The Zack Arnold Podcast Legendary Film Editor Walter Murch On Surviving 50+ Years In Post
Walter Murch is a legend in the film editing world, having edited such recent films as Tomorrowland, Cold Mountain, and The English Patient, as well as some of the most historic and legendary films of all time including Apocalypse Now and The Godfather III. He is also the author (or subject) of several of the most influential texts ever written on the art and science of film editing including 'In the Blink of an Eye,' 'The Conversations,' and my personal favorite editing book of all time, 'Behind the Seen.'
To put it simply, without Walter Murch there would be no Fitness In Post. It was a single picture of Walter standing at his workstation that inspired my personal development journey almost ten years ago. In this episode we discuss a wide range of topics about how he has maintained his health and longevity and survived over 5 decades in the film industry.
You can't survive 50 years in post-production working on some of the biggest films of all time without knowing how to take care of yourself, and Walter talks all about his daily routines, how he prepares for upcoming projects, and many other topics listed below.
This is episode is a MUST LISTEN for anyone hoping to have a long-lasting and successful career as an editor.
Our show sponsors:
Cinemoti: 2nd Unit Footage for Film & Television
Topics of Conversation:
- My first encounter with Walter and the impact his books had on my career
- Walter’s approach to health and wellness while working long hours
- Walter’s process for getting his brain and body ready for the next job
- The importance of capturing ideas (and how to capture them)
- How timing the script can help you really inhabit a story
- Walk as much as possible!
- The history of Walter's standing workstation
- The science behind standing and moving during your day
- How taking a lunch break is actually MORE productive
- Tools you can use to help with the ergonomics of standing
- The proper food to fuel your body
- The best way to approach sleep
- “The CIA uses sleep deprivation as torture. Let’s not torture ourselves.”
- How the industry has changed in the last forty years--from film to digital
- What it means to be an editor in today’s world with today’s technology
- The differences between working in documentary versus scripted
- Walter’s thoughts on being “below the line”
- Rebounding from working a long job, aka recovering from “hiatus flu”
Useful Links:
Missing link found between brain, immune system; major disease implications
Essential tools for a standing workstation:
Download the E-book 'How to Overcome (And Avoid) Burnout'
Blog: 'My System For Getting Seven Hours of Sleep Every Night'
Show Credits:
This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, the show notes were prepared by Natalie Boschan, and this show is executive produced by Kanen Flowers. We are a member of the THAT STUDIO podcast network.
The music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Dorian Cheah from his brilliant album ARA.