The Final Rewrite

8 Tricks of the Editor’s Trade

DOI: 10.4324/9781003161578-9

The chapter explores editors as magicians repurposing shots and establishing setting. It looks at the intercut as a valuable tool for creating rhythm and increasing tension and how it also serves writers, contributing to engaging scripts. Point-of-view is considered, as tracked and adjusted in the editing room, as well as ways of determining and reinforcing a character’s point-of-view.

The Magician

Editors are like magicians. They make objects and people appear and disappear. They control time. And they employ sleight of hand to guide the audience’s attention through the shifting landscapes of film stories. Editors manipulate perception over a seemingly endless and seamless progression ...