There's More to Editing than I Thought!

As soon as the director yells, "That's a wrap," the movie making process is over, right? Wrong, it's actually just the beginning. There is a reason why we have to wait months and sometimes years to see a movie after it has been filmed. After a movie is shot, the most important process begins...post-production, which includes editing and other final touches.

We get a glimpse into the world of a renowned editor through Walter Murch and the words of his friends, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola in the book The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film by Michael Ondaajte. There was a lot of good information, I just felt like a lot of it either confused me or didn't appeal to me because I have never seen any of the movies that were addressed. Although, I loved Murch's quote, "...what we think of as normal is largely a question of what we are most often exposed to." This is so true about editing, but also about life in general. Things that we see as normal can seem strange to others who have never been exposed to it. If everyday as a kid you read comic books, that would be normal to you. But of course to others who have never read a comic book, you would be a weirdo to them.

I also never realized how much power editors have. They ultimately decide the way the characters and a movie as a whole is perceived. After all, Murch says that when he's working on editing a movie, he knows the characters extremely well and makes sure to edit so that the audience can hopefully gain the same knowledge. I always found it humorous when a reality show contestant/star blamed their ridiculously stupid, embarrassing, and unflattering television portrayal on "bad editing." I mean for the most part it is clearly that these people act like idiots for screen time, but I can see how certain editing tactics would be able to make them appear worse than they truly are. Just from the first chapter I've grown to appreciate the art of editing and how important it really is!

I'll leave you with the trailer of my favorite movie that Walter Murch worked on, Ghost. It is also a very fitting tribute to the late and great Patrick Swayze...Rest In Peace.