On Film Editing

4

The Cutter Begins

At a purely technical level, each editor develops his own approach to his work, although that approach will most likely be a variation of one of those few which time and trial have proven to be the most efficient. Here, I will concentrate on the method which works best for me and which, naturally, is the one I can support wholeheartedly. However, the beginning cutter can modify this procedure to suit his own needs and, what is more important, his special talents.

Quite possibly, the cutter’s first chores will be in the area of preproduction. This usually means a search for needed “stock” material. For instance, before starting production on The Caine Mutiny, I visited the Naval Archives in Washington, D.C., and reviewed many ...