How to Watch Movies as a Film Editor

Movie editing is an art that is rarely even noticed by movie audiences. That is the point of editors--audiences are not supposed to notice the editor's adjustments to the film. The editor's job is to take all the material provided by the director and tell the story the best way possible. The following steps will help you watch a movie through the eyes of a film editor.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Pay close attention to "cuts" or "wipes." These are techniques an editor uses to go to another frame in the scene. A cut is when the camera shows an object then quickly shows another object. A wipe is when the scene is still in the frame but another one is slowly coming across the screen, wiping the old scene with the new.

2. Consider how much time action films take to edit because each new object that is shown is a cut. The editor had to put together all the different view points for the characters to show one continuous shot. A character can be looking at a tree, then a rock, then a girl on a swing; the editor has to edit those frames together to make it look like one shot.

3. Watch props that are used in the movie. If a ring has to be shown, the director has to film a close up of the ring; therefore the editor has to integrate the ring into the scene.

4. Notice black scenes. Alfred Hitchcock was infamous for using clothing to help his editors. He would pass the camera along the back of one of his characters to self edit, meaning he could continue to film because he had already created a cut to black.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember, every time a new object or person is shown, it is the editor's job to make sure the audience had no idea there were tweaks to the film. The editor is like a ghost, cleaning up the little messes.