When most people think about what makes great movies and television programs, they might consider the importance of a well-written script, or the magical collaboration between a first-rate director and high-powered actors. But many people outside the entertainment business do not know much about the world of post-production, the sophisticated crafts and technologies that turn miles of raw footage into finished products that can teach us, motivate us, and make us laugh or cry.

Computers play a role in many aspects of post-production, including animation and special effects, but one area in which they have brought about enormous change is editing—the art and craft of arranging pictures and sound to tell the story envisioned by the writer, producer, and director.

Background

Moving images were first captured on photographic film in the late nineteenth century, and for decades film—an optical/chemical medium—was...