The Sexual Joys of Editing

…and other observations by Walter Murch  (Totally link bait, but it's Walter Murch! :D)

"There is a procreativity in film editing that does have some sexual elements to it––the mixing together of different ideas and the birth of a third idea that is not inherent in either of these single ideas themselves, but only through their juxtaposition... Being a film editor is like a real-life laboratory into human perception and emotion."

"There is a correspondence between the moment of the cut and the moment in life when we blink; it’s kind of our save-to-disc moment.  When we get an idea, we tend to blink; whether that’s the way we tabulate it so that we can recall it later, or whether we involuntary do it in the act of tabulating, I don’t know, but there is a correspondence between the choreography of our thoughts and the nature of our blinking."

"It’s the first time in human history that we have an art form that is capable of choreographing human thought.  The theater can approximate it, but you can’t get into the inner thoughts and beliefs of a character the way you can on the screen.  In a big close-up with a talented actor, you can see the thoughts moving across the actor’s face the way you can see clouds moving across the sky.  It’s a wonderful thing to behold." It is wonderful profession.