Murch, W. 1995 In the Blink of an Eye, Silman-James Press, CA USA (Especially pp.5-22 & pp.57-63)
2 thoughts on “Murch, W. 1995 In the Blink of an Eye, Silman-James Press, CA USA (Especially pp.5-22 & pp.57-63)”
Comparing with last source, this article is relatively theoretic. I mean, it discusses on editing itself, focuses on giving definitions and explains the phenomenon rather than shows us the actual practical techniques we often use in film editing. In ‘why do cuts work’ and ‘don’t worry it is only a movie’, we see the author tries to explore the birth of editing, and why it is being accepted by human. For mankind and other livings on the earth, ‘the visual reality we perceive is a continuous stream of linked images’ (p.6). But why and how we create a thing called ‘editing’ and accept the displacement it brings to us? It comes to the very concept and meaning of film editing, which is an interesting topic to discuss and research. Anyway, we cut a film by reasons, don’t we?
This excerpt explores how cuts work, what they achieve, and how best to create a well edited piece of film. Murch also explains why it is that we accept cuts in film easily as an audience. He muses that an individual’s day-to-day life is continuous; there is no shortening of time or jumping of vision. However, Murch presents the idea that dreaming is one reason behind why we so readily accept cuts in film, seeing as though it is a somewhat random series of images with no obvious connection.
Murch’s chapters form a logical understanding of how a cut works, what it achieves and what to consider when cutting a piece of footage. Murch tends to write in a somewhat fictional way, and his stories about chimpanzees and humans enable the reader to understand how each individual editor will come up with a unique series of footage. His style changes, however, to a much more formal and structured one when he specifies the 6 characteristics to consider when editing. He places emphasis on emotion above all else, and then prioritises the rest in the following order:
1. Emotion
2. Story
3. Rhythm
4. Eye Trace
5. Two-dimensional plane of screen
6. Three-dimensional space of action
This excerpt is particularly helpful when considering why cuts actually work and appear so seamless. It outlines the importance between certain elements of the shot and editing, and Murch specifically states that when editing, one must make sure that the more important elements of the shot are included. If the less important elements have to be sacrificed, then so be it. This is extremely helpful when trying to work out which cut works better in a sequence.
Comparing with last source, this article is relatively theoretic. I mean, it discusses on editing itself, focuses on giving definitions and explains the phenomenon rather than shows us the actual practical techniques we often use in film editing. In ‘why do cuts work’ and ‘don’t worry it is only a movie’, we see the author tries to explore the birth of editing, and why it is being accepted by human. For mankind and other livings on the earth, ‘the visual reality we perceive is a continuous stream of linked images’ (p.6). But why and how we create a thing called ‘editing’ and accept the displacement it brings to us? It comes to the very concept and meaning of film editing, which is an interesting topic to discuss and research. Anyway, we cut a film by reasons, don’t we?
This excerpt explores how cuts work, what they achieve, and how best to create a well edited piece of film. Murch also explains why it is that we accept cuts in film easily as an audience. He muses that an individual’s day-to-day life is continuous; there is no shortening of time or jumping of vision. However, Murch presents the idea that dreaming is one reason behind why we so readily accept cuts in film, seeing as though it is a somewhat random series of images with no obvious connection.
Murch’s chapters form a logical understanding of how a cut works, what it achieves and what to consider when cutting a piece of footage. Murch tends to write in a somewhat fictional way, and his stories about chimpanzees and humans enable the reader to understand how each individual editor will come up with a unique series of footage. His style changes, however, to a much more formal and structured one when he specifies the 6 characteristics to consider when editing. He places emphasis on emotion above all else, and then prioritises the rest in the following order:
1. Emotion
2. Story
3. Rhythm
4. Eye Trace
5. Two-dimensional plane of screen
6. Three-dimensional space of action
This excerpt is particularly helpful when considering why cuts actually work and appear so seamless. It outlines the importance between certain elements of the shot and editing, and Murch specifically states that when editing, one must make sure that the more important elements of the shot are included. If the less important elements have to be sacrificed, then so be it. This is extremely helpful when trying to work out which cut works better in a sequence.