Reddit reviews In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing, 2nd Edition
We found 65 Reddit comments about In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing, 2nd Edition. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Silman-James Press
In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch. Had to read it for Editing II and have read it 3 more times since. Great book about editing and philosophy. Very light read as well.
https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Perspective-Film-Editing/dp/1879505622
In the Blink of an Eye (Walter Murch)
Shot by Shot (Steven D. Katz)
Making Movies (Sidney Lumet)
Hitchcock/Truffaut (Francois Truffaut)
Something Like An Autobiography (Akira Kurosawa)
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Those are all must reads, in my opinion. But this is just off the top of my head. I'm not next to my bookshelf at the moment, so this is the best I can do right now! =)
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EDIT: Back with round two.
Seductive Cinema (James Card)
Orson Welles's Last Movie: The Making of the Other Side of the Wind (Josh Carp)
A Hundred Years of Japanese Film (Donald Richie)
All the Emperor's Men: Kurosawa's Pearl Harbor (Hiroshi Tasogawa)
Making Documentary Films and Videos (Barry Hampe)
The Haunted Screen (Lotte Eisner)
If you're an editor, In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch.
Edit: link formatting
If you are looking for overall approach and not specific technique I found "In the Blink of an Eye" by Walter Murch to be pretty admirable. It is from the 90s but basic ideas and concepts behind the creativity are timeless. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1879505622
Much revered film editor Walter Murch's In The Blink Of An Eye is mainly about editing, but provides many insights that are helpful in other aspects of movie making. Don't know if it's the best book on film making but definitely worth a read.
Hi u/TopherTheIncel - here are my filmmaking "desert island" books:
Screenwriting
Filmmaking - General
Editing
Limited Resources
Hope this is helpful and good luck on your filmmaking journey!
Do yourself the biggest favor possible and pick up a copy of In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch; that will teach you the core concepts of editing and audience psychology and I believe it to be best and most enjoyable. Murch is the master, and his discussion of old film editing techniques, as well as modern nonlinear systems, will not only teach you a lot of terminology, but also the history of it (which should help in understanding it).
Then, you can move on to video tutorials specific to the editing software you are using. They are ALL over youtube, or if you are willing to spend a little money, lynda.com is great and will be much more in depth. For your application, I would suggest Adobe Premiere or FCPX (despite the complaints filmmakers people have about it, it's because the newest Final Cut has been geared more towards videography). I know others who do professional video work that swear by Vegas Pro, but it just doesn't fit my style, but feel free to look into it. Of course, you can start doing simple things in iMovie or Final Cut Express, but you are going to hit a limitation ceiling fairly quickly.
The reality is that your greatest teacher is going to be experience. Edit as much as you can, develop your craft, and keep things simple and clean until you've mastered basics; then play with bells and whistles. And please, please, please be upfront with people about what you do and do not have experience doing. A lot of what I do is clean up for nonprofits and other groups who had a videographer promise a big product and then couldn't deliver. Then I have to make magic happen and restore faith in the industry. I hope this helps.
You've pretty much just asked "How do I edit film?" Which is the right question to be asking, but don't expect a simple answer. :)
Consider picking up a copy of Walter Murch's In the Blink of an Eye, which is pretty much an entire (short) book about exactly this question.
In general, the advice I would give is to consider the motion of the viewer's eye, if the scene were playing out in real life. When would they look at a different person? When would they look around the room and re-establish everyone's position? By pointing the camera where the viewer's eye wants to go, you give them all the information they need. Conversely, by holding onto tight shots or not turning the camera on someone who's speaking, you can create a sense of claustrophobia or loss of control.
At the same time, you'll (generally) want to make your cuts feel natural using the elements of continuity editing, such as cutting on action.
In the Blink of an Eye is pretty much the definitive book on editing. It's written by Walter Murch, one of the best picture editors out there-- he did Apocalypse Now, The English Patient, and so many great films. It's a fairly short book-- very easy to read-- and I highly recommend checking it out.
Walter Murch asserts in In the Blink of an Eye that 24 FPS film reminds us of dreaming, and that is one of the reasons it is so effective in storytelling. There are several confusing issues here. Many talk about interpolation on modern TVs and motion blur, but neither of these is directly relatable.
Motion blur is strictly a side effect of shutter speed (angle) and exposure. You can nearly eliminate motion blur in 24FPS by exposing each frame for less time. (Think of the beginning of 'Saving Private Ryan')
Interpolation isn't a good representation because it's unnatural- The nuances of motion are far more complex than simply adding an interpolated frame between two existing frames. You can't simulate the real-life physics of mass, inertia, and the dynamics of cloth and wind resistance by interpolation. This is not a good example either.
In my opinion, there are two good live action 3D movies: Avatar and Hugo. Both were designed as such, executed well, and therefore "work." If "The Hobbit" is executed the same way, it could very well be very close to "looking through a window"
The question-- and it's a huge one, is how do CUTS affect this effect? In Walter Murch's opinion, cuts mimic blinking, and if your brain feels your watching 'reality' this illusion might hold. However, if you're stuck somewhere between the dreamlike state of 24fps film and reality, cuts could be very jarring.
Predicting the success or failure of this tech without seeing it is silly. There's no way to approximate it accurately, and until you see 48fps 3D 'The Hobbit' you just can't know.
I'm fascinated, though, and am looking forward to finding out.
Read "In the Blink of an Eye". Inspiring and quite brilliant short read that presents a foundation to thinking like an editor.
Less than $10 on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1879505622/ref=redir_mdp_mobile
He also wrote a book about editing the madness of Apocalypse Now. It's required reading in film school, and Murch also directed an 80's classic; Return to Oz.
Great book about technique. I read this one when I got my first job at a post house 10 years ago.
http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Revised-2nd-Edition/dp/1879505622
There are a lot of great books on film out there. Don't listen to other possible saying watch YouTube or wrote your own screenplay. Well, do those things too, but learn some wisdom from some of the masters while you're at it.
You are going to want to read the following:
Hitchcock by Truffaut (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0671604295). One of the greatest directors of all time, interviewed by another of the greatest.
In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1879505622/ref=aw_d_detail?pd=1), one of the greatest editors ever. A pretty great director too.
On Directing Film by David Mamet (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0140127224). A great book on directing by one of the great writer/directors.
Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0452271878). He wrote this after El Mariachi, before he went on to big budgets. It's one of the most inspiring books you'll ever read-- you'll want to make a film tomorrow. Basically, how to make a movie wit nothing but enthusiasm.
Probably the single greatest book on editing ever written.
There's a great book by Walter Murch (film editor and sound designer on Apocolypse Now, The English Patient, etc.) called 'In The Blink Of An Eye' talking a bit about the differences in editing on a computer vs. editing on film back in the 90s.
Some differences were that back in the 90s, computers weren't powerful enough to work with high-res digital captures of film. Editors were working with really grainy, low res captures. For that reason, it was very difficult to see the facial expressions & eye lines between actors in wide shots. This resulted in a lot of editors choosing close ups instead - to be safe. The medium used for edited was actually determining what shots editors would choose, solely based on technological limitations.
Another difference was that in editing on film, in order to choose a shot, you have to constantly wind through a large amount of film. In the process you are going through many, many different shots - which sometimes results in seeing something you might have missed, or going over and over the footage and becoming more familiar with alternate options. Even if each take is it's own film clip, you still have to manually wind through the whole take to get to where you want. In digital, it's totally non-linear, meaning you can just click where want to go, and miss scrolling through all the content. This means editors can possibly miss a large amount of footage, and be less familiar with options.
So ya, there used to be a fairly significant impact on aesthetic choices between working on film vs. software. Those differences have obviously narrowed with modern technology. But it's still interesting. It's also interesting that editing on computer didn't necessarily make things easier. Faster perhaps, but computers have their own down sides as well.
In the Blink of an Eye
The Conervasations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film
Audio-Vision
I'll add more later if I can think of others I've read but do not own.
The definitive book has always been In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch
Sori na kasnom odgovoru. Za fotografiju je najbolje potražiiti sadržaj o kompoziciji i boji. Iskreno, radije bi ti preporučio knjige od Burne Hogartha, pogotovo Dynamic Light and Shade. Knjige iz likovnih umjetnosti će ti daleko više pomoći oko fotografije nego knjige o fotografiji.
Što se tiče režije, scenaristike i montaže - najbolje je to skupno gledati kao jedno širinu, ali i cjelinu. Da bi se bavio režijom moraš poznavati scenaristiku i scenarističke tehnike, a da bi se bavio montažom moraš razumjeti režiju koja podrazumijeva razumijevanje scenaristike - i tako u krug. Fora kod filma/TV-a je da svi "zanati" postoje negdje drugdje osim montaže. Gluma postoji izvan Filma i TV-a, fotografija također, scenaristika također... jedino je montaža jedinstven zanat svojstven filmu i tv-u. Gledaj na montažu kao na ključni dio u procesu proizvodnje za koji izrađuješ sav materijal. Stoga podijeli učenje na pet cjelina: Fotografija, Montaža, Storytelling, Režija, Gluma.
Fotografija
Montaža
Storytelling
Režija
Gluma
Ima tu još dosta sadržaja kojeg bi bilo dobro spomenuti (recimo Sanford Meisnerova nadogradnja Stanislavskove škole glume i sl. ), ali ovo je već više nego dovoljno za dobar, široki, uvod u temu. Sve navedene knjige (osim za fotografiju) se koriste kao štivo na Columbiji i na Chapmanu i ostalim top filmskim školama. Razlika između čitanja štiva i učestvovanja na nastavi je što imaju i radionice - koje su iznimno bitne kod glume zbog glumačkih vježbi i redateljskih uputa. Kod nas nažalost ne postoji neka radionica i/ili glumačka škola koja radi po punom i ispravnom sustavu Stanislavskog, a kamoli po Meisneru, tako da ćeš i za to morati van.
I'll give it a try.
The first things to understand are that of cinematography. Films were shot first without sound so how you manipulated the camera was critical to the emotion of the story. It still is today but we sometimes get lost in the dialogue and forget the importance of the camera.
So everybody has their different 4 parts to cinematography (or whatever number they choose). I have Lighting/Exposure, Framing/Composition, Placement/Angle, and lenses (I'm probably missing something critical.) These all have effects on one another and take forever to master. For this I would suggest you take your camera and just start shooting pictures or short videos of random things adjusting the settings as much as possible. Taking the same shot three times over with a different f-stop or adjust the camera so your taking it from a different angle, either longitudinally or latitudinally.
The next part is sound. It is the other half of film (unless you are doing a silent movie). I don't really know what parts there are to it but it follows similar concepts of practice. Play around with it a lot. Try telling a story using nothing but sounds, like a radio broadcast.
The last thing is editing. For this I would suggest reading In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch. As far as color correction and sound editing, I'm pretty much useless. It just comes with more practice and a bunch of online videos.
If you want any help with writing I can send you in the right direction for that but this should be a good start.
What I did when I learned how to edit was taking the raw footage I shot and spending 9+ hours in Avid, self-teaching myself how to use the program. The first thing I would do is figure out which program you would like to use and pick up some footage (or shoot your own) and figure out how the program is laid out. I personally prefer Adobe Premiere, simply because I do a lot of Photoshop/Premiere/After Effects work and they all link together without having to render/save.
Pick up some books, I recommend 'In the Blink of an Eye'. Watch some movies and pay attention to how it was cut (which, at first, is kind of hard since our art is an invisible one).
A lot of corporate stuff is pretty straightforward cutting, so if that's what you're aiming for, you should be able to pick it up fairly quickly. Although, your MacBook Air may not have enough power to handle extensive projects and you may also want to pay attention to the temperature of you Air as editing can heat up a laptop fairly fast. I would actually pick up a laptop cooling system to put underneath the laptop as I don't think the Air has good airflow.
First things first. It's good to be critical of your own tastes and wanting to be able to talk about it is great.
The thing is; to talk about movies you talk about intentions (intentions of the director, but also the cameraman, the lighting, the actor, etc). Although there is a common goal, these disciplines approach it in very different manners. If everything works; it's all conveying the right intentions at the right time. To get why some movies work and some don't you need to learn the "languages" of at least a couple of the disciplines. You should notice the way the camera frames the person and why at that moment in the narrative they chose to do that in this specific manner. You should notice the way the scene is lighted; is it dark, is it red, etc. All these things get you on the track of what the overall intention is. Things like this can be picked up from books like ["In the blink of an eye"] (https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Perspective-Film-Editing/dp/1879505622). Which is a great book about editing.
Now if you talk about the cultural remark a movie makes. What it says about something in the real-world; In real life. Your entering the domain of sociology, psychology, anthropology and/or philosophy. This again is a whole other beast. It's taking all the intentions of the movie and trying to see what it "means". The Why. This is also very personal. If you like dystopian settings. That can be connected with nihilism. So you read up about nihilism in Friedrich Nietzsche (although not technically a nihilist) or Albert Camus. I can go on and on.
The point I think I want to make is that it's a total package. It's not one book that can teach you how to think about movies. There is no one book that can tell you how to take them in and to express your feelings about them. I must add that I did not study film criticism so I don't know the material they teach there and I'm sure there are books that give you a glimpse or an overall view how to approach this topic. But in the end there is no book that can show you your own way of conveying your feelings. Discussing the marks a movie left on you with others.
The only way to do that is like learning a language. You have to read it but also speak it and "live in the country" to really master it. So find a friend/forum/teacher/parent/dog/cat you can talk with about movies you both saw.
Here you go:
Books!
Great book to get started with cinematography: http://www.amazon.com/Cinematography-Theory-Practice-Cinematographers-Directors/dp/0240812093/ref=zg_bs_2023_6
Great book about editing: http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Perspective-Film-Editing/dp/1879505622/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452008928&sr=1-1&keywords=in+the+blink+of+an+eye
Haven't got around to reading it yet, but I did order a copy of In the Blink of an Eye. It has been highly recommended to me quite a few times.
Also, here's a previous Reddit thread about editing podcasts you may want to frequent.
And another thread on editing websites to follow.
Everything by Walter Murch. Start with this one. https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Perspective-Film-Editing/dp/1879505622
Hit S to turn off snapping, that will let you drag your clips frame by frame.
Also, here's a place to start in regards to film editing theory:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1879505622/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-zrZCb6SGT557
I would say mastershots
https://www.amazon.com/Master-Shots-Vol-2nd-Techniques/dp/1615930876
Walter Murch's In a Blink of an Eye
It isn't so much a direct composition study but I certainly learned to think about shooting for a whole piece rather than just shot by shot.
https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Perspective-Film-Editing/dp/1879505622
Estudei cinema em 2010, na época um dos livros indicados no curso era o Power Filmmaking Kit, o livro é um overview de toda produção cinematográfica, eu recomendo. Um mais recente que segue a mesma linha, e mais bem avaliado na amazon é o The Filmmaker's Handbook, porém esse eu não li.
Sobre roteiro, um dos mais indicados é o Story do Robert Mackee, o cara tem cacife em Hollywood, tem uma cena no Adaptation, onde o personagem do Nicolas Cage está com writer's block e vai numa palestra do Robert Mackee pra tentar resolver o problema, é um dos meus filmes favoritos, recomendo tanto quanto o livro. Tem também os livros do Sid Field, que também são bem influentes quanto a roteiros.
Sobre edição, In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing, do Walter Murch.
Sobre atuação e direção, da uma lida sobre o Stanislavski, que desenvolveu o Método(já ouviu falar em atores metódicos? foi daqui que saiu), Stella Adler que estudou com o Stanislavski e escreu sobre atuação/direção também.
Fun fact, most films are edited so you blink at the same time the cut happens.
Source (In the blink of an eye): https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Perspective-Film-Editing/dp/1879505622
Firstly, it's fantastic seeing people with an interest in editing. Editing is one of those rare things where it's both an incredible art form and a well paying job (when you get the work).
Like others have said, the three big tools you'll need to know now and going into the future are Adobe Premiere, Avid, and Final Cut Pro X (perhaps in that order). All of these tools have their own strengths and weaknesses and it's important to know all three. With that being said, editing is all about, well, editing, and not the tools you use. So I'd recommend picking up some books on editing theory. Walter Murch's In the Blink of an Eye is a nice, light read which is quite thought provoking.
But back to the software itself! Like others have said, learning Adobe Premiere first is probably wise, as you'll find it less difficult to learn since you have experience with Sony Vegas. Likewise, Premiere is becoming a real powerhouse in the industry, which is crazy because 5 years ago it was considered a bit of a joke.
The only recommendation I have is to, while you're still a student, pick up an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. As a student, you should be able to get a crazy deal.
Good luck with everything!
A great book to read is In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch.
Also, just practice. Grab a movie or TV show and cut a trailer in the style of other trailers you see. Try to make a trailer for Transformers look like a Nancy Meyers movie. Or turning Pets into a Kubrick film.
This is THE BOOK for getting into film/theory. http://www.amazon.com/Film-Art-Introduction-David-Bordwell/dp/0072484551
Cinematography: http://www.amazon.com/Cinematography-Theory-Practice-Cinematographers-Directors/dp/0240812093/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324665695&sr=8-1
Editing: http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Revised-2nd/dp/1879505622/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324665749&sr=1-1
Screenwriting: http://www.amazon.com/Tools-Screenwriting-Writers-Elements-Screenplay/dp/0312119089/ref=sr_1_22?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324665794&sr=1-22
Note: Obviously this list is incomplete, if anyone has suggestions please add to this. Also this list is not specifically for kevleemur, but for anyone looking to learn about movie stuffs
Online material is nice, but there are many great and more reliable resources that come in these old fashioned book things.
General
Shot by Shot
MasterShots
The Visual Story
Directing
On Screen Directing
(may be hard to find)
On Directing Film by David Manet
Cinematography/ Lighting/ Camera/ On Set Learning
The ASC Manual (some earlier editions come in one volume which is nice)
Creative Control by Michael Hofstein
The Set Lighting Technicians Handbook
Painting With Light (John Alton's book. A little outdated but still a good read).
Reflections
The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video by Tom Schroeppel (very simple, a good start)
The Grip Book
The Camera Assistant's Manual
Cinematography: Theory and Practice
Producing
Creative Producing From A to Z by Myrl A Schreibman
Scheduling and Budgeting Your Film by Paula Landry
Editing
In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch (Sound designer and editor from Apocalypse Now----EXCELLENT)
Screenwriting
Story
Screenplay the Foundations of Screenwriting
ONLINE RESOURCES:
http://www.rondexter.com/
http://cinematography.net/
http://www.rogerdeakins.com/
http://www.arri.com/
http://www.mole.com/
http://www.panavision.com/home
http://www.filmtools.com/
Aside from familiarizing yourself with knowledge and technique the best you can without being involved on set, one of the best things you can do is read up and become as knowledgeable as you can with gear that you will eventually encounter, which is why I listed the last four links. Even if you do plan on going into producing or directing, it is always helpful to understand lighting and camera and why the people working with you need the things they do.
GO LEARN THINGS!
I always feel you get better information reading works by practitioners than from academics or journalists. My two favorite film books:
In the blink of an eye by multiple Oscar-winning film editor Walter Murch is probably the best book for understanding film editing and the theory behind why it works.
Making Movies by Sidney Lumet (who presumably needs no introduction) is the best all-around book written on filmmaking.
Lynda.com has a lot of good stuff. I believe it is subscription based, but it is a good service. Now while it is important to know how to use software, editing theory is an even bigger deal. Start watching movies praised for editing. Last years, "Whiplash" won best editing at the Oscars, and it was well deserving. Also reach "In the Blink of an Eye" by, Walter Murch.
Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Revised-2nd-Edition/dp/1879505622
It's a really great lesson on theory in editing, and I highly reccomended it to anybody wanting to learn editing.
On the subject of books, Walter Murch's 'In the Blink of an Eye' is a great insight into filmmaking and film editing, and how the idea of cutting (which is mainly what separates a finished film from its component shots) relates to the real world and human perception. When, and when not, to cut.
Don't treat the man's words as gospel, but they'll certainly make you think.
And as others have said, don't just aim to be a director and isolate yourself in that. The best directors have at least some experience of every position they're asking others to do - you're never able to fully appreciate what you're asking of people unless you've done their job at least once. This will at least make sure you're asking the right questions, and people are much more likely to want to help you/work for you if you seem to understand where they're coming from.
Buy In the Blink of an Eye and read it cover to cover if you haven't already. If you have, re-read it. Once you've read it, read it again and memorize it.
Then, edit. Edit and edit and edit and edit. Find some footage, and cut it until you're blue in the face. Experiment with how changing the cut forward or backward by just a single frame can completely change the feel and mood of a piece.
FORGET ABOUT EFFECTS. Effects don't make a good editor, a solid cut between two shots makes a good editor. I'm a little old-school in my philosophy, but I'd rather see a solid cut over a mediocre transition or effect any day.
I can't stress this enough, if you're just starting out - quit worrying about your effects. Just focus on learning how to make a "perfect" cut, and then worry about effects.
Editing definitely has some "theory" to it, and you need to learn it. But I've found the best way is to just cut and cut and cut. Take some footage and cut it, and then switch it around and learn how you can completely change the meaning of a piece just by the cutting. You'll be amazed at how much power you really have.
If you wanna know the why as well as the how then YouTube FCP tutorials might not quite cover it. Read In The Blink Of An Eye by Walter Murch. It's short, easy to read and vital for any editor.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/THE-BLINK-EYE-NEW-EDN/dp/1879505622
Read In The Blink of an Eye by Murch. Then maybe something like Thinking in Pictures by Sayles. These are filmschool standards.
Keeping a shot up for the duration of a few sentences can work for this type of subject matter, depending on the shot. For example, it would work with you walking. It might work with you looking off to the side. I don't think it'd work with you staring directly into camera. My favorite shot was the blank wall and the car that passes briefly through it. You could have held that longer and allowed more cars to pass by, instead of cutting to the shot of you.
Also try for matching action between shots. You pan up from your shoes, and cut to a steady shot of you. Try jump cutting the pan up from your shoes to later in the shot when that pan lands on your face, say shoes to knees then cut to shoulders to face or allow the pan to continue upwards. The motion will appear fluid, but you've jumped time in a simple two shot montage.
A great book to read on editing is In the blink of an eye by Walter Murch.
only have two really.
On Film Editing: An Introduction to the Art of Film Construction
In the Blink of an Eye
For theory, Walter Murch's Int the Blink of an Eye is fantastic. It is not technical in any way, but relates to editing choices revolving around story, pace, emotion, etc.
As for the technical, I read the 1000+ pages of the 3 manuals that come with Avid Media Composer. Avid has lots of online training resources, and here is a tutorial project that has some media file to work with and gives you the basics on how to navigate around the program. If you are thinking of using Final Cut X, don't, it's crap. Adobe Premiere is good software but I grew up on Avid and Avid's a bit more ubiquitous out here. Added bonus, Avid jobs tend to pay more, probably cause the barrier to entry is higher.
Read: http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Revised-2nd-Edition/dp/1879505622 In the blink of an eye by Walter Murch to learn about the magic and power of editing, then, choose some software.. Long form, use Avid, Fast turnaround, use FCPX, good all round, use Adobe Premiere. Then just practice and learn new techniques from the internet.. Try and get used to using keyboard shortcuts.
I work for the company that did the animation for Return to Oz. The Nome King clay puppet was on "display" in a dusty corner of the building for years. All the plasticine was coated with dust. It was pretty creepy.
Interestingly, this is the only feature directed by the famous film editor/sound designer Walter Murch, author of the seminal editing book ['In The Blink of an Eye'] (http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Revised-2nd-Edition/dp/1879505622) which is a must read for any film maker.
UMMMMMM lets see. I can take two routes. School or munchies.
I just recently graduated (video production) and there are a couple book's that I've been really wanting to get.
One for editing, And these for inspiration and reference to how my shots should look like
1
2
3
And I've heard anything from this guy, film related, is an amazing read for filmmakers
Ever since I graduated (I went to a really artsy school instead of a production school :( )I feel like I have way more to learn. Like it didn't fully leave me ready for what I want to be so what I'm trying to do is take all these books that are highly recommended in my field and learn as much as I can on my own. Hopefully to inspire me to make better films and really push me in the right direction. Any book would be perfectly fine.
As for munchies. I've been training for a fight for a couple months so my diet has been pretty strict. Fewer calories, no sweets, very low carbs. One week, my trainer goes to Japan to visit his GF and once I found out, I asked him if he can buy me some kitkats. In japan if you guys didn't know, they have a store dedicated to every flavor of kitkat you can think of and me having the biggest sweet tooth, I begged him if he can buy me a box. Since I was still on my diet when he came back, he was holding the candy for me so I wouldn't get tempted to eat it on my own time (I was 13 pounds away from my goal weight). He ended up getting me a pack of Strawberry Kitkats. So one day as he was in his house studying, he walks past the candy and says, "Hey, it's been here for so long, I think I should try one. I got a sweet tooth. There are 12 in the box so 11 will still be a good gift. So after about 30 seconds of having an orgasm in his mouth due to kitkats, he says, "ok one more." The only problem there was, one turned into 11 more. All my sweet precious kit kats are gone! One of the many foods I was planning to demolish after my diet are gone!!! Drops on my knees, lifts my arm and scream NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Sooooooo yeah. Since I don't really have the funds to go Japan I would have to use amazon until one of my friends returns to japan to give me one of those crazier flavors. They have things like mango, chili, red bean, guasabi, green tea, ice cream, pudding and I really cant think of the other ones but its really cool.
But these are the two boxes I have on my list. Either one would be more than perfect. I don't really know exactly what's inside those two packs but I recognize some like apple, strawberry and cheesecake so I wouldn't mind the surprise.
1
2
And if anyone else is interested in trying them, just remember they're all mini bars, not the full sized bars you would buy in the store. Sorry for the essay, I hope it was good enough lol. Thank you for the contest.
Sculpting in Time
Notes on the Cinematographer
In the Blink of an Eye
Shot by Shot
The Filmmaker's Handbook
The Guerrilla Filmmaker's Handbook
Rebel Without a Crew
Filmmaking for Dummies
What They Don't Teach You at Film School
And if you are looking for film schools: Film School Confidential
These are just a few which will help get you started.
There are many other good sources but here is a good one on directing and an amazing one on editing that changed my whole outlook (I'm a video editor).. Don't feel bad that you can only do one at a time. The entire goal of filmmaking is to make it all invisible, so you can get lost in the story and the characters. Bad movies are usually the ones that are constantly calling attention to the fact that it's "just a movie".
I would say get some DVD's and watch the special features.
If you're still interested, get some books about filmmaking, filmmakers, and story telling.
Read "In the Blink of an Eye" by Walter Murch. As a film maker it's one of the best books I've read. It's based in editing, as Walter Murch is an editor, but it really covers the basics of how to make something "work" on the screen. Check it out for sure!
Then get yourself a camera, heck, it can even be the camera on your iPhone or whatever you may have. Shoot some film (not literally, you're using your phone), use the stock editor that comes with your computer (iMovie or Windows Movie Maker, whatever you may have) and cut something together, even if it's just a minute or two long.
If you're still enamored with film like the rest of us are, then start working on bigger projects, and try to find work on a film set (or if your strengths are in the office, you could be an Office PA - better hours, but less exciting than being on set). Working on a film set could be dictated by where you live (in the event you don't live in a "film friendly" city, there will be less opportunity of course).
The advice of jeanfr elsewhere in this thread is also top rate.
Good luck to you!
Read this. http://www.amazon.ca/Blink-Eye-Revised-2nd-Edition/dp/1879505622
Actually I've never read material on it before, but I've seen people mention this book: http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Perspective-Film-Editing/dp/1879505622/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450462875&sr=8-1&keywords=blink+of+an+eye
To be honest seamless cuts are a combination of movement and SHAPES. But cutting motion to motion and stillness to stillness is a pretty simple way of making shots flow.
I recently watched an assembly on a low budget movie from an editor I kept wondering about - how he's got stuck editing low budget since the dawn of time - I noticed he can cut to new beats like someone who's been doing this for 30 years - but his approach to timing and motion/stillness doesn't seem to be a part of his skillset.
I mean my assemblies aren't Mozart but I still feel there's a huge gap between "knowing how to cut" and knowing how to feel it out.
My favorites:
The Visual Story
In the Blink of an Eye
How to Read a Film (personally bored by it but a lot of film classes I took in uni versity used it)
The Filmmaker's Eye (huge fan of this book)
The rest of this post is just general advice on how to gain a deeper knowledge of film.
If you want to learn the grammar of film, read about film history (it will help introduce you to editing/camera movement/directing techniques and the filmmakers/films that influenced your favorite directors).
Read criticism from Pauline Kael, Andrew Sarris, David Bordwell (his blog is a fantastic resource), Jonathan Rosenbaum, and older critics such as Bazin/Eisenstein. There are more out there, but this is a good start.
Read reviews after you watch a film instead of beforehand--those reviews will hopefully give you a deeper view of the film. That being said, you really have to look around to figure out who you like, stylistically speaking. There are a lot of critics that have no idea what they're talking about from a technical standpoint. If you're bored with short reviews without substance you might like FILMCRITHULK.
Watch YouTube tutorials and video essays on filmmaking. Video essays are particularly helpful at illustrating and pointing out things that you might not have noticed otherwise. It's also a hell of a lot more entertaining than reading criticism that was written in 1962 in another language.
From a practical standpoint, pick up a camera and shoot something. Edit it. Read books on composition--I've found that photography composition books are pretty helpful. Read scripts from films you love and films you haven't seen to get an idea of how a film exists before the first day of shooting takes place.
Keep watching films, and watch them actively. Don't text during films, and try to watch them in one sitting. The goal is to immerse yourself in the image and analyze the shots/cuts/etc. as they happen. Watch films with commentaries, watch them with the sound off, and branch out into different genres and time periods so that you can attain a more concise view of film.
Above all else, watch as many films as you can. You'll find that the watchlist keeps growing, no matter how many films you see.
I can't recommend this book enough: http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Revised-2nd/dp/1879505622
That won't help you with the technical aspects, but it will give you a really good foundation in theory.
The best thing you can do is just start making stuff. Get a crappy camera, use your phone if you have to. As an editor you need to have a solid understanding of story mechanics and the quality of footage won't have too much of an effect on your learning.
Shoot really dumb 2 minute films, anything that allows you to play around with time and atmosphere.
I saw friends in film school using Windows Movie Maker and their webcams who were making better films than the people who could afford nice equipment. It's all about creativity and having a clear view of what you're trying to accomplish.
I read a book by Walter Murch years ago. It was fascinating how he worked. i highly recommed it.
I have a similar relationship to editing though there was only a year or two gap from when I graduated and started editing again.
At the time, I was working a sales position at a company that produced trade show events. I sat down with the owner of the company and discussed how we could use video content to boost sales and company image. I took footage from one event and created two videos; the first showed a lot of services and products, the other video showed a lot of attendees and various exhibitors.
The first video was for potential attendees to show them how informative and useful our events were while the other video was used to show potential vendors why they should pay us for a spot in our event. I would get companies on the phone and gauge their interest in becoming an exhibitor, if they were interested I would send them a link to the video and watched it with them.
For me, I started with how I could use the skill to be useful, monetarily.
From there, I started following Larry Jordan and paid for his courses for FCPX (reimbursed through my company). I learned everything else through youtube.
My favorite book on editing is In The Blink Of An Eye
Six years later, I'm at a different company (another sales position) but I still have my old company as a client where I produce all their promo's, television and radio ads for all their trade show events (there are forty four events).
I avoided working for free as much as possible and created financial opportunities instead. There are people out there that want to pay you for this kind of work, you just need to focus on solving their problems and meeting their needs.
Learn some theory
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blink-Eye-Perspective-Film-Editing/dp/1879505622/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=murch+editing&qid=1567087627&s=computers&sr=8-1
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Learn some keys
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adobe-Premiere-Keyboard-Cover-MacBook/dp/B01MUDOTLF
This Book by Walter Murch is an essential read.
I like a mix of books and Lynda on the software, kind of dry but as they start with the fundamentals it's handy to have on hand or gone through once and a while to know the tools. As for principles which help you make good work or do a good job I like
The Animator's Survival Kit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0571202284/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_awdo_O92lxb1TVGTG4 via @amazon
And for editing
In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing http://www.amazon.com/dp/1879505622/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_awdm_E72lxb0R0HGDZ via @amazon
Haven't watched this yet but just want to big up "In the blink of an eye", an amazing book about editing, by film editor Walter Murch (apocalypse now, godfather 1 and 2). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1879505622/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_WnpnxbRNR3H0Y
In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch
http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Revised-2nd/dp/1879505622
What are some good books or online resources that focus more on theory? I know the technical stuff, that's easy. I'm wanting to wrap my head about new concepts or methods of critical thinking. I'm from a video editing background, so if anyone is familiar with In the Blink of an Eye, I'm looking for something similar.
For a broad and comprehensive overview with less technical information, go for Screenwriting 101 by Film Crit Hulk, along with any of his wonderful articles.
For the technical specifics of modern screenwriting, The Hollywood Standard by Christopher Riley is solid, though it's really not that complicated and I wouldn't worry too much. Just use a program like Celtx to do your formatting and you're sweet.
If you want to blow your mind with dogmatic but largely correct info on the structuring of effective stories in general go for The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri, written about playwriting but incredibly relevant.
I also recommend you learn the basics of filmmaking. I personally believe it's vital to properly writing screenplays (rather than generic writing dressed in screenplay clothes). The stuff's got to be shootable, designed for a reasonable budget, and more importantly, suited to the film medium itself.
A great book for that is On Film-Making by Alexander Mackendrick.
I also highly recommend In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch, written about editing and invaluable. Editing is the essence of film as we know it, so it's in your interests to know it intimately.
https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Perspective-Film-Editing/dp/1879505622
This book is a great read for video editors of all levels, it's pretty short and it taught me alot! Would definitely recommend
Please let me stop you.
As I did the same because of Mega64...5 years ago. Flash forward to this past spring where I graduated from broadcasting school, moved to LA, interned, got fucked over, moved back to my original state got a last minute offer and moved back to LA within a month. It is not easy. College will not make it any easier. Film and TV really only exist in LA or NYC. It's extremely hard to find work anywhere else. Mega64 is a group of guys who got lucky by finding an audience online that comes back every week to give them love and views. Going to school for broadcasting only threw me into a already over saturated market. What I learned most in LA is: a friend who went to NYU told me this as I was an assistant editor for him for a month, "any dummy can edit, it's the motion graphics where the money is." so with that I say go to school for graphic design with a focus in motion graphics. Not only will you get a degree from a place that values you, you can work at an agency in any city...anywhere. The people I interned over the summer were all self taught by youtube and books. That's all it takes in filmmaking is experience; going to broadcasting school did nothing in that category for me. I had to research, network and go out of my way to keep up with NYU/Florida State film school big leagues HOWEVER unlike them my college debt will only take 5-10 years to pay off. NYU(not Florida State, holy shit their tuition is cheap and their program is amazing so if you're in florida GO THERE! Otherwise read the rest of this)'s tuition will follow you past your death. Editing/filmmaking is much like painting or any other creative outlet, it takes time and the more you do it the better you get; the more you work with people who are better than you; the better you get; the more hungry you are for opportunity the better you get.
Some books I recommend for pursuing your interest in anything creative further:
In The Blink of An Eye
It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be.
Damn Good Advice (For People with Talent!): How To Unleash Your Creative Potential
And some helpful links in what it's going to take. You can't learn everything in college, it's only a gate to your journey that opens the day you graduate and enter the real world.
Ash Thorp - Steps On A Creative Path
Say No To Spec
Fuck You, Pay Me
Here's what film school taught me: How to order my own DSLR, tripod, memory cards, case and a second lens. How to download the creative cloud and pay for it using a student license. How to play with Avid but not really learn how to edit in avid. How to make shitty short films so you get that out of your system and never try to make some deep bullshit story ever again, you're 21 years old you have no life experience stop throwing 20 minute films about pills down other peoples throats. How to understand 3 point lighting. How to waste money on courses for information I could of gotten off research. Now for the good stuff I got out of going to college: friends, mentors, experiences, memories, and chances to work(without pay). I was able to learn how to get burned but I was also more driven than the other students in my program. It's all about drive, and Mega64 has an unstoppable drive that's why they've been successful for the last 10+ years in keeping interest alive. You gotta take that inspiration that drive to want and keep moving forward with you to the future. Let mega64 be your inspiration but for the love of god don't waste your money, talent or time on broadcasting school.
In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing by Walter Murch