What is "Film Editing"?
Reading
Hey friends, what have you been reading lately?Recently, I picked up a book I've read before—Film Technique and Film Acting.
I say “again” because this isn't my first time flipping through its pages.While scrolling through Instagram, I happened to see an image that stirred a memory, bringing this book back to mind. So, I decided to dive into it once more.
Why I Started Reading It
I first came across this book because of an elective course I took in college: Film and Literature.
It was a unique class where the professor introduced us to some incredible films and broke down concepts like montage. I initially signed up thinking it'd be an easy, laid-back way to earn credits by just watching movies. (Oh, how young and naïve I was!)
In reality, the course was far from easy—it was intense and demanded a strong sense of aesthetics. Writing reports for it was a real struggle for me, not just because they needed solid content but also because they had to demonstrate “aesthetic sensibility.” To be honest, aesthetics have never been my strong suit.
Thankfully, after countless revisions, my reports finally got the professor's stamp of approval. I barely scraped by, but hey, a pass is a pass!
The Struggle with Aesthetics
Aesthetics,
aesthetics,
The endless battle with aesthetics.
The Professor
Our professor for this course was a truly one-of-a-kind character with impeccable taste. In class, he often shared his thoughts on "beauty," particularly how to use visual language to tell a story. His insights into the interplay between long and short takes left a lasting impression on me and sparked my curiosity about cinematic language.
Even though I didn't always fully understand his definition of “beauty,” I did my best to appreciate the artistry in each frame he analyzed. Incidentally, this book I'm reading was translated by him.
My Taste and Preferences
I've never been super confident in my aesthetic sense. Back in college, my friends often teased me about my "lack of taste," and even my professors commented that my work had "plenty of room for improvement."
Over time, though, I've realized that taste is deeply personal, and there's no absolute standard. Everyone has their own preferences, and that's perfectly okay.
The Shots I Love
For example, I’m obsessed with the sequence from 0:11 to 1:13, especially the moment at 0:27 when the heroine gently flips through the pages of a book.
That simple, delicate motion hit me right in the feels.
The emotions in that scene, captured through the director’s thoughtful camerawork, are so subtle yet vivid, they almost spill out of the screen. It’s the kind of storytelling through the lens that I adore—ambiguous yet restrained, perfectly capturing the nuanced emotions between characters.
Alright, I’ll admit it—I sometimes catch myself staring at my babe's hands the same way.
Honestly, my babe's hands are even prettier than the heroine’s.
Holding the hand is my favorite thing.
The Core of Film Art
The foundation of cinema lies in editing. But what exactly is editing? How do we define it?
Here are some insights and quotes from Film Technique and Film Acting by Pudovkin, translated by my teacher.
Some people think editing is simply arranging film footage in chronological order to match the story’s timeline. Others believe it’s just about setting the rhythm or pace of the film. But what they often overlook—or perhaps don’t know—is that rhythm (the effect created by the variation in shot lengths) alone can’t fully explain the essence of editing.
Just as we carefully analyze the rhythm, imagery, and word choice in English poetry, crafting a poem is no simple feat. Every poem carries its own soul, and this process mirrors that of filmmaking.
Some argue that the heart of filmmaking lies in “shooting,” but that’s not the case. Shooting is just one step in the process. The footage captured during shooting is more accurately described as "raw material." The true essence of a film lies in how these raw materials are organized, arranged, and brought together to form a cohesive, expressive work of art.
This process is much like writing poetry—each word is raw material, but how those words are woven into a rhythmic, emotionally resonant piece is what makes it a masterpiece. Similarly, in architecture, the raw materials are just the building blocks, but the way an architect combines them to create a unique and inspiring structure is where the true artistry lies.
In the same way, filmmaking is an art of “construction,” not just a process of “shooting.” Every completed film is like a meticulously crafted work of art, reflecting the dedication and soul of its creator.
Conclusion
The language of cinema has helped me uncover the delicate emotions behind stories and encouraged me to embrace and explore my own sense of taste. Reading this book feels like revisiting that challenging yet rewarding period of my life.
Perhaps the true essence of learning is to keep absorbing, feeling, and growing.
How about you? Do you have any book recommendations for me?
閱讀
各位格友，你們最近在看什麼書呢？
最近，我又翻起了這本書——《電影技巧與電影表演》
說「又」，是因為這並不是我第一次讀它。
我刷IG時，偶然瞥見了一個畫面，觸動了我的記憶，讓我想起了這本書。所以又拿出來看
原因
為什麼我會看這本書，是因為我大學修了一門選修課《電影與文學》。
那是一門特別的課程，老師帶我們觀賞了許多精彩的電影，並解說了蒙太奇等電影專業知識。選這門課是因為，我以為只要看看電影，就可以輕鬆拿到學分 (當時的我，真是太年輕太天真！)
事實上，這門課不僅硬核，還對學生的美感有頗高的要求。寫報告成為了一個讓我無比掙扎的過程，因為除了內容紮實，還需要展現「美感」。坦白說，我的美感水平似乎總是差點意思。但幸運的是，在經過不斷修改與調整後，我的報告終於得到了老師的認可，勉強過關了。
美感
美感美感
美感美感美感的掙扎
德智體群美，我們的美感教育是不是還有進步空間？
老師
這門課的老師，是個很有個性、品味獨到的人。他在課堂上會分享自己對「美」的理解，尤其是如何用鏡頭語言講故事。他對於長鏡頭與短鏡頭變化的見解，讓我印象深刻，也啟發了我對電影語言的興趣。雖然我無法完全理解他對「美」的定義，但我仍試圖去體會他所說的每一個畫面之美。這本書，就是我的老師翻譯的。
我的喜好與品味
坦白說，我對自己的美感一向沒什麼自信。大學時期，朋友經常笑我品味不行，連教授也評價過我的報告「改進空間挺大」。
隨著時間推移，我慢慢明白，每個人都有自己喜歡的菜，品味這種東西並無絕對標準。
我喜歡的鏡頭長這樣
我喜歡0:11~1:13的鏡頭
尤其是0:27女主的手
那雙手，輕輕翻動書頁的姿態，深深戳中了我的心。
畫面中的情感，通過導演的運鏡，細膩得幾乎要從螢幕中溢出來，讓人忍不住屏息凝視。我特別喜歡這種透過鏡頭說故事的方式，充滿曖昧又含蓄的氛圍，恰到好處地捕捉了角色之間微妙的情感。
好吧！告訴你們一個祕密
我有時候也會像影片中的甜妹，那樣呆呆的看著我家寶貝
我家寶貝的手，真的很漂亮，比女主好看
最喜歡跟他牽牽 (灬ºωº灬)
哈哈
正文
電影藝術的基本原理是剪接。那剪接是什麼呢？如何定義？
以下觀點和引言取自《電影技巧與電影表演》一書。
作者：普多夫金
譯者：劉森堯
有人認為所謂的剪接只是把電影底片依照故事發展的時間次序加以銜接起來而已；另有些人則認為剪接只是決定電影中韻律的快慢而已，但他們忽略了──或者根本不知道──韻律(電影中鏡頭長短的變化所帶來的效果)絕對無法說明剪接一詞所包含的意義。
正如我們學習英文詩歌時，會細細推敲其格律之韻、意象之妙、用詞之美。寫詩絕非易事，因為每首詩都承載著自己的靈魂，而這一點與電影創作異曲同工。
有的人認為，電影的本質在於「拍攝」，但事實並非如此。拍攝僅僅是整個過程中的一個環節。那些拍攝而成的影像，應該稱為「素材」。真正決定一部電影靈魂的是如何將這些「素材」組織、編排、交融，最終賦予它生命，使其成為一部真正的作品。
這種創作過程，與詩歌創作有著異曲同工之妙：英詩中的每一個文字便是其「素材」，但如何將它們排列組合成一首充滿韻律與情感的詩篇，才是關鍵所在。同樣地，這也如同建築師之於建材，建材只是構築房屋的基本元素，而建築師如何將這些元素精心組合，最終建造出一棟別具匠心的建築，才是真正的核心所在。
因此，電影的創作，應該被視為一種「建造」的藝術，而非僅僅是一個「拍攝」的過程。每一部電影的完成，皆如一座精雕細琢的藝術殿堂，凝聚了創作者的心血與靈魂。
結語
電影的鏡頭語言，讓我看到了故事背後的細膩情感，也讓我不再害怕去探索自己的品味。閱讀這本書，彷彿又一次帶我回到那段充滿挑戰的時光。或許，學習的真諦就在於持續吸收與感受吧！
你們呢？有什麼書或好看的鏡頭想推薦給我？
