Film Editing

Film-editing is not an uncommon term. Before starting this program, I imagine each one of us would have had at the very least a cursory knowledge of its meaning and import; enough to provide a crude, but acceptable definition. The word 'edit' in itself is deceiving for its apparent simplicity, but it does allow us to infer some basic key elements involved in the film-making process. However, what is not transparently obvious is the layered complexity and the unseen thought that goes into either preparing a shot or putting several of them together.

Film-editing is a relatively new art which only came along with the advent of cinema. It is a process whereby separate shots must be joined together to form a cohesive whole. This art is generally disregarded or under-appreciated, at least by those who's only experience with cinema comes from the spectator's seat, as it should be.

Editing can either be disjunctive, where in fact there have been controversies concerning its use, or it can be what is popularly known as invisible. These two kind of editing processes are opposite in meaning and have an entirely different purpose or reason to be. Disjunctive editing caters more towards formalism, while invisible editing identifies more with realism.

My next entry will delve into Disjunctive and Invisible editing.