This book gives insight into film editing like no other. the other reviewers said that the book did not really help into any actual editing technioques in real life, well perhaps that is why there are NO actual ways to edit. With today's editing suites, you drag and drop, cut, and you're done. What Walter Murch is giving you are lessons that go deep beyond that. How to tell when a good cut is there, when the emotional moment tells you to cut, how to recognize it. If you want to learn a jump cut, or editing tricks, then pick up something else, but if you want to learn how to recognize the story in your film, and how to tell it in the way that only you can, then pick this book up, and read in between the lines.

In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch has helped me quite a bit not only in the way I view video editing, but video production as a whole. Whether you are an editor, camera operator, director, or sound engineer, this book will change the way you think about any video project, from comercials to full length films.

I'm still trying to figure out why some of the people here have given this book negative reviews. Of course, I respect people's opinions and the fact they might not necessarily jibe with my own all the time but I have to say that for anyone to say that they thought the book was a waste of time is just dumbfounding to me.

This book is a transcript of a lecture given by Walter Murch, award winning editor of several classic films, most notably The Conversation, The English Patient and Apocalypse Now. The first thing that hit me about the book was how well written it was. It's an easy read but Murch is eloquent and engaging enough to make this an extremely enjoyable read through.

Anyone looking for a book describing to you exactly how to edit a film is going to be disappointed with this because that's not what this book is about. Murch assumes that you already know how to edit, at least in the technical sense. It's about the ideas and philosophies that go into it and how to prepare for it beforehand. Anybody can learn how to edit a film but to do it in a fresh and exciting way that make the story of the film you are editing flow naturally and logically is what Murch is attempting to speak of. His theory about the blink of an eye (which I will leave you to read about, if you are at all interested) is something I never thought of and actually served to make me reconsider my views on editing.

Murch is an old school editor but he takes the time to praise the move from analog to digital editing in the book's second half, an inevitable change that has been a long time coming. It's nice to see someone from the old school embracing the new technologies and give a candid write up about the systems pros and cons.

I found this book to be very well put together and I really enjoyed reading all he had to say. It's further proof that we need to heed the words of the masters before they are no longer with us as I can barely imagine any of the young, fresh out of film school editors having anything this meaningful and important to say about the editing process.

Murch is brilliant, there is no doubt of that, and I found this book to be quite inspiring. It is certainly not a guide to how to operate an editing system, (be it analog or digital,) or even a means of telling you how to assemble wide shots and close ups into a cohesive narrative.

It is about how Murch approaches a project. How he creates. Aspiring and seasoned editors alike can take much from this short work, and incorporate it into their own style and approach. I don't think that I will ever look at film the same way after his anecdote about blinking and editing "The Conversation."

Many reviewers have mentioned that they expected more, (length, content, etc.) I wanted more myself, but I think Murch says all he needed to say. It is WELL worth the read. I suggest getting it from a library, reading it, and then deciding if you wish to add it to your own library.

I now own a copy, and expect to consult it in future for every editing project that proves difficult.