Developing the Editor's Eye

In this accessible and informative text, Michael R. Miller draws on his extensive experience working on award-winning films to help readers develop their "eye" for editing. The book begins by emphasizing the need for editors to pay attention to the emotional and aesthetic tone of a project and scene, before it explores what makes great editing in a feature film. This includes editing approaches founded on deep appreciation for actors’ performances and directors’ philosophies, trimming or even deleting footage that weighs down the narrative, refining character point of view, the importance of opening scenes, the role of sound and much more. Throughout the text, Miller draws on insights from editors such as Paul Hirsch, ACE, Susan E. Morse, ACE, and Thelma Schoonmaker, ACE, to provide readers with a deep understanding of how and why “movies are made in the cutting room." This is a perfect resource for intermediate and advanced editing students, as well as professional editors hoping to improve their craft and learn from the masters. Miller’s emphasis on what editors feel while watching dailies, his focus on performance quality, his assertions that, paradoxically, a picture might be improved when a great scene, or even a considerable number of them are deleted – will be eye-opening for one and all.