The Edit Decisions That Hold Attention

Attention is lost in the first two seconds and in the fifth. The first is the hook; the fifth is where a viewer decides whether the film is going anywhere.

The edits that hold both tend to start mid-action and give the viewer something to resolve — a question, a movement, a partly-seen product.

Everything else in the edit is pace management: cut before the shot is finished, keep the sound continuous, and never repeat an idea the viewer already has.