Walter Murch

Murch has not limited himself to traditional theatrical films. Thousands of visitors to the Walt Disney theme parks saw his editing handiwork on "Captain Eo" (1986), a colorful sci-fi musical short in 3-D starring Michael Jackson and Anjelica Huston, produced by Lucas and directed by Coppola. Similarly, Murch served as film editor on "Call From Space" (1989), the first short film from Showscan Productions. Screened at a specially equipped theater in a French theme park, the film was shot in the patented Showscan process which photographs and projects 70mm film at 60 frames per second--faster, brighter, and larger than the feature film standard (35mm film at 24 frames per second). Murch has also worked as a screenwriter, co-scripting (with the writer-director), as well as sound editing, Lucas' first feature "THX 1138." He made his debut as a writer-director with the poorly received "Return to Oz" (1985), a dark fantasy that eschewed recreating the tone of the 1939 MGM classic musical "The Wizard of Oz" in favor of L. Frank Baum's original stories. Reviewers were put off by the somber air, deliberate pacing and absence of musical numbers. Audiences generally steered clear.Murch has distilled his knowledge and expertise in a book on film editing entitled "In the Blink of an Eye."