Prakshi (our Editor) and I had our first meeting last week to show each other what we’ve been working on. I’ve assembled 10 pages of scenes, and the assembly has come in at about 10 minutes. Meaning: I have made WAY too many decisions, and not left enough options on the table for the point that we’re at.
Every cut I’ve ever done has moved way too fast in early stages. I am so focused on character/dialogue and establishing important moments/beats, and so in the edit I often think “great, we get it” and move on. My constant flaw in first draft cuts is not letting the scene breathe, letting us really take in those images.
The script is 90 pages; our goal for the first assembly cut is 2-2.5 hours. I think I am going to give myself seemingly arbitrary length requirements for scenes, just to force myself into leaving more on the table. There were plenty more moments that I liked that I did not put in the assembly - and I am not supposed to be cutting those out yet!
I think this is also an interesting perspective on writing/storytelling overall. When I am writing a script, I am always generating way more information about the characters, story, and context than will ever end up in the actual play or screenplay. In editing, our material is video footage, not words. In our first cut, we have to find every moment in the footage that tells exciting story - and then, we’ll narrow down to the absolute best choices to be made.
