08/19/2025
From the 55th annual ACE Eddie Awards tribute book, 2005:
How It All Began by Jack Tucker
It is truly amazing that for nearly one hundred years one of the most important aspects of film production has been kept secret. Editing, the angle process that defines motion pictures as an art form, has been a mystery almost everyone, including film professionals. Recording something on film, tape or electronically does not an art form make. But the ability to alter time and space with editing does. It is the ability that separates films from stage and other artistic pursuits.
Editing is an invisible art. When it is done properly it appears to not exist. If a cut stands out it is usually because it is a bad cut The purpose of editing is to arrange images, possibly unrelated, in a manner to tell a story or make a point, while giving the impression that what the viewer is witnessing is real and continuous. The editing should draw the viewer into the story without calling attention to itself.
Editors pursue their craft away from the rest of the crew in little rooms where no one sees the magic that they perform. Dailies roll into their room and movies roll out. What happens inside the room remains a mystery to those outside.
Concerned by the invisibility of the craft, Warren Low and Jack Ogilvie, two film editors from Paramount, called an informal meeting of a few of their fellows at the Masquers Club on October 26, 1950. At that small meeting they discussed the need for making people aware of what they do. A week later they held a second meeting, and on November 28, 108 of Hollywood’s finest film editors came together to for the American Cinema Editors.
Editing was coming out of the closet. On January 9, 1951 the first general membership meeting was held. Donn Hayes coined the acronym A.C.E. The ACE logo and the credo, “…to advance the art and science of the editing profession…” were born. The Cinemeditor began publication that year and members began using A.C.E. after their names and speaking in groups explaining the mysterious craft of editing.
The ACE Annual Awards Dinner was begun to honor editors nominated for Academy Awards. In 1954 this was extended to include Emmy nominees also. It wasn’t until 1962 that ACE began giving out its own awards. The name “Eddie” was coined in 1965, and Robert Wise became the first Golden Eddie recipient in 1967. This award was created to honor filmmakers who respected the editing craft. In 1973 documentaries and student competition awards were added.
Over the years ACE has tried to improve the image of editors and respect for the craft. In 1988, it initiated its annual Career Achievement Award to honor editors for the contributions to film editing. Barbara McLean and Gene Milford were the first recipients. As the 1990s began, the ACE Board of Directors took a very active role in promoting editing and dealing with the changes being created by the advent of digital technology.
In 1991 the Golden Eddie Award became an annual event. The following year Clint Eastwood became the recipient and that year’s Awards Dinner became a much more gala function. Film clips and a Tribute Book became a standard part of the evening and the event reached a new level of prestige and attendance. That year ACE published its first directory of members.
In 1994 ACE became a founding member of the Artists Rights Foundation to deal with the issues that affect the integrity of editors’ work. William Gordon began the ACE Internship Program, which has been the introduction of many talented editing students into the industry.
In 2000, ACE celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with the largest Eddie Awards Ceremony to date. Now, having moved into a new century, ACE is not the old man resting on his laurels. IT is an enthusiastic, young organization rededicated to its original intent: “…to advance the art and science of the editing profession.” Its many members through seminars, articles, books and appearances are continuing a tradition of making the invisible art a visible one.
