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Film editing is part of the post-production process of
filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots, connecting
the
resulting sequences, and ultimately creating a finished
motion picture. It is an art of storytelling. Film editing is the only
art that is
unique to cinema, separating film-making from other
art forms that preceded it (such as photography, theater, dance, writing,
and
directing), although there are close parallels to
the editing process in other art forms like poetry or novel writing. Film
editing is
often referred to as the "invisible art"[citation
needed] because when it is well-practiced, the viewer can become so engaged
that he
or she is not even aware of the editor's work.
On its most fundamental level, film editing is the
art, technique, and practice of assembling shots into a coherent whole.
A film editor
is a person who practices film editing by assembling
the footage. However, the job of an editor isn’t simply to mechanically
put pieces
of a film together, cut off film slates, or edit dialogue
scenes. A film editor must creatively work with the layers of images, story,
dialogue,
music, pacing, as well as the actors' performances
to effectively "redirect" and even rewrite the film to craft a cohesive
whole. Editors
usually play a dynamic role in the making of a film.
With the advent of digital editing, film editors and
their assistants have become responsible for many areas of filmmaking that
used to be
the responsibility of others. For instance, in past
years, picture editors dealt only with just that—picture. Sound, music,
and (more recently)
visual effects editors dealt with the practicalities
of other aspects of the editing process, usually under the direction
of the picture editor and
director. However, digital systems have increasingly
put these responsibilities on the picture editor. It is common, especially
on lower budget
films, for the assistant editors or even the editor
to cut in music, mock up visual effects, and add sound effects or other
sound replacements.
These temporary elements are usually replaced with
more refined final elements by the sound, music, and visual effects teams
hired to complete the picture.
Film editing is an art that can be used in diverse
ways. It can create sensually provocative montages; become a laboratory
for experimental
cinema; bring out the emotional truth in an actor's
performance; create a point of view on otherwise obtuse events; guide the
telling and pace
of a story; create an illusion of danger where there
is none; and even create a vital subconscious emotional connection to the
viewer, among
many other possibilities.
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