How Editing Changes a Film

A screenplay and shot list guide production before the filmmakers can see the finished performances and footage. Editing gives them an opportunity to reconsider those plans. A scene may communicate more quickly than expected, a close-up may work better than several angles, or two separate scenes may work better together.

The seven commentaries here also distinguish useful revision from repairing a production problem. An editor can discover new ways to use good footage, but cannot recover a performance that was never recorded.

§1 The footage can change the plan

William Friedkin describes filming as the creation of material whose final arrangement remains open. A shot’s effect depends partly on the shots and sounds around it and how long it stays on screen.

During production, attention is often concentrated on one scene or location. In the edit, filmmakers can assess how those scenes work together. Material that helped an actor develop a character may be unnecessary for the audience. A planned transition may be redundant once the adjacent scenes are assembled.

Friedkin compares his method to jazz. The practical decisions he identifies are pace, tempo, shot length, and story. His willingness to revise those decisions continues work that began during filming.

§2 Scenes can be rewritten during editing

In The Two Towers, the filmmakers knew how a Gollum scene should end before they had decided how it would reach that point. They developed part of its dialogue while editing.

The change affected what happened within the scene, as well as its length. Editing became part of writing the scene.

In 28 Days Later, the filmmakers combined material that had originally kept characters separate. Editing made them appear to occupy the same room.

The commentary describes this compression as “concertina” work. Its effect is specific: separate actions can become a shared exchange, reducing the time needed to communicate them. Once viewers understand the characters and situation, the film may need less explanation than the screenplay anticipated.

§3 Compare the available coverage

Tom Hooper photographed alternatives for “On My Own” in Les Misérables. During editing, he found that staying on Eponine’s close-up was more moving than cutting to a wide shot.

The wider image provided information about the setting, but interrupted attention to the performance. Having both options let the filmmakers compare their effects.

Dirty Dancing required a different choice. Doro Bachrach pushed to film a brief exterior hotel scene, while Eleanor Bergstein wanted to preserve time for the dancing. They captured the scene before dawn. Bergstein understood its value when she saw the edit.

The exterior relieved the concentration of interior scenes. These examples support different decisions because the surrounding material was different. A useful alternative gives the editor a different emphasis, setting, or duration to try.

§4 Editing cannot replace missing performances

Darren Aronofsky recalls paying so much attention to an unfamiliar camera operator during a scene in Pi that he neglected the actors.

Editor Oren Sarch assembled a usable version from what remained. The longer performance Aronofsky intended was unavailable.

This differs from discovering a better arrangement of successful footage. The editor was solving a problem caused during filming, with fewer options than the scene should have provided. Before postponing a decision, filmmakers need to ask what can still be changed later and what must be recorded now.

Scene order and duration can often change in editing. A missed performance, physical interaction, or location may require another shoot.

§5 Try new sound against the footage

Alexander Payne’s use of a recurring scream for Tracy Flick in Election began with his own reaction while watching her in the editing room.

The following commentary passage explains that the sound was added temporarily, audiences responded, and no replacement worked as well. The production licensed the Morricone recording.

The sequence describes an idea that could be tried and evaluated before it became permanent. Sound added during editing changed how the audience experienced a performance that had already been recorded.

§6 Give the editor useful choices

These accounts suggest several practical priorities:

1. Photograph meaningful alternatives. Different angles are useful when they offer a different emphasis or way to follow the action.
2. Assess the balance of material during production. The Dirty Dancing exterior was available in the edit because Bachrach had requested it while it could still be filmed.
3. Protect performances and physical action on set. The editor needs usable footage of the parts of a scene that cannot be added later.
4. Allow time to revise structure and try ideas. The Gollum scene, the combined action in 28 Days Later, and the scream in Election depended on decisions made during editing.
5. Identify production failures accurately. Aronofsky’s account is useful because he explains what went wrong before the editor repaired the scene.

Editing lets filmmakers reconsider the plan after seeing the performances and footage. They can change the order, duration, and relationship of scenes to improve the film. Production needs to supply enough usable material for those decisions.