Murch (Walter Murch)

What are the 6 important editing values?

• 1. Emotion

• 2. Story

• 3. Rhythm

• 4. Eye trace

• 5. Two dimensional place of screen

• 6. Three dimensional space

Emotion

• How will this cut affect the audience emotionally at this moment in the film?

  • Does the cut add to or subtract from the emotion?

Story

• Does the edit move the story in a meaningful way?

  • Each cut needs to advance the story

Rhythm

Is the cut at a point that makes rhythmic sense?

Eye trace

• How does the cut affect the location and movement of the audience’s focus in that particular film?

  • Match the movement from one side of the screen to the other, a transition, etc.

Two dimensional place of screen

• Is the axis followed?

  • Make sure the cuts follow the axis (180° line)

Three dimensional space

• Is the cut established physical and special?

  • Draw an imaginary line (180°)