An Overview of The History of Film Editing

Before the popular use of non-linear editing systems, the first initial editing of films were done with a positive copy of the film negative called a workprint. This was done by physically cutting and pasting pieces of film, they used a splicer and threaded the film on a machine with a viewer like the Moviola, or “flatbed” machine such as K-E-M or Steenbeck. Using a film as positive allowed the editor to do as much experimenting as they wanted without the risk of damaging the original copy.

When the workprint had been cut to the wanted state, It was used to make an edit decision list (EDL). The negative cutter referred to the EDL while processing the negative, splitting the shots into rolls which were then printed to produce the final film.

Before Editing

Every basic idea about films including editing as its precursors. Flashbacks had existed in novels; scene changes in plays. The earliest filmmakers were afraid to edit film shots together, they assumed that splicing together shots of different things from different angels would confuse the audience.

Primitive Editing

Filmmakers quickly discovered that editing shots into a sequence not only enhanced the narrative but also let them create more complex stories. Examples include Rescued by Rover (Great Britain, 1904) and Great Train Robbery (1903) Cuts were made in the camera early on so the camerman would only have to stop cranking at the exact moment the end of a shot occurred and started cranking again when it was moved somewhere else. This sort of editing can allow for some early special effects. George Melies stops the camera rolling after discharging a magic puff of smoke in front of the actor, and begins the camera again when the actor’s left stage making it look like the actor vanished.

In editing, sometimes less is more

Some filmmakers chose to minimize editing, comparing it as the “death of 1000 cuts” for realism films. E.g, some documentarists saw editing as a means to make their visions appear more interesting, others saw minimalism as the way to go. Other styles emerged when editorial intervention was minimal however never absent. Even feature film directors chose to avoid the manipulation of reality montage and heavy editing seemed to imply. In the silent era. American comics Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin relied on long takes so they could demonstrate that no special effects had been used and acrobatics were not camera tricks but real events by actors.