Hey, somebody’s flying. I know the feeling, though because I’m on my third near-fatal disease of the winter thanks to the malevolent two year-old petri dish my new daughter, I’m more coughing than writing.
I never read Writing That Works (I’m more an “Elements of Style” person), but I agree you find inspiration in odd places. I’m currently reading “The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film” and despite the fact it’s about editing, the amount of storytelling insight displayed by Murch is truly astonishing.
I’ll have to check out the Walter Murch book. Thanks for the tip. I think film editors are as important to a well-told movie story as book editors are to novels — and probably less appreciated by the watchers/readers.
If I ever get back to Channel 37, I’d like to write a post on the effects of editing on storytelling in the original release and the “Director’s Cut” of — believe it or not — Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The edits are so subtle that even this die-hard fan had a hard time spotting them, but the overall effect is striking. The movie feels shorter, though the actual running time isn’t much less. The story feels tighter and less meandering. And it’s all in the editing.
I’m lucky to have survived the “biological warfare labs on legs” phase that my nieces went through. So I sympathize with your plight. You’re almost through it…
Murch is a genius (Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The Conversations, etc), and what makes the book even more interesting is that it’s essentially a transcript of conversations between Walter Murch and author Michael Ondaatje — a pair of smart guys with wide-ranging interests.
It’s not a “how to” book about editing, but a real peek into the craft of storytelling (using every tool at hand) that would interest writers and other artists too. I’m loving it.
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Hey, somebody’s flying. I know the feeling, though because I’m on my third near-fatal disease of the winter thanks to
the malevolent two year-old petri dishmy new daughter, I’m more coughing than writing.I never read Writing That Works (I’m more an “Elements of Style” person), but I agree you find inspiration in odd places. I’m currently reading “The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film” and despite the fact it’s about editing, the amount of storytelling insight displayed by Murch is truly astonishing.
I’ll have to check out the Walter Murch book. Thanks for the tip. I think film editors are as important to a well-told movie story as book editors are to novels — and probably less appreciated by the watchers/readers.
If I ever get back to Channel 37, I’d like to write a post on the effects of editing on storytelling in the original release and the “Director’s Cut” of — believe it or not — Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The edits are so subtle that even this die-hard fan had a hard time spotting them, but the overall effect is striking. The movie feels shorter, though the actual running time isn’t much less. The story feels tighter and less meandering. And it’s all in the editing.
I’m lucky to have survived the “biological warfare labs on legs” phase that my nieces went through. So I sympathize with your plight. You’re almost through it…
Murch is a genius (Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The Conversations, etc), and what makes the book even more interesting is that it’s essentially a transcript of conversations between Walter Murch and author Michael Ondaatje — a pair of smart guys with wide-ranging interests.
It’s not a “how to” book about editing, but a real peek into the craft of storytelling (using every tool at hand) that would interest writers and other artists too. I’m loving it.