Shower. Knife. Scream. Knife. Drain.
It wasn’t conventional filmmaking in 1960, but it became the recipe for one of the most iconic film scenes in history.
But while it was that infamous sequence from “Psycho” that made audiences afraid in their own bathrooms, it’s still being used as a valuable teaching tool for film students and aficionados the world over.
It’s scenes like this that will be on display Wednesday night at the Egyptian Theatre, as film consultant Thomas Ethan Harris hosts “In the Cut: Employing the Art of Editing.” This is one in a series of “visual communication seminars,” as Harris refers to them, that offer a communal atmosphere to talk about key elements in the filmmaking process. Harris describes the seminar as a discussion between like-minded movie fans.
“In the past, at these events, we’ve had people who are scripting their own films, shooting them, just getting ready for post-production,” Harris said. “But then, on the other side, there were just a bunch of film lovers who want to learn how filmic construction creates meaning.”
The seminar, a consistent part of the American Cinematheque film calendar, is one of the handful of ways that UCLA students can extend their education on film editing beyond the university setting.
Eric Marin, a faculty member in the School of Theater, Film and Television, said the foundation of quality editing is a grasp of what is natural and transparent.
“We look for the student’s ability to assemble shots in such a way that the pacing feels very natural. Usually you don’t want to draw attention to the editing,” Marin said.
Some filmmakers make distinct choices to emphasize certain editing techniques and to draw the audience’s attention to these stylistic changes, but the underlying premise of efficient storytelling is always at the center of an editor’s task.
Nancy Richardson, a TFT professor and a professional editor whose credits include “Red Riding Hood” and “Twilight,” concedes that there are a few misconceptions about the true nature of an editor’s work.
“The average person thinks that an editor just cuts out the bad stuff. People think it’s a technical job, but it’s a creative job that’s part of the collaborative process,” Richardson said.
On many productions, the editor is present for a majority of the production process, working with the director so that a rough yet cohesive cut of the film can be put together as soon as possible after filming wraps.
The unbounded nature of that editing process can seem daunting to some film students. Adam Pond, a third-year TFT student, said one of the revelations of Marin’s class was that there are an unlimited number of ways to portray a series of shots in a narrative structure.
“You realize that there are thousands of possibilities for how long you keep a certain shot, when you cut or don’t cut,” Pond said. “But every single one of those options isn’t the right option, because the story should dictate how the film is edited.”
Technological advances in the last few decades have not only changed the way editors go about their jobs, but also the way audiences perceive their final products. Even if the intricacies of editing aren’t common knowledge to the average moviegoer, a growing number of people are beginning to experiment with it themselves. Pond said programs like iMovie and Final Cut Pro have helped a number of movie-watchers understand the work that goes into editing a compelling story, even if the short, personal films they make might not be intended for the big screen.
Ultimately, whether the audience is cognizant of it or not, Richardson said he sees the process of editing as a meaningful artistic parallel to everyday life.
“The overall pace of the editing process is faster because the pace of our daily life is faster,” Richardson said. “You have to compete for the audience’s attention more than you used to.”