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On Rhythm in Film Editing

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The Palgrave Handbook of the Philosophy of Film and Motion Pictures

Abstract

Philosophical discussions of film are divided in their treatment of the subject rhythm in film editing. Analytic philosophers tend to avoid discussion of it, while continental philosophers give it expansive consideration. This chapter aims to bridge these two traditions by analytically articulating what rhythm is, how it is shaped, and what it is for, while still respecting that it is, in both a film editor’s and an audience’s experience, a felt phenomenon. In order to do this, consideration is given both to the firsthand perspective of experienced editors and the articulations of philosophers. This synthesis of practice and theory reveals how an understanding of the editor’s embodied cognitions, affective responses, and expert actions in shaping rhythm can shed light on rhythm’s effect on audiences. The chapter finds that rhythm in film editing is time, energy, and movement shaped by timing, pacing, and trajectory phrasing for the purpose of creating cycles of tension and release.

My thanks to Ilona Hongisto and Catalin Brylla for their comments and suggestions in the development of this chapter.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    There are, of course, important exceptions to this in the philosophizing of rhythm generally. See, for example, Rhythmanalysis: Space, Time and Everyday Life, Lefebvre (2004).

  2. 2.

    For more on rates of cutting and duration of shots, see Salt (1974) and the work of scholars in the area of cinemetrics: http://www.cinemetrics.lv/index.php

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Karen Pearlman

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  1. Karen Pearlman
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Noël Carroll

  2. William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ, USA

    Laura T. Di Summa

  3. Baton Rouge Community College, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    Shawn Loht

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Pearlman, K. (2019). On Rhythm in Film Editing. In: Carroll, N., Di Summa, L.T., Loht, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of the Philosophy of Film and Motion Pictures. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19601-1_7

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