March 12, 2016

Walter Murch - 2. Editing In Real Time

In the second of three video interviews, legendary editor Walter Murch discusses cutting in real time, rhythmic signatures & image editing

Benjamin B

This is my second video interview with Walter Murch, the legendary editor, sound designer and cinematic pioneer. I met with Walter at the 2015 Camerimage Festival, where he received a Special Editing Award.

In my first post, Walter presented the editor’s job as a combination of cook, surgeon and orchestra conductor, and he discussed, among other things, standing versus sitting, micro-dancing and cutting on the upbeat.

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Walter Murch

Walter Murch is a distinguished filmmaker whose credits for editing, sound montage and sound design include classics like American Graffiti, The Conversation, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse Now, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The English Patient and Cold Mountain. He also wrote and directed Return to Oz. Walter has won three Oscars, one for the ground-breaking multi-channel mix of Apocalypse Now, and two Oscars for his editing and sound mix work on The English Patient.

Walter is a true cinematic pioneer, and a technological artist. He is credited for coining the expression "sound designer", and has always been at the forefront of technology. He was among the first to use a computerized sound board, and to try digital editing technology: he was an early adopter of Avid, then Final Cut Pro, and recently Premiere for feature films. Walter has also written one of the definitive books about editing: In the Blink of an Eye.

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The Interview

In this second video segment, Walter explains why he chooses to always hit edit points while playing the video in real time, "on the fly". He also discusses the "rhythmic signature" of a film, his suggesting dynamic trimming to Adobe, and how he approaches editing by starting with the image only, like director David Lean.