Michael Webber

Category: Movies

  • Before Ctrl+Z: Exploring Film Editing’s Golden Age with Walter Murch’s ‘Her Name Was Moviola’

    Currently in post-production, Oscar-winning editor Walter Murch is working on a passion project, ‘Her Name was Moviola‘, a documentary about cutting film the way it “used to be done”.

    What is a Moviola? Well, simply put the Moviola was a tool used in the process of editing film from the 1920 all the way to the 1970s.

    “la moviola” by luarembepe is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

    Not a flashy device, but a workhorse of the film industry! Editors like Walter used the Moviola to birth masterpieces like “Citizen Kane” and “Gone with the Wind”, shaping the language of film editing for generations.

    Although I’ve never used a Moviola, I have an appreciation for the craft of early film editing, decades before the advent of non-linear editors like Avid, Adobe Premiere, and Final Cut Pro.

    I started editing video on 3/4″ U-Matic A/B roll editing systems in the 1990s and although not the same, it was the video’s precursor to non-linear computer-based editing software. Both film and video were tactile experiences, with physical media to manipulate. I can hear the U-Matic tape machines clicking and whirling as it took commands from the editor controller. The Moviola was even more tactile, as editors physically interacted with the film, threading, marking, splicing, and reviewing.

    There’s no better person to enlighten the future generations of our past than Walter. He has spent a lifetime focused on his craft and giving back. Remarkably open, Walter has shared his thoughts through books, documentaries, interviews, and even a letter to film critic Roger Ebert, “Why 3D doesn’t work and never will. Case closed.”, which is a great example of Walter’s thoughtful views.

    “If we don’t do something like this soon, it will be too late. Those of us with the muscle-memory of how to dance with the Moviola are exiting the scene, and all the necessary support equipment is disappearing into landfills with each passing day.”

    – Walter Murch

    You can learn more about the film on the website: https://moviolathemovie.com/

    There’s also an active Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/MoviolaTheMovie

    On October 1st the group announced they were going into the final stages of post-production. A release date has not been announced yet, I’ll be keeping an eye on this one!

    You can learn much more about this project and the motivations behind it, in this great interview with Walter Murch on the Pro Video Coalition website: https://www.provideocoalition.com/her-name-was-moviola-an-interview-with-walter-murch-about-film-editing-with-the-moviola/

  • The sudden death of film – Roger Ebert’s Journal

    Who would have dreamed film would die so quickly? The victory of video was quick and merciless. Was it only a few years ago that I was patiently explaining how video would never win over the ancient and familiar method of light projected through celluloid? And now Eastman Kodak has announced it will no longer manufacture motion picture film.

    The nation’s last remaining mail-order company that processes film from still cameras has closed. New 35mm movie projectors are no longer manufactured, for the simple reason that used projectors, some not very old, are flooding the market.

    via The sudden death of film – Roger Ebert’s Journal.

  • Murch Says 3D Will Never Work

    Walter Murch editing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 11, 2008
    Walter Murch editing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 11, 2008Creative Commons Photo Credit: Beatrice Murch

    The future of 3D is blurry at best, as more and more industry leaders express their concerns with the technology and its long-term viability.  Hollywood editor and sound designer, Walter Murch is the latest skeptic to come out, explaining his viewpoint in a letter to Roger Ebert:

    …dark, small, stroby, headache inducing, alienating. And expensive. The question is: how long will it take people to realize and get fed up?

    You can read Walter’s full letter here: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/01/post_4.html

    I must say, I tend to agree with Murch, but enjoy watching the industry try to figure this out.  In the end, it’s all part of the creative process.  Some love it, some hate it…and the technology is evolving.    For me, I think 3D has it’s place, maybe not to the extent some TV manufacturers are hoping, but suspect it will stick around for years to come.  Do I plan on purchasing a 3D TV anytime soon, NO!