In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing, 2nd Edition Paperback – August 1, 2001

Bought this for my son. He needed for a class. It was easier to find it on Amazon than it was to find at the school. Great value. Would recommend buying it on Amazon for the class.

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practical set of guidelines for evaluating any edit (the Rule of Six).Ignore the gainsayers' comments about the "outdated" section on film versus digital.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!

This is a fantastic book! I am somewhere between a novice and intermediate film editor. The author writes simultaneously with great clarity and eloquence. His thoughts and tips for editing are insightful and great reminders for anybody who wishes to learn or understand editing better. I am sure expert editors would also enjoy this book written by someone who has had years in the industry and whose career has spanned various emerging technologies. He talks about the movement to digital, and points out that although better in many ways, he gives good advice about the things digital editors give up that the analog systems provided.It's a very interesting read and I just love the way the author thinks, writes, and shares his ideas.As a final thought, I didn't find the last section on digital editing very useful since it was written when digital was just coming onto the scene and much of it is projections the author makes for what is in store for film due to digital editing. The problem with this section is it is now 16 years old and many of the projections have come to pass or are obsolete thoughts. But the first part of the book is worth buying the book as it is laden with conceptual editing practices and ideas.

Great resource if you want to learn about the history of video editing and the process behind editing feature films. HOWEVER (big caveat), this book is not designed for someone who wants to improve their editing skills on smaller projects. I see how film buffs and professional editors might love the book but I found it to be a bit underwhelming given my high expectations. Having read it, I now better understand the history of editing. I'm not sure that my editing skills or approach has improved all that much. I also found the book a bit repetitive at times. I also would have appreciated more information regarding "blinks" and editing. That for me was the most important aspect of the book, though only a few pages were devoted to the concept.

It's short, but his examples based on his real experience aren't just technical. He explains some of his actual philosophy of film editing, which makes you think about *why* you're cutting where you are, what it means, what it will feel like.

At the start, let me point out that this is not BY Francis Ford Coppola, it is BY Walter Murch. Sponsored initially as a lecture by the Australian Film Commission in 1988, there are many reasons to engage a love-hate relationship with this book. One is the continuous references to film. If you were ever a 35mm film editor (I spent much time with 35mm sound stock beetling along at 30"per second, a threat to all!) then his nostalgic recall of how things used to happen will have you settling comfortably. If you are a newby with a digicam, most of this may pass you by.The fundamental premise is that eye-blinks are key to audience involvement. An editor who cuts without reference to these will leave his audience unmoved. Get the blinks right and the cuts make themselves and subliminally draw the audience in. I am now on a fascinating hunt for the truth. I may never make an equal of "The English Patient", Murch's double-oscar triumph, but I certainly am trying hard not to blink as I attempt to use his insights into the business of editing.Recommended by many film courses, this is a great read, full of anecdotes about films and directors. Every editor should know its thesis, every digicam owner can learn much about the infinitely painstaking effort of good editing.