Art of the Cut provides an unprecedented look at the art and technique of contemporary film and television editing. It is a fascinating "virtual roundtable discussion" with more than 50 of the top editors from around the globe. Included in the discussion are the winners of more than a dozen Oscars for Best Editing and the nominees of more than forty, plus numerous Emmy winners and nominees. Together they have over a thousand years of editing experience and have edited more than a thousand movies and TV shows.
Hullfish carefully curated over a hundred hours of interviews, organizing them into topics critical to editors everywhere, generating an extended conversation among colleagues. The discussions provide a broad spectrum of opinions that illustrate both similarities and differences in techniques and artistic approaches. Topics include rhythm, pacing, structure, storytelling and collaboration.
Interviewees include Margaret Sixel (Mad Max: Fury Road), Tom Cross (Whiplash, La La Land), Pietro Scalia (The Martian, JFK), Stephen Mirrione (The Revenant), Ann Coates (Lawrence of Arabia, Murder on the Orient Express), Joe Walker (12 Years a Slave, Sicario), Kelley Dixon (Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead), and many more.
Art of the Cut also includes in-line definitions of editing terminology, with a full glossary and five supplemental web chapters hosted online at www.routledge.com/cw/Hullfish. This book is a treasure trove of valuable tradecraft for aspiring editors and a prized resource for high-level working professionals. The book's accessible language and great behind-the-scenes insight makes it a fascinating glimpse into the art of filmmaking for all fans of cinema.
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Acknowledgments
Introduction
Film Editor Biographies
1. PROJECT ORGANIZATION
Cards on a Wall
Project Organization
Scene Bin Organization
Scene Bin Organization with JPEG Markers
Selects or KEM Rolls
Sequence Organization
Organizing a Timeline Layout
ScriptSync
2. APPROACH TO A SCENE
Screening Dailies (Rushes)
Watching Dailies Backwards
Finding a Starting Place
Fast and Rough to Start
Using Select Reels
3. PACING AND RHYTHM
Pacing is Musical
What Determines Pacing?
Letting it Breathe
Pacing Due to Screen Size
4. STRUCTURE
Length of First Assembly
Working the First Assembly
Hitting Beats
Structure
Intercutting
Killing Your Babies and Eliminating Shoe Leather
Screening
First Assembly in TV
5. STORYTELLING
Editing is Foundational to Storytelling
Speaking into the Script
Character
Perspective
Structure
A Student of Story
6. PERFORMANCE
Editing as Stewardship
Finding the Performance
Performance That Tells the Story
Shaping Performance
Editing Bracketed Performances
Using Audio from Different Takes Than Picture
Split Screen: The Invisible Weapon
Performance Needs Context
7. SOUND DESIGN
Sound to Sell Visual Edits
Selling the Environment
Collaboration with Sound Team and Assistants
ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement)
8. MUSIC
The Purpose of Temp Music
Choosing Temp Music
Cutting Without Temp
Songs and Diegetic or "Source" Music
Temping a Franchise Film
Using Score
9. COLLABORATION
Landing the Gig
Styles of Collaboration
Notes
Social Skills
Don't Edit the Way You Think the Director Wants
TV's Collaborative Environment
10. DOCUMENTARY
Schedule
Approaching the Material
ScriptSync
Shot Selection
Pacing and Rhythm
Structure
Sound Design
Music
Collaboration
Notes and Revisions
Miscellaneous Documentary Wisdom
11. MISCELLANEOUS WISDOM
How Did You Break Into the Business?
Emotion
Geography
Learn From Your Mistakes
How Do You Judge the Editing of Others?
