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41 S P R I N G Q 1 I S S U E B O O K R E V I E W mind audiences and where and how they see a film. "The Art and Craft of Motion Picture Ed- iting" is organized into 10 chapters. Some chapters link editors' work to the roles of people – for example, "The Motion Picture Editor/Director Partnership" -- while oth- ers focus on processes, such as "Forming the 'Editor's Cut,' Its Creative Oppor- tunities." Each chapter is broken down into succinct s u b s e c t i o n s. I n C h a p te r Two, "Motion Picture Editor and the Story," the subsec- tions include I. Relationship of Script Writer and Film Editor, II Elements of Script Construction, and III. Con- cluding Thoughts on the Writer/Editor Relationship. E a c h o f t h e s e i s f u r t h e r broken down into smaller bits. In Chapter Two, for ex- ample, "Entertainment: The Overarching Goal," appears i n t h e s e c t i o n o n e d i t o r and director partnership. For students, these divi- sions are meant to be steps on the path to learning edit- ing; professionals can dip in and out of parts that may be of interest. The book is packed with d i a g r a m s , s o m e u s e f u l , s o m e co n f u s i n g. R e p re - sentations of a script that has been lined by a script supervisor offer authentic m a te r i a l t h a t i s d i re c t l y related to editors' work. On the other hand, two charts on the "Five Cognitive Elements in Thought Process" in Chapter Six are convoluted, subjective, and mistakenly assume that all editors approach a film in the same way. In Chapter 10, the innovative discussion about the relationship between editor and audience begins with eight tiny pictures that are meant to represent various kinds of audiences. These are far too small to be of use and do not reflect the many types of exhibition media available today. Hoggan rightly comments that, "In 2021, viewers were in control of what they see, when they see it, where they see it, and how much time they want to give to watching," then launches an argument of how psychology influences the relationship between self and society. This line of inquiry is thought-provoking, but would be more useful if it was simplified and linked to audi- ence perceptions of various media formats. Unlike many books on film editing, this one brings serious attention to the work of sound editors. Chapter Nine is devoted to the relationship between the picture editor and sound, beginning with a section on "The Nature of Sound." Hoggan notes the critical difference between sound and noise, then moves on through discussions about how music is perceived, the art of sound design, and the value of sound in films, before explaining the workflow of the mix and the master. He acknowledges that this chapter is a very brief overview, but reminds readers that there are good reasons why sound record- ing mixers, re -recording m i xe r s, a n d s u p e r v i s i n g sound editors win Oscars. R e f e r e n c e s t o o n - l i n e s u p p o r t m a t e r i a l s provided by the publisher underline the use of this b o o k a s a te a c h i n g te x t . These are available without c h a rge at ro u t l e d ge.co m a n d o f fe r a b i b l i o g ra p hy a n d g l o s s a r y t h a t a r e not included in the print edition. Editors who find t h e m s e l v e s s p e a k i n g t o general audiences or work- ing with beginners will find Hoggan's approach helpful. Readers needing another reason to browse "The Art and Craft of Motion Picture Editing" need look no far- ther than the back cover. There, a promotional blurb claims, "This book will be of interest to post-production s t u d e n t s , i n d e p e n d e n t filmmakers, film critics, and agents with editing clients." S o, i n a d d i t i o n t o b e i n g a useful resource for professionals and teachers, it's a perfect gift for your agents the next time they get (or fail to get) you the big gig. "The Art and Craft of Motion Picture Editing" by Michael Hoggan, edited by Conrad Denke, Routledge/Focal Press 2022, 175 pages Betsy A. McLane is a freelance writer and longtime CineMontage contributor.