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Every once in a while — while ducking from the strafing runs of the various NL manufacturers' P.R. machines — we've been lucky enough to run across some genuinely useful bit of philosophy or wisdom which not only seemed pretty insightful at the time ... but still is now, even years after the fact.

This select handful of essays has influenced our own way of thinking about editing and the equipment we use to do it — and so we're very happy to be able to reprint them here, thanks to the kind permission of their respective authors. (A very select handful of relevant Web links is also included here as well.)

Thinking "Outside the Box"

A "Scenaria" for Video, by Dean Winkler

An industry heavyweight challenges manufacturers to build his Nonlinear dream machine ...

The Panel is in: An Operator's View of the Ideal User Interface, by Mike Krim

Think cutting from one camera to the next in post-production is a challenge? Try doing the equivalent for live TV! And for what it's worth, they don't use no stinkin' mouse ...



Aesthetics


Beautiful Transitions, by Edward Lapple

Just unwrapped your spiffy new Whiz Bang-a-tron 3000? Be forewarned, though — when it comes to visual pyrotechnics, very often, less is more ...

Traditional Film Editing vs. Electronic Nonlinear Film Editing:
A Comparison of Feature Films
, by Michael Brandt

We all know Nonlinear has revolutionized the way films are edited (yadda yadda yawn) — but does the moviegoer actually see a difference in the finished result? Here's a guy who says the answer is "yes," and he's got the stats to prove it ...



Technique


Dear Nonlinear Picture Editing Department, by Larry Blake

Just because you're cutting your film Nonlinearly doesn't make all your picture/sound post-production problems go away — on the contrary, there are more little gremlins lurking in the shadows than ever! Herein, an industry veteran offers some hard-won words of advice for working with the sound team on your next "digital" film ...

Windows Keyboard Secrets, by Ron Diamond

Ready or not, technology and politics are conspiring to create some significant changes in the way many editors do their work. But why settle for getting by ... when you can have mastery instead?



Critical Thinking


Questioning Technology

Thought-provoking essays, from TV Technology columnist Frank ("The Big Picture") Beacham.

Amusing Ourselves to Death

A book by author Neil Postman that offers an incisive understanding of how Television (and other technologies) change the way we think. Once you understand it, you may never look at The Tube the same way again.

Technology Marches On

Some analog-to-digital wisdom from, of all places, "KRUD-FM."

Post-Production Horror Stories

Priceless gems from the reality of the trenches.

The Onion

Nothing whatsoever to do with editing — film, video or otherwise — it's just one of our favorite satirical sites on the World Wide Web.