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Editing
The pace of edits, the placement of the cuts and the use of transitions are perhaps among the easiest and most valuable lessons you can learn by watching a classic film. Carefully watch the film frame by frame and see where the editor placed the cut between two shots. Could the editor have cut sooner or later? Why did he or she choose to make the cut at that precise point? Has the editor hidden the cut in a well-designed matched-action sequence?
When watching a film sequence by sequence, shot by shot, you may be surprised by the number of cuts you find. A good editor hides the cuts in well-shot matched-action sequences, always cutting on motion and maintaining a smooth flow from shot to shot. This flow leads to a sense of continuity that makes the scene believable and the passage of time reasonable. Observe this flow and take its lessons to your next editing se…
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