Dennis Cozzalio sits down with film editor Michael R. Miller (his resume astonishes), and asks him great questions about the “invisible art”. Not to be missed. Here’s just one excerpt:
The question of cutting that draws attention to itself is tricky. I guess I have to ask, “Whose attention is drawn, and how so?” When Yo Yo Ma plays a cello concerto, the playing is so good — it convey the emotions and colors of the music so well — that the attentive, trained listener is aware of the virtuoso performance. So, too, with editing. The car chase in The French Connection, the helicopter scene in GoodFellas, “Twist and Shout” in Ferris Buellerâs Day Off— virtuoso set pieces cut by three of my editing heroes — all entertain in part because of the high quality of the cutting. But they’re all edited with great pace, all in ways that advance story and reveal character. Cutting that’s based on use of dazzling tricks for its own sake usually doesn’t hold up.
