The Eye Is Quicker: Film Editing: Making a Good Film Better [Paperback]

Richard D Pepperman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2004

The most comprehensive book on the principles, methods, and strategies vital to the creative art of film editing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Michael Wiese Productions; First Edition ~1st Printing edition (March 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941188841
• ISBN-13: 978-0941188845
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #460,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I wish I had read this book in school..., January 20, 2006

By 

Thomas S. Pellet "Assistant Editor" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Eye Is Quicker: Film Editing: Making a Good Film Better (Paperback)

I first saw this book in Barnes & Noble and was wondering why I had never seen it before. After flipping through it, I was curious to read it. I am always looking for good "technique" books. When I was about to read the book, a friend of mine said to me, "it's good, but it covers basic techniques, so you probably won't learn anything new technique-wise." That was odd because I still found things I could take from it. I keep it as a reference book on my editing desk. It's nestled next to On Film Editing (definitely a technique reference--that book blew my mind when I read it and I wish I had read it in college) and In The Blink of an Eye (for inspiration--also mind-blowing). I basically look at it as a very strong supplement for storytelling and structure. It made me think more about my cuts, the scenes, the shots, etc.--how I was arranging things and what I was putting in or taking out and why. Above all, it's a book that makes you think and question (which leads to better filmmaking). The Crucible example on page 38 & 150 and the example from Fargo on pages 145-147 would be a few that stick out in my mind (although there are several others).

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to tell a great story, October 24, 2005

By 

MJ (Burbank, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eye Is Quicker: Film Editing: Making a Good Film Better (Paperback)

This book is truely a rare find. I was looking for a book on editing that would explain how to visually communicate a great story through editing, a book that would tell me more than just the history of editing or the techniques of operating the Avid or Final Cut Pro. The Eye is Quicker thoroughly goes through the rationale, the reasons why you make or don't make a cut. Using several examples from films. But more importantly this book provides you with the knowledge how to enhance the story, or how to transfer the dailies into a story. The beauty of editing is that one is essentially providing the last rewrite of the script and the beauty of The Eye is Quicker is that it gives you the fundamentals how to enhance(edit) the story(movie).

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and comprehensive, October 21, 2005

By 

Nikolaos Tsakonas (Greece) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Eye Is Quicker: Film Editing: Making a Good Film Better (Paperback)

This is the kind of books I enjoy reading.I am not a professional filmaker or editor, but as I like to know all the details behind everything I wanted a book to cover the most important theory (not techniques or tools) about film editing.I really felt as this book "revealed" some secrets that most of us (I mean ,the amateurs) simply ignore.
It explains all those facts that makes you perceive films as good/average/bad in such a detailed way, that most of the times you will run to watch your favourite film to see if he is right , and believe me , he is deadly right!
By using all this theory and these invisible tricks he describes you cannot only make scenes look good (even if they are not) , your whole film will look even better and finally acquire that magic ingredient that you can "feel" on good films but you cannot actually identify what it is. The most importnat thing is, that it gives you the power to quide your viewer eyes at exaclty where you want him to look and see exactly what you want him to see, which can greatly affect the way your material is communicated to your audience.
The only "drawback" after reading this book ,is that your eyes are more trained in identifying "bad edits" in the films you are watching , but I think we can leave with it !!! I think that such good books should be on every filmaker's hand.