CHAPTER 12 ESSENTIALS

• After organizing workflow and files, the editor embarks on a process of building the narrative, starting with a rough initial cut and moving through any number of iterations before the picture is locked and a final product emerges.
• Editors carefully develop a plan for pacing their film, depending on the nature of the material and their creative goals. A quicker pace evokes more intense reactions from viewers, and a slower pace makes them more thoughtful about the material.
• There are different styles of editing, depending on the material and your creative agenda, ranging from linear continuity editing to thematic or montage editing, and everything in between. There are some basic principles, or rules, for how to edit a narrative story together, but virtually all of those rules can be violated if the editor has a compelling creative reason for doing so. The most basic principle the editor needs to adhere to is having a good reason for every cut made, or not made, along the way.
• Good editors analyze the material in depth, strategically searching for the best takes and preferred transition points, and then use a variety of techniques to transition from one shot to another.