History of Editing Essay...

[n7]

Hi everybody, I'm going to film school here in AZ and my teacher has assigned us a paper to write on the history of film editing. we have to pick a 20 year period and write about it. I'm doing some google searches and things but not much is coming up. anybody have any suggestions for me? Thanks!

 

[DBXMe2]

get these books:



Creative postproduction : editing, sounds, visual effects, and music for film and video / Robert Benedetti ... [et al.]
Publisher Boston : Allyn and Bacon, c2004
Descript. xii, 164 p. : ill. ; 23 cm
Bibliog. Includes bibliographical references and index
Subject Motion pictures -- Editing
Video tapes -- Editing
Co author Benedetti, Robert
ISBN 0205375758 (alk. paper)




Author Perkins, Roy
Title British film editors : the heart of the movie / Roy Perkins and Martin Stollery
Publisher London : BFI, 2004
Descript. vi, 240 p. : ill. ; 24 cm
Bibliog. Includes bibliographical references and index
Subject Motion pictures -- Great Britain -- Editing -- History
Co author Stollery, Martin
ISBN 1844570088 (pbk.) : £15.99
184457007X : £45.00



Author Orpen, Valerie
Title Film editing : the art of the expressive / Valerie Orpen
Publisher London : Wallflower, 2003
Descript. 138 p. : ill. ; 20 cm
Series Short cuts ; 16
Short cuts (London, England) ; 16
Bibliog. Includes bibliographical references
Subject Motion pictures -- Editing
ISBN 1903364531



Author Dancyger, Ken
Title The technique of film and video editing : history, theory, and practice / Ken Dancyger
Edition 3rd ed
Publisher Boston : Focal Press, 2002
Descript. xxv, 463 p. : ill. ; 24 cm
Bibliog. Includes bibliographical references and index
Subject Motion pictures -- Editing
Video tapes -- Editing
ISBN 0240804201 (alk. paper)


I pulled these off my school library, you've got to get alot of sources to get one good paper about film editing, or else you'll have a very once sided story of your subject. GL!

 

[Jared Isham]

Cool subject, n7. Theory is a really great way to help develop your creative voice.

Maybe look for some books on editing today to see how the process has changed and remained the same. Some newer books you could check out are Edit Better (thepoweredit.com) or Inside The Edit (insidetheedit.com).

Also check out the book
"In The Blink Of An Eye" by Walter Much

Good luck on your paper. I'm actually now very curious to read about it. Maybe I'll write one of my own to brush up on the subject.

Knowing the history of your art and where it came from will make you that much better of a filmmaker.

 

[Jared Isham]

You are right, real world experience is the best way to learn, but it is only part of the puzzle.

It is like building a house before you have learned design techniques figuring that by building 10 houses you will learn them. You will learn them, most likely, but wouldn't it be faster to go into construction having a broader knowledge of design and architecture before you start building?

These are all building block fundamentals that will help you out in your art form. Saying it is not worth your time is missing a large part of what makes you better at your art. You can pull inspiration from what you learn.

The saying about history "those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it" has merit in this scenario as well.

Don't get me wrong, I learned more about filmmaking from actually making movies, but looking back I was able to see how studying actually helped to shape my artistic approach. Also, studying costs WAY less money than making...so why not study in your down time between projects.

 

[Jared Isham]

I guess then, with the "can, do. can't, teach." theory would mean all those involved in Mastercass (masterclass.com) don't know what they are talking about? (Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Spacey, Aaron Sorkin, David Mammit, Werner Herzog, Hans Zimmer, Steve Martin, etc) They are teaching, right?

 

[Jared Isham]

MooiFilm.Com it doesn't sound like you would be the most enjoyable person to sit down to have a cup of coffee with. I think there is a big difference between success=rich and success=sustainability. I know a lot of filmmakers that love their career and are "sustainable" -- they can pay their bills and eat food.

I would have to say me being someone who works full time as a filmmaker (and I am definitely not rich) I find it much more fulfilling than what you say it is. Think of how many people a filmmaker can reach, the stories they can share and the lives the can impact, especially if they are telling stories that inspire folks to good. Filmmaking has the power to change lives and is probably one of the most influential industries in the world. I can guarantee that not everyone who makes movies or has selected film as a career path is in it for the money.

 

[Jared Isham]

Kim Welch would love to grab a coffee with you next time we are in the same part of the country.

MooiFilm.Com If by me not being a filmmaker you mean I don't pay my bills by selling movies, editing movies, developing creative concepts for clients, shooting content, etc. then we have a very different view of what filmmaking is and maybe it would be worth going back to some "books" (God forbid) and see what history has taught us and what the dictionary calls a filmmaker...but they probably don't know what they are talking about then, right?

Part of the process of becoming better is to learn how to make your art more commercial (yeah, the dreaded word). If nobody watches your art then why are you making it? It is not about selling out, it is about learning how to clearly communicate your creative ideas so that people understand it. Broadening your view and listening will potentially get you to that point of success that you may be looking for, always being on the defensive and attacking views that are different than your own will limit your momentum forward (pointing fingers back at me as well - it is never a one-way street). With that being said, you do make some true observations, but just as a word of caution, I would challenge you to step back and take a broader view of the industry, what it can do and what people consider success. There is a huge chance that you may discover that you are much closer to achieving your level of success than you think or that maybe you need to reevaluate your definition of what success is.

On a different note, it looks as though this thread has gotten way off topic. Circling back to the original poster, studying your craft and putting your learns into practice is one of the most valuable ways of learning. If you refuse to do that there is a good chance that you aren't going to get any better than you are now and probably have TONS to learn.

 

[Kim Welch]

This thread might seem a bit strange because Jared is talking to an offline member that I didn't realize had said some of the negative, browbeating and bulling things. I just deleted his posts. You don't have to agree with anyone here but you can state your opinions without putting other people down or trying to demonstrate you can be fouler than anyone else. I wish I had caught this earlier. I get spread thin with all the work that needs to be done and it takes me a while to get back to reading through all the posts. We need more moderators and please keep your posts in line with the way Jared disagrees and be supportive. We are all learning and hopefully we will learn thoughout our entire life.

 

[LexYmae]

You need to choose a prosperous period for events in this sphere, so you have a lot of information to write about. If I were you, I would write about the time the first films appeared and became popular or about the appearance of Hollywood films; this period is also full of exciting details. You could also use a site with writing essay suggestions to make a perfect assignment. I used this one a lot for my studying. Hope I have inspired you to write about something. If you lack ideas, you could stop more on some famous actors/actresses and their input into filming. I did so when I was writing about Merilin Monroe and i had a lot to say