Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1532181
Hullf ish does not include an index , but "Art of the Cut" is so well-structured, with each subject properly called out in chapter titles and subheadings, that one is scarcely needed. The book is a testament both to the author's gift for identifying the subjects that would be of greatest interest to the postproduction professionals who represent its primary (but not exclusive) audience, and for soliciting engaging, per- ceptive comments from the multitude of editors with whom he has spoken. The volume kicks off with a fine fore- word by Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard, who attests to his conviction that a movie is not truly a movie "until it has been edited" by highlighting his own significant cutting-room collaborators. Howard commenced his directorial career with the nifty Roger Corman-produced action-comedy "Grand Theft Auto" (1977), whose editor, future director Joe Dante, is credited with much of the film's by-the- seat-of-its-pants charm. "[Dante] thought outside of the box and taught me a lot about shaping action sequences and stunts," writes Howard, who proceeds to praise his long-time cutting-room colleagues Dan Hanley, ACE and Mike Hill, ACE — responsi- ble for editing such films as "Far and Away" (1992), "Apollo 13" (1995), and "A Beautiful Mind" (2001) — as "remarkable talents [who] developed an extraordinary working relationship from which audiences, the pro- ducing studios, and yours truly benefitted." Howard also has praise for the editors with whom he has worked in more recent years, James Wilcox, ACE and Paul Crowder, ACE. The director's appreciative words set the right tone for a book in which editors are given the floor to explain how and why they do what they do. From there, the reader is free to jump in — anywhere. "This book doesn't have to be read linearly," Hullfish writes. "Dive straight into any chapter that captures your imagination." Although Hullfish provides a kind of sequential framework — talk about assembling a scene is discussed before the talk about receiving notes about a complet- ed picture — it is entirely accurate to say that "Art of the Cut" can be consumed in any manner, or order, the reader chooses. Sometimes Hullfish will frame a topic as a question. In the chapter "Watching Dailies," under the subheading "Is Watch- ing Dailies a Skill?" four editors are given a chance to opine. Says Steven Cohen, ACE: "The process of watching is a process of cre- ativity. It's going into your consciousness or unconscious. You're absorbing something." Paul Harb, ACE puts it plainly: "Watching dailies is a skill." Dana E. Glauberman, ACE agrees: "You have to be able to identify great performances and react to moments." Adds Harb: "And you need to be able to see things that you're going to take out of context. You'll identify looks that were done for a different reason, and in the process of learning the story and working with your edit, you remember things from dailies." Martin Bernfeld lists five questions he al- ways asks himself while sitting with dailies, 47 S P R I N G Q 1 I S S U E B O O K R E V I E W