The Invisible Cut: How Editors Make Movie Magic

Bobbie Osteen, an award-winning editor, explains the mysterious art of editing by analysing the "out" and "in" frames of the actual cuts from America's greatest movies including The Graduate, Chinatown, Rear Window, The French Connection, Twelve Angry Men, The Big Chill, Body Heat, A Hard Day's Night, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The author uses interviews and compelling research about these scenes to further demonstrate what the editor actually does to make movie magic. The book reveals how the editor - like a magician - manipulates his audience by using sleight of hand and seduces them by anticipating their needs and desires. Only then can he create those invisible cuts that grab them and keep them on the edge of their seats. Part One lays out the rules, strategies and techniques as well as the evolution of editing in movie history. Part Two shows the actual work of master editors by using 248 "frame grabs" - individual frames - from thirteen famous scenes. The book will be endorsed by some of the world's greatest directors of these movies, such as Sidney Lumet, Lawrence Kasden, and Roman Polanski.