Oscar Urdaneta

10-25-2020
Professor Wood

8.1 Editing Overview

Cutting Edge Editing Documentary

● I certainly did not skimp myself out of watching this feature. From the beginning, I
instantly learned about the origins of cinematic cuts with the intention of telling a story
visually.

● On the subject of the origins of cinematic cuts, I did not know that Edwin S. Porter was
an assistant/employee of Thomas Edison. It becomes evident how much Edison
pioneered and inspired ingenuity in all forms of crafts and trades.

● It was interesting to see the dichotomy of early Western and Eastern cinema such as
Porter’s ​The Life of an American Fireman​ and ​Man with A Movie Camera​ by Dziga
Vertov.

● Early cinema of the Soviet Union depicted the glorification of the average life of frontline
workers in the Soviet Union to be used as propaganda. However, the propaganda was
approached with an emphasis on cinematic and visual communication; without actors,
sets, or scenarios in order to distinguish cinema as an artform separate from theater and
literature

● The addition of sound elevated and added another dimension of editing that affects how
the audience responds with emotion.

How Star Wars Saved in the Editing Room

● The general notion is that the editor has the objective eye that organizes the shots in a
cohesive and orderly fashion. In the case of Star Wars, the effort was collaborative and
laborious to find a cut that worked cohesively.

● I wish I was in a position to have someone note-worthy such as Brian DePalma to

critique my film. Even though he would probably also tear me to shreds like he did to
George. Still though, receiving feedback from Brian is a privilege and George was lucky
to have that.

● I did not know Lucas’ wife had made a significant contribution to the editing and pacing
to a movie. I find it interesting how there is a subconscious connection to how women
perceive and edit film, and how that came to be in cinema history.

● George had really good ideas but he was not equipped with the means to properly
execute his vision
Oscar Urdaneta
10-25-2020
Professor Wood
Strange Continuity

● With the invention and innovation of cuts comes a challenge to make sure each scene
has consistent continuity and to avoid all continuity errors.

● The interesting factoid is how our eyes blink for about a quarter of a second which
leaves us with about a quarter of our lives with our eyes shut.

● I did not notice the continuity error in Wizard of OZ at first, it makes sense as to why they
assign people to keep track of continuity in a film to avoid errors.

● Our brains are tailor made to highlight important information. Which is why editing is
such an effective tool and crucial component to the making of a film. Film editing exploits
how humans process information and store memory.

The Shining Recut

● A perfect example of how the editor can manipulate shots from an already cut and
finalized film and repurpose the images to tell a different story.

● The assembly of footage is the final stage that the director and editor have to carefully
deliberate and work closely in order to achieve the perfect shot pacing and rhythm for
the movie.

● Changing the tone can be as simple as just manipulating sounds, such as replacing sad
music with more light-hearted and comedic music, to achieve the desired effect

● Stanley Kubrick had several edits of the Shining and is quoted saying that he would
have endlessly tinkered with it if he did not have a deadline otherwise.