ABSTRACT

This updated sixth edition of The Technique of Film and Video Editing provides a detailed, precise look at the artistic and aesthetic principles and practices of editing for both picture and sound. Ken Dancyger puts into context the storytelling choices an editor will have to make against a background of theory, history, and practice across a range of genres, including action, comedy, drama, documentary and experimental forms, featuring analysis of dozens of classic and contemporary films.

This new sixth edition includes new chapters on the influence of other media on the editing form, on the importance of surprise in editing, on the contributions of Robert Altman to the art of editing and on the experimental documentary. This edition also includes expanded coverage in technology, creative sound, point of view, and the long take. New case studies explore Whiplash (2014), Room (2015), Lincoln (2012), Tangerine (2015), The Beaches of Agnès (2008), American Sniper (2014), Son of Saul (2015), The Revenant (2015), and many more.

part Section 1|242 pages

History of Film Editing

chapter Chapter 1|21 pages

The Silent Period

chapter Chapter 2|10 pages

The Early Sound Film

chapter Chapter 3|11 pages

The Influence of the Documentary

chapter Chapter 4|9 pages

The Influence of the Popular Arts

chapter Chapter 5|11 pages

The Influence of Other Arts

chapter Chapter 6|14 pages

Editors Who Became Directors

chapter Chapter 7|11 pages

Experiments in Editing: Alfred Hitchcock

chapter Chapter 8|8 pages

Experiments in Editing II: Robert Altman

chapter Chapter 9|17 pages

New Technologies

chapter Chapter 10|14 pages

International Advances

chapter Chapter 11|9 pages

The Influence of Television and Theatre

chapter Chapter 12|20 pages

New Challenges to Filmic Narrative Conventions

chapter Chapter 13|10 pages

The MTV Influence on Editing I

chapter Chapter 14|16 pages

The MTV Influence on Editing II

chapter Chapter 15|13 pages

Changes in Pace

chapter Chapter 16|9 pages

The Appropriation of Style I: Imitation and Innovation

chapter Chapter 17|20 pages

The Appropriation of Style II: Limitation and Innovation

chapter Chapter 18|8 pages

The Appropriation of Style III: Digital Reality

part Section 2|53 pages

Goals of Editing

chapter Chapter 19|12 pages

Editing for Narrative Clarity

chapter Chapter 20|12 pages

Editing for Dramatic Emphasis

chapter Chapter 21|8 pages

Editing for Subtext i

chapter Chapter 22|12 pages

Editing for Surprise

chapter Chapter 23|7 pages

Editing for Aesthetics

part Section 3|93 pages

Editing for the Genre

chapter Chapter 24|14 pages

Action

chapter Chapter 25|13 pages

Dialog

chapter Chapter 26|12 pages

Comedy

chapter Chapter 27|10 pages

Documentary

chapter Chapter 28|7 pages

Imaginative Documentary

chapter Chapter 29|13 pages

Innovations in Documentary I

chapter Chapter 30|7 pages

Innovations in Documentary II

part Section 4|86 pages

Principles of Editing

chapter Chapter 32|9 pages

The Picture Edit and Continuity

chapter Chapter 33|9 pages

The Picture Edit and Pace

chapter Chapter 34|11 pages

Ideas and Sound

chapter Chapter 35|8 pages

The Sound Edit and Clarity

chapter Chapter 36|12 pages

The Sound Edit and Creative Sound

chapter Chapter 37|7 pages

Innovations of Sound

chapter Chapter 38|8 pages

Nonlinear Editing and Digital Technology I

chapter Chapter 39|14 pages

Nonlinear Editing and Digital Technology II

chapter Chapter 40|2 pages

Conclusion