In the Blink of an Eye

1. Editing is Discovery, Not Assembly

Editing—even on a “normal” film—is not so much a putting together as it is a discovery of a path, and that the overwhelming majority of an editor’s time is not spent actually splicing film.

Unveiling the Narrative. Editing isn't merely about piecing together shots; it's a process of uncovering the inherent story within the raw footage. The editor's role is akin to a sculptor revealing a form hidden within a block of marble, rather than a bricklayer constructing a wall. This involves sifting through hours of footage, identifying the most compelling moments, and arranging them in a way that best serves the narrative.

The Forest and the Path. The sheer volume of footage in a film project creates a multitude of potential pathways. The editor's task is to navigate this landscape, discerning the most effective route to convey the story's emotional core. This requires careful consideration, experimentation, and a willingness to discard paths that don't resonate with the film's overall vision.

Beyond the Technical. The technical aspects of editing, such as splicing and syncing, are secondary to the intellectual and emotional work involved. The majority of an editor's time is spent screening, discussing, and contemplating the material, seeking to understand the nuances of each shot and its potential contribution to the film's narrative. This process of discovery is what ultimately shapes the final product.

2. Emotion Trumps All: The Rule of Six

Emotion, at the top of the list, is the thing that you should try to preserve at all costs.

Hierarchy of Priorities. When making editing decisions, emotion should be the paramount consideration. This means prioritizing cuts that evoke the desired feeling in the audience, even if it requires sacrificing other elements like spatial continuity or technical perfection. The "Rule of Six" provides a framework for prioritizing these elements:

• Emotion
• Story
• Rhythm
• Eye-trace
• Planarity
• Spatial Continuity

Sacrificing the Lesser. If a cut perfectly captures the emotional essence of a scene but violates spatial continuity, it's still the right choice. The audience is more likely to forgive technical imperfections if they are emotionally engaged. This principle underscores the importance of understanding the audience's emotional journey throughout the film.

The Unseen Hand. When the emotion is right, the audience is less likely to notice or be bothered by technical flaws. The emotional impact of a scene can mask imperfections in eye-trace, stage-line, or spatial continuity. This highlights the editor's role as a manipulator of emotions, guiding the audience's experience through carefully crafted cuts.

3. Misdirection: The Editor as Magician

Underlying these considerations is the central pre-occupation of a film editor, which should be to put himself/herself in place of the audience.

Guiding the Gaze. The editor's role extends beyond simply assembling shots; it involves actively shaping the audience's perception. Like a magician, the editor uses cuts and transitions to direct the audience's attention, controlling what they see, when they see it, and how they interpret it. This requires a deep understanding of human psychology and the art of misdirection.

The Art of Suggestion. Effective editing relies on suggestion rather than exposition. By carefully selecting and arranging shots, the editor can imply meaning and evoke emotions without explicitly stating them. This allows the audience to actively participate in the storytelling process, engaging their imagination and creating a more immersive experience.

The Big Picture. It's easy to get lost in the details of individual shots, but the editor must always maintain a sense of the overall film. This requires stepping back and viewing the film as a whole, imagining the audience's experience in a crowded theater. This perspective helps the editor identify areas where the film may be losing its way and make adjustments to ensure a cohesive and engaging narrative.

4. Virginity of Vision: Seeing Beyond the Set

The editor, on the other hand, should try to see only what’s on the screen, as the audience will.

Unburdened by Context. The editor's unique position, removed from the pressures and biases of the film set, allows for a more objective perspective. Unlike the director or actors, the editor is not influenced by the behind-the-scenes drama or the emotional investment in particular shots. This "virginity of vision" is crucial for making unbiased decisions that serve the film's best interests.

Freeing the Image. By focusing solely on what's visible on the screen, the editor can liberate the images from the context of their creation. This allows for a more objective assessment of each shot's strengths and weaknesses, regardless of the circumstances under which it was filmed. The goal is to use the moments that resonate and reject those that don't, even if it means defying expectations or challenging preconceived notions.

The Audience's Advocate. The editor serves as the audience's ombudsman, ensuring that the film is clear, engaging, and emotionally resonant. This requires a willingness to challenge the director's vision and advocate for the audience's perspective, even if it means making difficult choices or cutting beloved scenes. The ultimate goal is to create a film that connects with the audience on a deep and meaningful level.

5. Dreaming in Pairs: The Director-Editor Dance

The relationship between director and editor is somewhat similar in that the director is generally the dreamer and the editor is the listener.

A Symbiotic Partnership. The director and editor engage in a dynamic interplay, each contributing their unique skills and perspectives to shape the final film. The director, as the visionary, provides the initial dream, while the editor, as the listener, helps to refine and realize that dream. This collaborative process requires open communication, mutual respect, and a willingness to challenge each other's ideas.

The Dream Therapy Analogy. The director-editor relationship can be likened to dream therapy, where the director is the dreamer and the editor is the listener. The editor proposes alternate scenarios and interpretations, prompting the director to defend their vision and reveal deeper layers of meaning. This process of challenge and response ultimately leads to a richer and more nuanced film.

Bait and Revelation. The editor's role is to offer "bait" in the form of alternative cuts or structural changes, encouraging the director to react and reveal their true intentions. This process unfolds at both the macro level (removing entire scenes) and the micro level (adjusting the length of a shot by a single frame). The quality of the bait determines the kind of "fish" (creative insights) that are caught.

6. The Blink: A Window into Thought

Those are cuts. After the first look, you know that there’s no reason to pan continuously from me to the lamp because you know what’s in between. Your mind cut the scene. First you behold the lamp. Cut. Then you behold me.

The Physiology of Perception. The human blink, often dismissed as a mere physiological function, is actually a crucial mechanism for punctuating and separating thoughts. Just as a cut in film creates a visual discontinuity, the blink interrupts the continuous stream of visual perception, allowing the brain to process and categorize information. This connection between blinking and thought provides a key insight into the art of editing.

Emotional Rhythms. The rate and timing of blinks are not random; they are directly linked to our emotional state and the nature of our thoughts. Someone who is angry and focused may blink very little, while someone who is overwhelmed with conflicting emotions may blink rapidly. By observing an actor's blinking patterns, the editor can gain valuable clues about the character's inner state.

The Cut as Blink. A well-placed cut in a film mimics the function of a blink, separating and punctuating ideas. The cut signals a shift in focus, a transition from one thought to another. By understanding the relationship between blinking and thought, the editor can create cuts that feel natural and intuitive, guiding the audience's understanding of the story.

7. Rhythm and Pacing: The Editor's Signature

To that same end, one of the disciplines I follow is to choose the “out point” of a shot by marking it in real time.

Sensitizing to the Actor. A key task for the editor is to become attuned to the rhythms of the actor's performance. This involves noticing subtle cues, such as blinks, pauses, and changes in expression, and using these cues to inform editing decisions. By aligning cuts with the actor's natural rhythms, the editor can create a more compelling and believable performance.

Extending the Rhythm. The editor's role is not limited to simply mirroring the actor's rhythms; it's about extending those rhythms into the broader fabric of the film. This involves finding ways to carry the actor's patterns of thinking and feeling into scenes where they are not present, creating a cohesive and unified pacing for the entire film.

Beyond Dragnet. The "Dragnet" system of editing, which simply cuts back and forth between speakers, fails to capture the nuances of real-life conversation. Effective editing involves understanding the unspoken cues, the shifts in attention, and the subtle power dynamics that shape human interaction. By creating cuts that reflect these complexities, the editor can elevate the film beyond a simple recitation of dialogue.

8. Methods and Machines: Tools Shape Thought

The tools you choose to edit with can have a determining effect on the final product.

The Sculptor's Choice. The editing tools used, whether a Moviola, KEM, or Avid, can significantly influence the final product. Each machine offers a different approach to the material, shaping the editor's thought process and creative decisions. The Moviola, with its hands-on physicality, encourages a "clay-like" approach, while the KEM, with its linear flow, fosters a "marble-like" approach.

Random vs. Linear. Computerized digital editing and Moviola editing are random-access systems, allowing the editor to quickly jump to any point in the footage. KEM editing is a linear-access system, requiring the editor to scroll through the footage sequentially. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, with random access offering speed and flexibility, while linear access encourages discovery and serendipity.

The Golden Mean. The ideal editing system strikes a balance between random and linear access. A system that is too random can lead to a lack of context and a reliance on preconceived notions, while a system that is too linear can be overwhelming and time-consuming. The key is to find a system that allows for both efficient searching and unexpected discoveries.

9. Test Screenings: The Audience Speaks

Toward the end of the editing process on Julia, Fred Zinnemann observed that he felt the director and the editor, alone with the film for months and months, could only go ninety percent of the way toward the finished film—that what was needed for the last ten percent was “the participation of the audience,” whom he saw as his final collaborators.

The Final Collaborator. Test screenings provide valuable feedback from the audience, who serve as the final collaborators in the filmmaking process. This feedback helps to identify blind spots, correct pacing issues, and ensure that the film resonates with its intended audience. However, it's important to interpret audience reactions with caution, avoiding knee-jerk reactions and seeking to understand the underlying causes of their responses.

Referred Pain. Audience reactions are often a form of "referred pain," where the symptom is felt in one area but the cause lies elsewhere. For example, if an audience dislikes a particular scene, the problem may not be with the scene itself, but with something that happens earlier in the film. The editor's job is to diagnose the root cause of the problem and make adjustments accordingly.

The Umbilical Cord. Sometimes, a scene that was once essential to the film's development can become expendable in the final stages of editing. This is because the scene's initial purpose, such as connecting the director to the project, has been fulfilled, and its essence has permeated the rest of the film. Cutting such a scene can be a difficult decision, but it can ultimately strengthen the overall narrative.

10. Digital Editing: A New Era Dawns

Now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, film editing is in the midst of transforming itself from a mechanical process to an electronic one, and the Moviola is increasingly found—if it is found at all—as an amusing and nostalgic artifact displayed in the foyers of the studio post-production departments.

The Inevitable Shift. The transition from mechanical to electronic editing is a fundamental shift in the filmmaking process. While some filmmakers may resist this change, the advantages of digital editing, such as increased speed, flexibility, and creative options, are undeniable. The Moviola, once the ubiquitous symbol of film editing, is now relegated to a nostalgic relic.

Astronomical Possibilities. The number of ways to combine shots in a film is staggering, reaching into the billions and beyond. Digital editing provides the tools to explore these possibilities more efficiently, allowing editors to experiment with different structures and rhythms. However, this abundance of choice also requires careful planning and a clear vision to avoid getting lost in the endless permutations.

The Double-Edged Sword. While digital editing offers numerous advantages, it also presents new challenges. The ease of manipulation can lead to over-editing, the lack of physicality can disconnect the editor from the material, and the reliance on technology can overshadow the importance of human intuition and collaboration. The key is to embrace the power of digital editing while remaining mindful of its potential pitfalls.

Last updated: February 14, 2025