In the Blink of an Eye Revised 2nd Edition
by Walter Murch

List Price: $13.95
Our Price: $8.23
You Save: $5.72 (41%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $6.65 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

• ISBN13: 9781879505629
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Book Reviews of In the Blink of an Eye Revised 2nd Edition

Book Review: Don't "Blink" or you'll miss it
Summary: 2 Stars

Murch's insights into film editing, both analog and digital, are valuable, and I would recommend picking up the book from the library or sitting down and reading it at your local bookstore - it really is that short, but it's not a keeper.

I bought this book hoping to get some real-world tips to editing - what makes a good cut and what doesn't, pacing, etc., etc., etc., but I came away with just one - cut when you blink. Murch's "blink theory" is interesting, but there's much more to editing than just that. I was looking for more from one of the best editors in the business.

Murch does discuss some of his own experiences while editing movies such as "Apocalypse Now" and "The English Patient", but doesn't really delve into the cutting itself and why he chose certain shots or cut a scene a certain way. The book also discusses the history of digital editing and its future but seems to focus on the attitudes of older directors and editors alike who seem to be afraid of change and insist, like Stephen Spielberg who bought up every Motorola editing system and hired enough technicians who can fix the ancient editors so that he will never have to fire up that computer, that "the old way" is better than the new one.

Murch seems to be in the middle of the debate. It is interesting to hear what he has to say, but it still seems to me to be rehashing the old joke about the grandparents who are unable to set the VCR. For those brought up on digital editing, it is only natural to sit down and touch a keyboard than experience what Murch believes is all important - standing up and touching the film itself.

If you're looking for a little bit of editing theory, a little bit of editing history, a little bit of personal experience, this book delivers, but if you're looking for a more in-depth discussion of editing in the 21st century, I recommend buying any Robert Rodriguez DVD, whether you like the movie or not, and listening to the commentary. Rodriguez not only gives tips on making a movie as a whole, but also how to film to edit, and how to cut scenes - all digitally.

Summary of In the Blink of an Eye Revised 2nd Edition

Photography Books

• Subjects > Arts & Photography > Photography
• Humor & Entertainment > Movies