Editing and Special/Visual Effects

This volume examines the power of editing to create the strong sense of narrative flow in the American cinema, with its focus on continuity and viewer orientation. At the same time, it charts the increasing reliance on fast cuts and rapidly altered shot scale to produce the viscerally exciting style of editing that many contemporary films feature. In its study of effects artistry, this book addresses the full range of such techniques, from multiple exposures and split-screen effects, to matte shots and rear projection, through to today's dizzying array of CGI and digital visual effects. 

While digital technologies have been integral to the latest phase of special/visual effects work, craft specialists have relied on a wide array of technologies over the years, and this book traces the development of the art and techniques that have been instrumental to the deployment of seamless effects in feature-length films. Often working hand-in-hand, the domains of editing and special/visual effects have shaped film style and aesthetics in ways that have enriched American cinema throughout its existence"--