Film Editing - History, Theory and Practice

This examination of the film editor's craft ranges from the beginning of cinema to the 21st century. Film editing, at its best when it goes unnoticed, is the least understood of the cinematic crafts. This book explains not only the "how" but also the "why" of this pivotal film making activity.

---

This examination of the film editor's craft ranges from the beginning of cinema to the 21st century. Film editing is widely considered to be at its best when it goes unnoticed, making it the least understood of the cinematic crafts. This book explains not only the "how" but also the "why" of this pivotal film making activity. The struggle to produce meaningful narratives through the manipulation of moving images evolved through experiment and creative inspiration. Driven by commercial imperatives, a cinematic form emerged which became universally adopted. This detailed study traces the development of editing from the primitive forms of early cinema through the upheavals caused by the advent of sound, to explore the challenges to convention that began in the 1960s and which continue into the 21st century.