How Important is Editing — Film 101
If we think of a film as a living breathing human body then the layout would go a little something like this ….skeleton =story, muscles = editing, & skin= cinematography. So just how important is editing I’d say pretty darn important if you want that body to move. The art of editing is the art of assembling shots filmed in a cohesive manner to tell a story and much like the muscles of our body if it isn’t done right it could lead to some very precarious situations. Imagine getting reels and reels, nowadays that would be gigabytes upon gigabytes of footage that you had to sift through and make a masterpiece from. Not only does the editor have to contend with continuity and matching action but they also must think about sound and dialogue…sound like fun? For me, it does kind of but it definitely doesn’t sound easy. On top of all that most people give all the credit to the man behind the camera and sure he is important but the editor is equally as important. Now we know how important editing is let's talk about the why…
Why is editing important? Let’s start with continuity unless you are trying to create an abstract work of art your story needs to make sense. In other words, the continuity of shots, movement and everything else needs to make since the audience. Let us not forget that sound and dialogue is part of the whole editing game too. Since our human brain registers sound first continuity and timing of sound is important. We have all watched those horrible dubbed films where the sound doesn’t sync or the dialogue is just that millisecond off. Drives you crazy right, well that is directly in the editor's hands. Continuity also has to do with the editor matching color temperatures and lighting I mean imagine going from one shot with a warm golden hour feel than in the blink of an eye the color temp of the film drops and you are now in the same scene but with a much cooler feel…disturbing though I know that is yet another reason why editing is so important. Continuity may be important but in my opinion, the most important aspect of editing is the pace. An editor can in his choice of cuts or scene selection change the entire feel and even alter the story. The power is in their hands and a great editor can seamlessly tell the story envisioned through the director's camera and vision of the cinematographer or completely demolish a film.
Editing like every other aspect of the film is an art and in my mind does not get the fanfare it deserves. I mean what would have come of movies like Star Wars or Apocalypse Now or Alien if they had a wholly different editor. Would the story have ended up being different? Would they have been such blockbuster masterpieces? Would we still be talking about them? I think not, but as usual, that is simply only my geekin’ opinion. And make sure to check out my next post where I will be doing a filmmaker bio on the one and only Walter Murch (who by the way in my geekin’ opinion is the best editor of all time.)
If you want more geeky content make sure to head over and follow My Geekin’ Opinion on Instagram.
