OSteen - The invisible cut: how editors make movie magic

The Invisible Cut gets inside the editors head more than anything Ive ever read. OSteen provides a fascinating window into the editorial process through the use of frame grabs and film analysis. This honest and unique book defines the language of film in the special way editors must understand. The Invisible Cut will be enlightening to filmmakers or anyone who loves the art of film.

Carol Littleton, film editor, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Beloved, Body Heat, and The Anniversary Party

With this meticulous book, Bobbie OSteen has dissected the fine art of cinemas surgeons and created an invaluable guide for anyone seriously interested in the mysteries of film.

Lawrence Kasdan, writer/director, Body Heat, The Big Chill, and Grand Canyon

Normally I dont like to read books about editing in my spare time, since its a bit like bringing the office home, but unlike most film technique books, Bobbie OSteens book is both entertaining and instructive. The Invisible Cut is original and captures a complete picture of what we do. Great required reading for any filmmaking class.

Chris Lebenzon, film editor, Sweeney Todd, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Enemy of the State, and Top Gun

This book is a terrific demystification of a poorly understood art. Without burying the reader in geek or tech talk, Bobbie OSteen, drawing on a distinguished editing heritage, introduces us to no-nonsense, easy-to-comprehend principles of the mysterious art of editing.

John Badham, director, Saturday Night Fever, War Games, and professor, Film & Media, Chapman University

The Invisible Cut is a wonderful book for both filmgoers and filmmakers explaining and illustrating how editors apply their magic and the world that editors live and work in. Bobbie OSteen clearly explains the politics of the editing room, the screening room, and the studios. It would have made everything easier if I had had this book to read at the start of my career.

Alan Heim, film editor, All That Jazz, Network, and The Notebook

This is the first book about the craft of editing that demystifies the process: that clarifies precisely what a film editor does with film, how he does it, and why. Its a straightforward, engaging exposition of the editorial process from the first day of shooting until the movie is in the theater. All this, using as examples some of the best films ever made. I wish Id had Bobbies book when first starting out. It would have saved me a lot of time and trouble, because it explains certain truths about editing that one comes to grasp only after editing for many years. Highly recommended!

Joe Hutshing, film editor, Jerry Maguire, JFK, Almost Famous, and Born On The Fourth of July

I wish The Invisible Cut had been available to me when I made my first cuts as an editor. It would have guided my choices, reinforcing them with purpose and focus. With personal accounts from editors who made the cuts, accompanied by perfect frame grabs, OSteens book explains an intuitive and abstract art that is the film editors craft.

William Hoy, film editor, We Were Soldiers, Fantastic 4, 300, Watchmen

The Invisible Cut is an impressive book. Bobbie OSteen has a unique perspective and an uncanny insight into the complicated mind of the editor. I found that a bit unnerving, as if she could read my thoughts when I wake up at 4 a.m. obsessing about a sequence Im grappling with. I found her book very educational and entertaining.

Michael Tronick, film editor, Scent of a Woman, Remember the Titans, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Hairspray

The Invisible Cut is the essential book of editing for students and professionals alike. Its use of frame clips brings to life what other authors only write about. OSteen has created one of the truest books about film editing ever written. I wish Id had this book when I began my editing career. It should be mandatory reading for all film schools.

Randy Roberts, President, American Cinema Editors and producer, Law & Order SVU

The Invisible Cut has taught me the ins and outs of the final and often least understood stage of producing a film. Perhaps most importantly, it has taught me how to apply tricks of the editors trade to my own craft. Whether youre a writer, director, actor, DP or even a novelist or playwright exploring how film editors shape raw material into a final, emotional whole offers valuable lessons in scene construction, pacing, shot composition, and even dialogue-writing. Whatever your particular craft, Bobbie OSteens book is a terrific resource for anyone who spends their life making movies or telling stories.

Chad Gervich, TV writer/producer, and author of Small Screen, Big Picture: A Writers Guide to the TV Business

Using scripts and frame shots from classic films, Bobbie OSteen takes you inside the world of editing turning it inside out to show you most everything you need to know about the process. An excellent book for both filmmakers and film fans.

Matthew Terry, filmmaker, screenwriter, teacher, and columnist for www.hollywoodlitsales.com

Bobbie OSteens new book makes visible some of the secrets of a mysterious art. With great clarity it reveals the craft of the editorial magician. It is a fine follow-up to her earlier book on the invisible art.

Ray Zone, 3D filmmaker; columnist, Editors Guild Magazine

HOW EDITORS
MAKE MOVIE MAGIC

BOBBIE OSTEEN

Published by Michael Wiese Productions

12400 Ventura Blvd. # 1111

Studio City, CA 91604

tel. 818.379.8799

fax 818.986.3408

mw@mwp.com

www.mwp.com

Cover Design: MWP

Book Layout: Gina Mansfield Design

Editor: Linda Norlen

Printed by McNaughton & Gunn, Inc., Saline, Michigan

Manufactured in the United States of America

2009 Bobbie OSteen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

OSteen, Bobbie, 1952-

The invisible cut : how editors make movie magic / by Bobbie OSteen.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-932907-53-7

1. Motion pictures--Editing. I. Title.

TR899.O88 2009

778.535--dc22

2008038628

What does a film editor really do? He decides what you see on the screen and for how long you see it. But that makes his work sound too simple. Whenever the editor chooses a shot, even if it only subtly changes a point of view or the timing of an actors response, he will create an impact on the scene and even the entire movie. And every time he decides precisely where to start that shot and where to end it, he is contributing to an overall rhythm and pace that must pull the audience in and tell the story in the most satisfying way. In fact he is constantly taking the audiences pulse. No matter how moved or excited they are, no matter how much fun they may be having, the editor has to always be aware that he might lose their involvement.

Editing is hard to analyze and evaluate. Only a movies director, cinematographer, and editor really know the quality of the original footage, and how much control the editor had over the final cut. Many editors have actually done their best work with mediocre films, because they salvaged a movie that otherwise would not have been viable. Not only is the art and craft of editing elusive; in many cases, so are the editors themselves. For the most part they are insightful and visual, but not very verbal. Because theyre primarily led by their instincts, when theyre asked to explain why they made a particular cut, they may simply say, It just felt right.