The book discusses the multiplicity of film arts with theory and analysis from different angles.At chapter 5 it has been claimed that Editing is one of the most significant instruments of effect possessed by the film technician.
This chapter discuss the realism of editing. The author define that editing is an art form which can be valorized and justified, its difference from everyday reality. It can be compared with the space and time theory.
This chapter illustrates some film theorist’s viewpoint of editing and realism, in order to comparison.It has been mentioned that Eisenstein refused to admit any kind of descriptive realism into cinema.
Fischer, L 2008 “Film Editing” in Miller, T & Stam, R (eds.), A Companion to Film Theory, Wiley.
This chapter by Fischer pairs film editing with 9 sub-topics consisting of realism, creativity, other arts, the psyche, cognition, communication and language, ideology, authorship, and technological development. The first sub topics introduce the early days of film where editing was still an emerging practice with filmmakers being split into two camps: to edit or to not edit. She moves on to discuss how the rearrangement of material is described as being a privilege and creative process, and this set it apart from other arts. Cinema is able to deviate further from reality in a more radical way, yet at the same time it bears resemblances to the way humans experience and perceive life. As a result, it has a power to guide the audience’s consciousness and keep them focussed on the image at hand. As Carroll explains, it is in human nature to divert the eyes unless there is some change in the image at hand, and a straight cut is the most effective at this. Furthermore, it is editing styles that many distinguished auteurs (and their nations) are identified by – Godard, Eisenstein, Griffith – reinforcing this process as integral to cinema. .
Fischer’s writing on editing was able to give an extensive view on how editing has been discussed with respect to more specific themes. As she based her writing on other theorists, she was able to give a balanced and reasoned exploration into the many perspectives and arguments these theorists advocated, sometimes pitting them against each other. It was her synthesis of their ideas, and density of discussion which lead to a impactful read for me. Though she does not divulge much of her own perspective when it comes to editing theory, the central idea to her piece is that editing is now an irreplaceable element of film.