Directing the Documentary, 5th Edition

Chapter 34Editing: Refinements and Structural Problems

Long, complex films present two main kinds of problem during editing. There is the familiar one of achieving integrity and flow in individual sequences, and then there’s the more intangible problem of adjusting the architecture. By this I mean the support structure that allows the film to carry the audience over a long distance and to experience an exhilarating impact. Let’s first explore some analogies that illustrate how way things work at the scene or microcosmic level.

How Editing Mimics Consciousness

Throughout I have insisted that film language reproduces processes familiar from the way our perceptions process events around us. Our senses collect information, and our mind seeks meaning ...