Murch's Editing Theory

Walter Murch, editor of films like The Godfather III and Apocalypse Now, and wrote The Blink of an Eye. Murch believes that "The Rule of Six" lays out a set of criteria that Murch believes should be at the top of an editor's list when working.

In descending order of importance:

• Emotion - 51%
• Story - 23%
• Rhythm - 10%
• Eye-trace - 7%
• Two-dimesional plane of screen - 5%
• Three-dimensional space of action - 4%

In our lesson we watched two film clips and were asked: "Does the editing in the clip conform to or challenge Murch's theory?"

Shaun of the Dead (2004) (Edgar Wright)

One of the clips we watched was for Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead. It does not conform to The Rule of Six. The clip focuses more on the characters and how they interact with each other. The clip begins with slow editing. This connotes that the characters are tired and lazy. The second shot also shows all of the rubbish and the untidiness of the room. Shaun (Simon Pegg) has to step over Ed (Nick Frost) to sit down on the sofa. These connote that Ed is slobbish, lazy, and burdensome to his roommates.

The editing then speeds up when Shaun is getting ready for work. This connotes that Shaun is rushing to get ready and thus he is unorganised. When he closes the mirror cabinet, the mirror reveals Pete (Peter Serafinowicz) standing behind Shaun with his arms crossed. This connotes that the characters are not particularly comfortable around each other. When the characters are talking to each other in the kitchen, you can see again that they are not comfortable with each other. They stand on the other side of the room from each other, and Shaun moves to the other side when Ed moves to his side. It's rather more reminiscent of an office relationship as opposed to a friendly one.

As such, I conclude that this clip from Shaun of the Dead does not conform to Murch's Rule of Six.

Inglorious Basterds (2009) (Quentin Tarantino)

However, the other flim clip we watched was for Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds, which does conform to Murch's Rule of Six. The scene focuses on emotion, rhythm, and story. It begins with slow shots in order to build suspense and let the audience get emotionally involved. The shots zoom in to close-ups of the characters' faces to emphasise their emotions. You can see that Colonel Hans Landa (Cristoph Waltz) is very comfortable in the situation because he is in control. He dominates the room by smiling, lighting and smoking his pipe, and having most of the dialogue. When the camera zooms in to the farmer's face, you can see how uncomfortable, miserable, and frustrated he is. You can also see a single tear roll down his cheek. When the camera zooms in to the Colonel's face, you can see his facial expression transition from friendly to serious and annoyed.

The scene continues to the Colonel calling in his soldiers. When they begin shooting the floor, the editing speeds up, breaking the tension, and furthering the story. At the end of the scene, a woman is seen running into the distance, thickening the story again. The soundtrack during the scene is also very effective at conveying emotion. The music slowly builds up as the scene goes on, until it become very load and jarring when the floor is being shot. This could be used as a representation of the farmer's fear. As he slowly acknowledges what the Colonel is working out, his level of fear is increasing. When the floor is being shot, his fear is at his highest.

As consequence, this clip from Inglorious Basterds does conform to The Rule of Six.