Technique of Film Editing, Reissue of 2nd Edition, 2nd Edition

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The Technique of Film Editing

Editing the Film

The instrument on which the editor views the fi lm is the editing machine, usually known by its appropriate

trade name, Moviola , Acmiola or Editola . This is a personal viewing apparatus which has a separate sound and

picture head and enables the editor to change the strips of fi lm to be viewed quickly and conveniently. The

editor merely has to slip the length of fi lm on to the sprocket holes and bring the lens unit down over it. He

can control the passage of the fi lm through the gate by means of a foot pedal. By adjusting a switch, he can

cause the fi lm to go forward or back through the gate. Most editing machines are equipped with an additional

variable speed motor: by switching over to this, the editor can vary the speed of the fi lm with a foot pedal. The

speed can be reduced well below normal to facilitate a more leisurely examination of the material. Alternatively,

to save time in getting to a particular spot in the fi lm, the speed can be increased up to three times projection

rate. Most editing machines also incorporate a fl ywheel which is attached to the rotating axle: by applying his

hand to this, the editor can slow down the movement of the fi lm and stop it at an exact frame. When the fi lm

is stationary, the fl ywheel can be turned manually to take the fi lm a few frames forward or back.

When the editor has decided where he wants a cut, he marks the appropriate frame with a wax pencil and

cuts the fi lm with the scissors. After he has edited a substantial footage, the assistant will join the separate strips

of fi lm on a splicer and the sequence is ready for the fi rst viewing.

The precise time during the production when the editor does his work depends on the amount of material

he has available. Normally, as soon as all the material for one sequence has been shot, he proceeds to prepare

the fi rst rough assembly. At this stage he tends to leave most of the shots rather longer than will be fi nally

necessary, and concentrates on planning the order of shots and working out the effects which he will later

elaborate in detail. At this stage it is not possible to make any fi nal decisions as the length of the fi lm may have

to be adjusted or certain effects altered in view of what happens in other parts of the fi lm. The fi nal editing

decisions are generally arrived at in consultation with the producer and director. After repeated screening and

re-screening, often going on long after the picture has come off the fl oor, the fi nal continuity is evolved. On

some rare occasions the sound editor or the composer may ask the editor to lengthen or shorten a particular

shot for a specifi c reason of their own, but normally it is the editor who has the fi nal say and the sound tech-

nicians have to accommodate their effects to the editor’s requirements.

Opticals

Dissolves , fades, wipes and any other optical effects are made according to the editor’s requirements. The edi-

tor decides where and at what length the opticals will be wanted and sends a form with precise instructions

to the laboratory.

Sound Editing

The sound editor gets to work on a picture when it has been completed in the cutting room. He runs the

dialogue and picture together and checks whether all the lines are audible and well enough recorded. Any

piece of dialogue which is not satisfactory is recorded again. This process involves getting the actors to speak

the lines in synchronisation with the picture and is known as post-synchronising.

Post -synchronisation is not used only to cover up faulty recording. Many location sequences, for instance,

are entirely post-synchronised because of the diffi culty of recording sound in the open air and in some