provided by the
Manhattan Edit Workshop in their Artists in
Residence Vault should be a shining light on the art of editing built over the technical artistry of the editing process.
The Vault features interviews with some of Americas finest editors including Oscar Award winning Alan Reim and Stephen Rotter. The candid discussions by these preeminent editors sheds real light onto the art of editing; the investigation of narrative and the engagement of the viewer in a profound dramatic experience.Im hereby making these videos compulsory viewing for everyone who's ever sat in the edit bay.
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Posted at 12:00AM Jul 04, 2008
by Mike Jones in video |
