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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

The invention of editing that changed the content industry: Let's cut and paste, and the industry was born

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Editing, the process of cutting and joining separate shots, is considered the most significant invention in the modern content industry.
  • Early cinema, unlike today's films, was shot in single takes, resembling CCTV footage, and editing was primarily used as a theatrical device.
  • The development of editing techniques, particularly continuity editing, liberated film from the constraints of real-time and physical space, allowing for the creation of unique temporal and spatial narratives.

The art of editing, often perceived as a simple act of cutting and pasting, is hailed as the most profound invention in the contemporary content industry. This fundamental technique, which underpins modern filmmaking, allows for the seamless weaving of disparate visual elements into a cohesive narrative.

What is the greatest invention in the entire modern content industry?

— AuthorThe author poses a question to introduce the significance of editing.

Initially, filmmaking mirrored theatrical performances, with cameras fixed in place to capture events in real-time, much like early CCTV footage. The Lumière brothers' initial films, for instance, presented unedited sequences of everyday life. Even pioneers like Georges Méliès, while introducing cinematic magic, largely confined his work to a single, static viewpoint, akin to an audience watching a play from the best seat.

Editing is, quite literally, the simple act of cutting and joining separate shots.

— AuthorThe author describes the basic function of editing.

The true revolution began with the realization that cutting and joining film could create illusions, such as making objects disappear or transform. This nascent understanding of editing as a tool for manipulation, exemplified by Méliès's "trick films," marked a departure from simply recording reality. However, the concept of using editing to guide audience comprehension was yet to emerge.

The montage technique is considered the pinnacle of the Odessa Steps scene in Sergei Eisenstein's 'Battleship Potemkin.'

— AuthorThe author references a famous cinematic example of montage.

A pivotal moment arrived with the experiments of filmmakers in Brighton, England, and later Edwin Porter's "The Great Train Robbery." By juxtaposing different shots and inserting close-ups, they discovered that audiences could mentally bridge the gaps, accepting fragmented sequences as a continuous story. Porter's "The Great Train Robbery" (1903) masterfully employed continuity editing, intercutting scenes of robbers attacking a train with those of a posse in pursuit. This technique liberated film from the linear progression of time and the limitations of physical space, enabling filmmakers to manipulate time, teleport across locations, and condense vast periods into brief moments. Editing transformed cinema from a mere recording medium into a powerful tool for crafting its own distinct realities.

The greatest invention in the entire modern content industry?

— AuthorThe author poses a question to introduce the significance of editing.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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