In the Blink of an Eye and the Reason for a Cut
The easiest reason to cut is that another shot exists. It is also one of the least interesting.
Walter Murch's In the Blink of an Eye asks why cuts work and examines the criteria behind an editing decision. Silman James Press describes a book concerned with continuity, discontinuity, perception and the relationship between a blink and a cut.
That makes it useful beyond a particular editing application. The central question survives a change of software: what does this transition do to the experience of the film
The priority behind the technique
Murch's account of a good cut places emotion, story and rhythm ahead of several spatial considerations. His ordering is a working perspective, not an objective scoring system that can decide a film for you.
Its strength is that it gives the editor a reason to ask whether a technically tidy cut serves the moment.
Compare two versions of one exchange
Here is an original exercise. Imagine a scene in which a woman receives an apology. You have a shot of the speaker and a shot of her listening.
In one version, cut to her as the apology begins. In another, stay with the speaker until the sentence is finished, then reveal her response.
The information may be similar. The experience is not. The first arrangement lets us watch the apology land. The second asks us to wait for the result.
Now adjust the pause before the response. A small timing change can alter whether the silence seems reflective, resistant or uncertain.
Do not decide from the timeline alone. Watch the sequence at normal speed, with sound. Compare what you feel and what you understand.
This exercise does not prove that one version is always better. It shows why an editing decision needs a relationship to the scene rather than a preference for frequent cutting.
A useful book to argue with
The book's value is its concentration on judgment. You can agree with Murch's priorities, test them against a sequence and discover where your own film asks for another arrangement.
Its second edition includes a discussion of digital editing. Treat historical technical discussion in its context rather than using it as a current software guide.
For practical reading, keep a short sequence nearby. When a concept interests you, make an alternate cut. A page about rhythm becomes more useful when you can hear and watch the consequences.
The limitation of any ranked list is that it can appear more exact than a creative decision really is. Emotion, story and rhythm interact. They are not independent sliders you can set to the correct number.
I would use this book to become more deliberate, not more obedient. Before moving a cut, name what you want the audience to notice and when.
A successful edit need not announce its intelligence. Sometimes it simply gives a face the fraction of time needed for the scene to become understandable.
Sources and further reading
- Silman James Press: In the Blink of an Eye
- University of California, Berkeley: excerpt from Murch's criteria
Research checked on October 5, 2026. Original editorial illustrations prepared for this series and reused across related discussions where relevant.
Sources and further reading
- Silman James Press: In the Blink of an Eye
- University of California, Berkeley: excerpt from Murch's criteria
Research checked on October 5, 2026. Original editorial illustrations prepared for this series and reused across related discussions where relevant.
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