Reviews

In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing by Walter Murch

liamtheturtle's review against another edition

5.0

Outdated, especially the later parts, but still such an interesting perspective. At the end Murch wonders about the digitization of cinema and the potential effects, even hypothesizing a “diabolical black box” that allows someone to simply think a film into existence—made digitally and featuring virtual actors. Seems like where we’re going with AI. Please Walter make an updated edition discussing AI and social media.

Also, this is the 40th book I’ve read this year. I have now read more books in 2024 than I did in the previous 4 years combined

sarcastic_fish's review against another edition

3.0

I really enjoyed this, but I’m not sure how much I actually learnt. Murch is certainly amusing to read and I can imagine great to listen to. I’ve been editing since I was 12 so it has certainly affirmed and validated for me a lot of the things I knew about editing on certain levels, but never have had explicitly stated. This new edition is already 20 years old. I am DYING to know what Murch has to say on the evolution of editing within social video like goddammit how does he feel about tiktoks I GOTTA KNOW

joshchadbo's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

usspommedeterre's review against another edition

informative reflective fast-paced

collinhotchkiss's review against another edition

4.0

A good insight into the philosophy of editing from one of the best.

maddiejn's review against another edition

4.0

Read this for my editing class but really enjoyed! It’s very interesting to see the perspective of such an iconic film editor. However I don’t know how much I actually really learned given the fact that it is so outdated and I have been editing stuff since I was in middle school, granted NOTHING to the scale of his work but still. The digital age has really made editing so accessible so it’s a very different playing field now. Nonetheless still super good and a must-read for any aspiring filmmaker!!!

housebern's review against another edition

4.0

Wonderful and enlightening insight into a legend's process. Anyone involved in the creation and appreciation of filmic storytelling can benefit from this peek into the mind of Walter Murch: editor and sound designer extraordinaire.

briannadasilva's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

This was really thought-provoking and helpful for me to read as a director! I've come to appreciate the craft of film editing so much more, and I've been made to think about it more deeply and philosophically than ever before. I'll never see editing the same way now.

It is a bit unfortunate just how much of the second edition of this book is concentrated on the technology of its day, making vast sections irrelevant and skippable in 2024. But very worth reading for the parts of the book that remain timeless.

wrensandroses's review against another edition

funny informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

moonstruckkingdom's review against another edition

4.0

Excellent read. The last section will stay with me for a while.