Time Rhythm and Magic: Developing a Communications Theory Approach to Documentary Film Editing

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Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Beattie, Debra
Petelin, George
Other Supervisors
Laughren, Patrick
Year published
2016
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Time, Rhythm and Magic: developing a Communications Theory approach to Documentary Film Editing is principally concerned with the editing of documentary films, in particular the historical documentary. The essence of the study draws upon a reflective experiential analysis of the author’s extensive creative practice in documentary film production, with particular reference to the principles and techniques the author employs in documentary editing. The research argues that the process of constructing certain forms of documentary film involves the selection of small segments, or samples, taken from a whole and re-assembled into ...
View more >Time, Rhythm and Magic: developing a Communications Theory approach to Documentary Film Editing is principally concerned with the editing of documentary films, in particular the historical documentary. The essence of the study draws upon a reflective experiential analysis of the author’s extensive creative practice in documentary film production, with particular reference to the principles and techniques the author employs in documentary editing. The research argues that the process of constructing certain forms of documentary film involves the selection of small segments, or samples, taken from a whole and re-assembled into a reductive representation of that whole. The author finds that useful analogies can be drawn between this process in documentary film editing and the process of sampling, encoding and re-construction inherent in digital telecommunication systems. The study also argues that a central component of both processes is the sharing and manipulation of temporal elements, and that although these manipulations are a crucial determinant of the cohesion and flow of a finished documentary film, they are invisible to the viewer. The documentary film editor is thus able to create convincing illusions which the audience perceives as reality—a creative process which might thus be described as a form of ‘magic’.
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View more >Time, Rhythm and Magic: developing a Communications Theory approach to Documentary Film Editing is principally concerned with the editing of documentary films, in particular the historical documentary. The essence of the study draws upon a reflective experiential analysis of the author’s extensive creative practice in documentary film production, with particular reference to the principles and techniques the author employs in documentary editing. The research argues that the process of constructing certain forms of documentary film involves the selection of small segments, or samples, taken from a whole and re-assembled into a reductive representation of that whole. The author finds that useful analogies can be drawn between this process in documentary film editing and the process of sampling, encoding and re-construction inherent in digital telecommunication systems. The study also argues that a central component of both processes is the sharing and manipulation of temporal elements, and that although these manipulations are a crucial determinant of the cohesion and flow of a finished documentary film, they are invisible to the viewer. The documentary film editor is thus able to create convincing illusions which the audience perceives as reality—a creative process which might thus be described as a form of ‘magic’.
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Thesis Type
Thesis (Professional Doctorate)
Degree Program
Doctor of Visual Arts (DVA)
School
Queensland College of Art
Copyright Statement
The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
Item Access Status
Public
Subject
Documentary film editing
Creative writing
Digital telecommunication systems