Every substantial release of a non-linear editing application raises the bar for each of its peers, forcing them to consider integrating the better features of competing products and innovate to produce stellar new features that will hopefully tip the scales in their favor next time an editor or post house is looking to make a major software purchase. Yesterday Apple released their first update to Final Cut Studio in over 2 years, and I am thrilled! Why, you may ask, do I care about the latest iteration of Final Cut when I haven’t used FCP in over 3 years? The answer: competition. Sometimes a poorly written, haphazardly-shot mess of a story can be turned into something meaningful in the skillful hands of a top-notch editor, and similarly, a beautiful story can be butchered by an editor who doesn’t let the material find its own voice and tries to impose a style that doesn’t fit the material. Even a seasoned editor, who knows better than anyone else what the editorial process involves, may not be able to recognize a brilliant feat of editing without a glimpse of what was left on the cutting room floor. The audience has no realistic way of knowing what compromises in performance the editor had to make in order to elucidate a specific plot point or which amazing shots couldn’t be used simply because they presented an inconsistency in story or character. With editing, however, aptly called “The Invisible Art” of cinema, what’s been left out is just as important as what ends up in the final cut.
With “Best Cinematography,” “Best Art Direction,” and “Best Costume Design,” for instance, you can clearly see how each nominee demonstrated a mastery of their craft and set themselves apart from their peers. Compared to many of the other Oscar categories, “Best Film Editing” is often a tough one to predict.
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