History of Editing
Since the early 20th century there have been three major advances in the technology of the editing process. Originally there was the process of film editing and in the mid '50s the development of videotape with analogue and later digital. Then towards the end of the last century, non-Linear which is computer software based.
1. Film Editing
Editing film is achieved by splicing and gluing the film strips together which contain shots. This is achieved by using a positive print (often called a work print) which is processed from the original camera negative footage and previewed on a film machine.
Most feature films were edited using a work-print and then given to a neg matcher to duplicate the process with the original negative. Each frame on the film is numbered and with the original negative and the positive print being identical, it is a straight forward process. When the negative has been edited, release positive prints are made.
In 1935 reversal film was developed where the original camera footage was processed as a positive and could be edited without the negative to positive process. This method became popular with television newsrooms.
