2nd Edition - In the Blink of an Eye - A Perspective on Film Editing

Murch is considered the most influential and effective editors of the last 50 years, and with good reason. He worked on Apocolypse Now, The Godfather trilogy, and many other films. He also successfully made the transition from film to digital media, and had a deep understanding of both the artistic and practical considerations of editing. The book is an adaptation of a lecture, and it shows in the conversational style.

This was an interesting book about what I like to call "film philosophy". I was expecting more of a textbook with clear editing techniques, but rather I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was less of a textbook but a conversation with Walter Murch about the history of film editing and why film editing "works". At first, I was a bit disappointed but I grew to appreciate it as more of a history/philosophy book. This is a good book for those that really love film and wish to grow that love.

The insight that Walter Murch has, makes this book a must for anyone interested in the history of film editing. This is not a training book, it is like listening to him talk about this craft he loves.

Much of this book is dated, because most editors work on the computer (myself included.) As a look into the past, this book is interesting, and it's brevity makes it much more valuable.

The chapter on blinking is fascinating, and Murch is completely prophetic on his future predictions.

The first half of the book is interesting, the second half is very valuable.

This book has a wealth of information for the inexperienced and beginner film editer, or anyone who is looking for a good book on the subject. I have found it to be very helpful, as I am still learning how to do professional editing!

I'm a television editor. This book is strangely weak. And I find myself turning over the off-putting cover when it's face-up on the desk. But ya' gotta hand it to ol' Walt, he's aces at branding himself, the usually invisible editor! I gave him an extra star for it.

I am curious about how to make better videos with my camcorder, so thought the information in this book might be of some help. It is, but it is not what I expected. The book has nothing to do with how to film a movie, it does have everything to do with editing a film though.

I never realized that there was actually separate people that did all the editing of films. This book helps you understand why that is, and does go into depth on actual film editing.

Being that the author, Walter Murch, has edited many award winning films, the book is a worthwhile read, but probably a book you would feel better buying used or reading at a library.

This book is considered a "must" for all editors. Murch is pretty famous for his work and style so, in my opinion, I agree it's worth the read (and worth having). My book arrived on time and in the condition promised!

Satisfied customer overall!

The author has a very philosophical way of seeing the world which is quite fascinating, but it's not enough to carry this book. I thought I'd get lots of creative and technical insights, but it has aged a lot (too much about the old film processes with no digital). There were a few nuggets of genuine insight though I feel he wasted an opportunity to share his skills with us.

I bought this book because of the good reviews and because I was intrigued. It was probably a really good book in its time, but it is outdated now. The one concept he had about cutting when people blink is a good idea, but it took up to much of the book, almost the entire first part. The second part of the book is all about film vs digital. This book doesn't give good advice for the current editor.

Walter Murch has been a thoughtful innovator. Unfortunately, this book is packed with technical data which no longer seems particularly relevant unless you are shooting film. Even the second half of the book, which is about digital editing, seems a bit dated. 'Why' he make certain editing choices ends up being more interesting. If he had limited his discussion to this, we'd just be reading a small paper, or, at most, just a few chapters.

I also read a book about the editing of Cold Mountain where Murch is struggling with a much earlier version of Final Cut Pro. There again, it was too much about useless filmic data. What was useful was when we got to hear how his meticulous recording of data and making of stills from every scene in the end up helping him pare down the footage. There was a lot more "why" in this second book. The conversations between the editor and the director (with other people's input) were all captured to great effect. It all sent me to read the novel of Cold Mountain and then watch the picture again.

Behind the seen : how Walter Murch edited Cold Mountain using Apple's final cut pro and what this means for cinema / Charles Koppelman. I got it out of the library. A better use of my reading time.