ABSTRACT
All of the tools, the choreographic processes, and the editor’s sources
of intuitive knowledge about editing a fi lm’s rhythm are used by edi-
tors in service of fulfi lling rhythm’s purposes in fi lm. The question in
this chapter is: What are the functions of rhythm in fi lm? The follow-
ing discussion suggests that the functions of rhythm are to create cycles
of tension and release and to synchronize the spectator’s physical,
emotional, and cognitive fl uctuations with the rhythms of the fi lm.
