Transitions: Voices on the Craft of Digital Editing

Transitions is a digital editing book like no other. The concept is simple. We take 15 of the very best artists in the film editing field, and we let them teach you, one-to-one, the principles, techniques and lessons that have defined their careers. The result is the definitive film lover's companion, richly presented in full-color and featuring stills from memorable Hollywood movies - the wisdom of veteran film editors and the vision of digital pioneers, married in one stunning new book.

There is a great deal to being an editor. From the tricky decision of which cut to make first and the intricacies of building narrative, to the specifics of editing in genres, Transitions aims to capture the life and art of the editor, showing their overlap, indulging their differences, engaging in every author’s unique experience and tapping into their hard-gotten wisdom.

Fifteen essays cover diverse subjects from editing animation to weaving multiple storylines, but the focus is always on the art. Whatever your digital editing tool, be it Final Cut Pro, Avid or Adobe Premiere, or even if you are just enthused by film editing, Transitions gives you the blinding art and the sheer craft of modern editing techniques. It's the ultimate resource for anyone who has learned the tool and wants to learn the technique, the art and the craft from the best.

Featuring an interview with PAUL HIRSCH, A.C.E., Oscar-winning film editor of Star Wars (1977), and a chapter by LEE UNKRICH - editor of Toy Story and co-director of the smash hit Monsters, Inc.

Foreword by TINA HIRSCH, A.C.E., president of American Cinema Editors (ACE).

PAUL HIRSCH, A.C.E. is an Oscar-winning film editor whose credits include Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Mission: Impossible, Falling Down and Carrie.

LEE UNKRICH is a pioneering editor in computer animation. He co-edited Toy Story and Toy Story 2, and was the lead editor on A Bug's Life. In 1997 he made the move from editing to directing when he joined John Lasseter as co-director of the Golden Globe-winning Toy Story 2. Most recently he co-directed the smash hit Monsters, Inc.

MARK SOLOMON has been an editor of animated feature films for eight years. His credits include Chicken Run and Shrek (winner of the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature). Mark assisted editor Rob Kobrin on Needful Things, a groundbreaking film that led to the digital transformation of editing in the mid-1990s.

PATRICK GREGSTON is a board member of the Motion Picture Editor's Guild and two-time Emmy nominee. His credits include The Horse Whisperer, and he has trained hundreds of peers in the use of new digital tools, as well as the application of concepts which transcend tools.

JEFFREY A. OKUN has over 20 years experience in movies, television and music videos, as an editor and visual effects supervisor. His credits include the films Stargate, Sphere and Die Hard 2, and music videos for The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, Sting and Dolly Parton.

DR. MELISSA WYE is presently an Assistant Professor in the Communications Department at Loyola University New Orleans, where she is teaching broadcast production, scriptwriting, television and film studies. Prior to receiving her Ph.D. in Political Science/Cinema-TV Critical Studies from University of Southern California in 1996, Dr. Wye worked in television and film editorial for 18 years in Hollywood. She became an editor on St. Elsewhere and worked with directors Hal Ashby and Dennis Hopper.