The Invisible Artist: The Editor's Perspective on Rhetoric, Ethics, and Representation in Film Editing

Abstract

This dissertation explores the impact that the film editor has on films and what their beliefs are when it comes to the content that they create. Examining history, this dissertation shows that film editors have always impacted movies and the story that is shown. Historically film editors have been overlooked, with only a handful of editors, such as Walter Murch, being known amongst film viewers. Very few editors talk about what they do in the editing room and instead, when conversing focus on the story of the film. This dissertation is a qualitative study that interviewed narrative film editors, those that edit fictional films. The study attempted to interpret (1) what editors understand about their editing; (2) what editors think they are doing to the audience; (3) whether an accurate representation of ethnicities and minorities were ever a consideration; and (4) whether the ethics of their own edits are ever a consideration during the editing process. This dissertation attempted to understand what methods narrative film editors use and to what extent these editors understand the rhetorical aspects of editing, and attempted to understand to what extent these film editors recognize the way these editing methods affect their film viewers. Nine editors were interviewed. Among many other things, it was found that the editor always considers the audience of the film, while at the same time the editor believes they are not responsible for any ethical considerations and that these considerations is a job for someone else. At the same time, the editors’ identity determined if representation was a factor in the way they edited.