In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing [Paperback]

Walter Murch (Author), Francis Ford Coppola (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1995 | ISBN-10: 1879505231 | ISBN-13: 978-1879505230 | Edition: 1st

In the Blink of an Eye is celebrated editor Murch's vivid, multifaceted thought-provoking essay on film editing Starting with the most basic question -- "Why do cuts work?" -- Murch treats the reader to a marvelous "ride" through the esthetics and practical concerns of cutting film. He offers his insights on continuity and discontinuity in editing, dreaming and waking reality; the blink of the eye as both an analog to and an emotional cue for the cut; nonlinear digital editing; and much more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Walter Murch --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 114 pages
• Publisher: Silman-James Pr; 1st edition (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879505231
• ISBN-13: 978-1879505230
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From a film editor, January 1, 2004

By 

william k wuorinen (missoula, MT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Blink of an Eye Revised 2nd Edition (Paperback)

OK I can't believe the guy who was looking for tips on how to put a scene together. I have been a film and commercial editor for 25 years and Mr. Murch's work is what all who have ever wanted to be an editor look up to. The joy of this book is that it doesn't delve into the nuts and bolts of editing-which is the worst part of my craft-but it focuses on the zen of editing, which is the true joy. I have had the opportunity to cut nine feature films in my life and before I started each one, I read "In the Blink of an Eye" to get me back in that feature film mindframe. God Bless Mr. Murch for his insights. As a fellow editor-and I struggle to live up to the bar you have raised for us-I can only bow down and thank Mr. Murch for passing on his knowledge to us.

49 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murch masterfully edits film as the rest of us dream dreams., July 6, 1998

By 

Jack Landman "thorough consideration man" (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing (Paperback)

One of the greatest image and aural montagists of our time is Walter Murch. What makes films like Apocalypse Now, The English Patient, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, or Julia great, just to name a few of Mr. Murch's masterpieces, is often the mostly invisible flow of time and mood. In this book Murch takes us inside the metaphysics of editing film and sound in a most understandable way. Any lover of film will appreciate the different sensibility and perspective than that we usually get from actors and directors. Any would be film editor better read this book to have any chance of rising above mediocrity.

144 of 170 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't "Blink" or you'll miss it, August 25, 2002

By 

avalon "avalon" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Blink of an Eye Revised 2nd Edition (Paperback)

Despite the admiration I have for Walter Murch, "In the Blink of an Eye" was a waste of money. The book is actually the transcript of a lecture he gave at a film school, and to his credit, it was not Murch who came up with the idea of marketing it as a full-length book. He did attempt to lengthen this edition by adding a section on digital editing, but still, the book falls short of expectation.

Murch's insights into film editing, both analog and digital, are valuable, and I would recommend picking up the book from the library or sitting down and reading it at your local bookstore - it really is that short, but it's not a keeper.

I bought this book hoping to get some real-world tips to editing - what makes a good cut and what doesn't, pacing, etc., etc., etc., but I came away with just one - cut when you blink. Murch's "blink theory" is interesting, but there's much more to editing than just that. I was looking for more from one of the best editors in the business.

Murch does discuss some of his own experiences while editing movies such as "Apocalypse Now" and "The English Patient", but doesn't really delve into the cutting itself and why he chose certain shots or cut a scene a certain way. The book also discusses the history of digital editing and its future but seems to focus on the attitudes of older directors and editors alike who seem to be afraid of change and insist, like Stephen Spielberg who bought up every Motorola editing system and hired enough technicians who can fix the ancient editors so that he will never have to fire up that computer, that "the old way" is better than the new one.

Murch seems to be in the middle of the debate. It is interesting to hear what he has to say, but it still seems to me to be rehashing the old joke about the grandparents who are unable to set the VCR. For those brought up on digital editing, it is only natural to sit down and touch a keyboard than experience what Murch believes is all important - standing up and touching the film itself.

If you're looking for a little bit of editing theory, a little bit of editing history, a little bit of personal experience, this book delivers, but if you're looking for a more in-depth discussion of editing in the 21st century, I recommend buying any Robert Rodriguez DVD, whether you like the movie or not, and listening to the commentary. Rodriguez not only gives tips on making a movie as a whole, but also how to film to edit, and how to cut scenes - all digitally.