Shooting Like an Editor

This course introduces students to principles of film production through the lens of editing, exploring the through-line concepts that inform these separate stages of production in both narrative and non-fiction contexts. Students will delve into the nuances of continuity, the importance of coverage, and how associative editing techniques can be conceptualized and implemented. Hands-on production exercises will help instill a purposeful shooting ethos as well as practices for organizing footage to ensure a seamless transition from the studio or field to the editing bay. Informed by readings from Walter Murch, Sergei Eisenstein, and Michel Chion, the course establishes a solid theoretical foundation for students to understand the ways editing informs production and vice versa.