In the Blink of an Eye

Discovering that this book by Walter Murch, often cited by Andy, was not a massive tome but a slim paperback was quite a welcome find while browsing in the library and it's remarkably easy to read. I recommend it to all aspiring editors, and to everybody else too. It doesn't lay much stress on the technicalities of the edit, but instead looks at it in a more psychological and philosophical way. How does our brain react when we see a cut? Is there a "right" cut and a "wrong" cut? How can we work out which is which?

Even the chapter on digital editing is not as hopelessly out of date as other books I have come across. Murch seems able to put aside the limitations of current technology as it was in 2001 or whenever the book was written, and instead has very accurately estimated the curve of how technology has advanced. He said he was actually surprised how long it took to catch on. He blamed it on the "old industry" editors being so traditional in their methods and afraid to experiment and take a risk by going out of their depth. It was apparently something he and FF Coppola looked at back in the 70s for The Coversation, but had to abandon at the time for logistical and budgetary reasons.