As others mentioned, this book always makes the list in discussions about learning how to edit effectively. The reason is simple - it ticks all of the boxes - brief (but thorough), deep (but approachable and easy to understand), theoretical and philosophical (but still practical), and authoritative (but not condescending). Murch's advice is rooted in his experience as an Oscar-winning editor-in-chief on dozens of films. He shares the wisdom of his experiences freely and incisively, including his transition from pure analogue to the film/digital hybrid approach much in use at the start of this century. He explains why cuts work (and why they don't), how any editor can use the information of the material to find the "right" cut, and an immensely practical set of guidelines for evaluating any edit (the Rule of Six).
Ignore the gainsayers' comments about the "outdated" section on film versus digital. Murch's description of his adoption of a digital workflow and his examination of its strengths and weaknesses are invaluable today. I particularly appreciate his observations of the pitfalls introduced by the immediacy and convenience of digital shooting and editing - a lack of planning, a failure to look into and through the film (as the audience will see it in a theater), and the increasingly solitary nature of production (versus the intensely collaborative world of the film age). The Golden Age was great for a reason, and he gives good advice on keeping those higher principles in your work while you edit on your Mac or PC the footage shot on your sub-$10,000 camera.
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in film production!
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Customer reviews
Husband says it’s really good but can’t comment on much since he just started it. It looks good to me when scanning and the reviews seemed legit when I bought it. It seems like everything still is relevant even in 2021. Maybe rudimentary but it goes into Kubrick’s and Coppola’s styles, little bits about Apocolypse Now. Stuff that’s always interesting. Took a pic of the front/back covers and TOC. Seems s’well.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2019
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Top reviews from other countries
Mr Wilson
Which is quite good for the theory of editing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2017
Soltiboys
A Brilliant Read For Film Makers And Film Buffs Alike.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2017David
Can't recommend enough for editors/post production teachers
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 13, 2020Frank Trias
Blink and you'll miss it!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2020Bart Chomiszczak
Covers a great amount of theory and psychology of editing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 28, 2017
