Editing Blog

The Development of Editing

Editing has changed and developed as film technology has evolved.

The origins of cinema are linked to the work of Eadweard Muybridge. 

His interest was in how things move. In order to work out how both animals and human being move, he used a sequence of cameras to create stills, which when played back at speed create the illusion of movement. Basically, if you play back a series of connected images at a rate of 24 frames per second the brain will believe that they are all images of a single thing that is moving, rather than a series of images. 

Their have also been a range of editing techniques used in editing history I will talk about these below.

Moviola Film Editing

A Moviola is a device that allows a film editor to view film while editing. It was the first machine for motion picture editing when it was invented by Iwan Serrurier in 1924. Moviola the company is still in existence and is located in Hollywood where part of the facility is located on one of the original Moviola factory floors.

Iwan Serrurier's original 1917 concept for the Moviola was as a home movie projector to be sold to the general public. The name was derived from the name "Victrola" since Serrurier thought his invention would do for home movie viewing what the Victrola did for home music listening (The Moviola even came in a beautiful wooden cabinet similar to the Victrolas). But since the machine cost $600 in 1920 (equivalent to $20,000 in the 2000s), very few sold. An editor at Douglas Fairbanks Studios suggested that Iwan should adapt the device for use by film editors. Serrurier did this and the Moviola as an editing device was born in 1924 with the first Moviola being sold to Douglas Fairbanks himself. Ninety four years later, a framed copy of the original receipt still resides at Moviola, the company, in Hollywood.

Steenbeck Film Editing

Steenbeck is a brand name that has become synonymous with a type of flatbed film editng suite which is usable with both 16 mm and 35 MMoptical sound and magnetic sound film,

The Steenbeck company was founded in 1931 by Wilhelm Steenbeck in Hamburg, Germany. Since then, the name Steenbeck has become widely known in the film editing community and more than 25,000 machines are in operation around the world. The company relocated to Venray (The Netherlands) in September 2003, where it still manufactures editing tables.

Despite the move away from physical film stock – much editing is now based on digital media – devices such as the Lightworks non-linear film editing controller and archives still use the Steenbeck physical layout for controlling the process. The Steenbeck's lower light levels and controllable speed make it a preferred piece of equipment for film archives (such as the Library Of Congress' motion picture collection) and restoration facilities as prints can be quickly and easily inspected with less risk of damage compared to a movie projector. Because there is no intermittent movement, the image is created through a rotating prism which scans the frames. Steenbeck machines were known to be exceptionally easy on film stock, due to their use of soft-edged nylon rollers.