If, like me, you’re trying to get your head around video storytelling, you might want to take a look at the second edition of Walter Murch’s book “In the Blink of an Eye.” I had some quality reading time available yesterday (on the bus, at dinner, etc.) and was able to polish off all 146 pages.
It’s an impressive book on the art of film editing (the subtitle is “A Perspective on Film Editing”) and while Murch’s perspective is that of an award-winning feature film and sound editor, there’s plenty in there that relates to journalistic storytelling.
The book isn’t a how-to; it’s a why-to. In dealing with the art of cutting film (or cutting and pasting clips) Murch gets to the heart of the storytelling matter. An example: in the short chapter Rule of Six, the first three priorities he lists for a successful cut are emotion, story and rhythm: technical matters are at the bottom of the list.
“In the Blink of an Eye” has been out for a while, but I’m glad I found it. Not only did I get a look inside the mind of the editor of one of my favourite movies — The Conversation — but my education in video storytelling got a big bump yesterday.
TAGS: VIDEO, EDITING, WALTER MURCH, STORYTELLING
