In the Blink of an Eye, and final thoughts

Walter Murch can easily be described as an organized and detailed editor. He created a very thought provoking essay on film editing called, “In The Blink Of An Eye”. He asks in the beginning of the book a very interesting question, why do cuts work? He explains that, “from the moment we get up in the morning until we close our eyes at night, the visual reality we perceive is a continuous stream of linked images.” (pg. 6) I found this quote very interesting because it made me imagine that daily life, through our eyes is nothing but cuts. Every time we blink could be one cut, and we are the editors of our own lives He explained how different movie and television cuts can be different from music video cuts. I think this is true and interesting because when cutting a movie or television, you not only have to make sure the audio sounds correct but more importantly that the images in the video are correct, for example, the eye-line rule. Yet, in a music video one should cut it more to the beat of music that is provided and still have to somehow provide somewhat of a smooth transition so it makes sense to the viewer/listener. I feel like in this class we were able to try that out with the SeaWorld video. I noticed by editing that I really paid more attention to both the sound and the image to match the motions. I really enjoyed the reading of Walter Murch but I’ve noticed I’ve learned so much more by editing in final cut ect in the labs.

This class overall, has made me really appreciate what the editor in films really has to go through. It is not by any means an easy job, but it can be rewarding. Since I’m not a production major, I had no idea what to expect going into this class. The Cinemas themselves have been a huge part in my life growing up. Ever since I was a young boy I’ve been going to the movies with my dad once every Tuesday. After taking this class, now I don’t see the movies as I’ve always seen them. I see them as works of art, and I now notice every shot. I pay attention to the eye line of the characters and the pacing of the cuts. It’s fun to notice those things and because of that it’s made me more organized all around; I’m starting to notice the fine details.