Reviews

In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing by Walter Murch

nivinookie's review

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5.0

a MUST for any filmmaker

wesley_sq's review

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3.0

Mostly talked about the history of editing.
Main takeaway/s: cuts should be as natural as blinking in the real world. The actor's blinking must correspond with the right beats else it becomes unnatural.
Editing frame by frame must go with the rhythm of the film not comparing which frame is better.
Digital editing like Avid can be limiting, because it is too linear(you cant see all the clips unfolding simultaneously), it only shows you want you think you want to see but not what you need.

ztaylor4's review

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5.0

Walter Murch may be the perfect person to tell the story of the development of film editing from its birth to today. Not only can he describe the technical advancements and speculate about the future of film, he can also share his own detailed methods and thought processes (which have earned him multiple Academy Awards). The book is short and can be read quickly, but even a quick tour of Murch's editing philosophy is worthwhile.

trixabelle's review

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4.0

The guts of this book are great. The only downfall is the fact it is constantly dated by the speedy progression of technology. I'd recommend it to anyone about to learn or begin editing. Walter Murch is an absolute master and passes on his knowledge very eloquently. I'm a bit squeemish about eyes, so much so I had to cover this book!!

jordanawhit's review

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informative inspiring

5.0

autumnjb's review

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5.0

Articulated amazingly, and like poetry, the beauty of editing.

dodgson's review

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5.0

Excellent observations on the core function of the art of cinema, its lasting appeal, and its ability to endure technological change. Explores editing from a deeply technical perspective, a purely artistic perspective, and even a psychological/physiological perspective. Absolutely essential insights for any cineaste.

clayjs's review

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5.0

A smart book by one of the smartest below-the-liners in Hollywood. Reading this won't fill your shelf up with Oscars, but it'll tell you how Murch did it. This is actually the transcription of a master class Murch gave, and it really gets across how much he loves the art of montage, and will teach any reader respect for its subtlety.

timdams007's review

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4.0

More technical than 'The Conversations' but much of content comes back in this book (actually it's the other way around) making it less interesting.

koreilly's review

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3.0

An interesting look into the mind of a world-class narrative film editor. My experience is in corporate video editing so while this book (adapted from a lecture) wasn't aimed 100% at me, I still got a lot of good insight from it.

Bring a highlighter with you because there are some really good nuggets in here between some really strange anecdotes and pontification on the human eye.