It might sound odd that the first stage of the edit is the script, but many, many things in this industry revolve around the script, and for the editor, it’s the key element we have to work with before we start getting rushes from the set. Plus, there are a few things I find it really useful to do before the shoot and my work as the editor begins in earnest.
Reading the Script
Of course, the first thing the script does is give you an idea of what the film is, what the story is, who the characters are and what the setting, time period, tone, and genre are. This will be key in deciding whether you’re interested in cutting the film, but once you have taken the job, you can also use it to prepare yourself for conversations with the Director and the beginning of the edit.
When I first receive the script, I sit down for a couple of hours and have a read through from start to finish, uninterrupted if possible. It’s important to do this stage properly rather than just skimming through it because this is the one and only time you’re able to be truly new to the film. Once you get deep into the edit you’ll be doing all you can to recapture some of that unfamiliarity with the story and the characters, so it’s important to make this most of this moment.
After I’ve read all the way through, I start jotting down any issues or problems I spot with the script, anything that doesn’t make sense to me. Having been through this whole process a few times you’ll also learn to spot things that make sense on the page but not on the screen, for now though, a short list of the moments or ideas that left you confused will prove useful.
What’s the film really about?
Having taken the gig (if not before), I then start thinking about the big picture stuff. What’s the film really about (theme)? Does the story fit into a particular structural archetype (what kind of journey does the main character go through)? I’ve also started writing my own short synopsis describing the film if one doesn’t already exist. This is usually 50 words or so describing what the film is about, usually covering who the main character is, the premise of the story, and perhaps the theme too.
I do all of these things so I can fully understand what the essence of the film is when it’s boiled down to its fundamentals. The reason being that pretty much every decision I then make over the next few months of the edit will relate back in some way to this essence. After all, if the film is say, a thriller about a man seeking redemption, then I need to be aware of this so that every scene will contribute to telling this story in this particular way.
Talking with the Director
Once I have a handle on what the script is telling me about what the film is going to be, then I’ll have a chat with the Director about exactly what they’re looking to do with it. Obviously I will have most likely spoken to the Director before getting hired, and perhaps I’ll have already worked with them before, but I always feel that a big part of an Editor’s job, especially through the first 3 stages of the edit, is to figure out what the film is that exists in the Director’s head, because after all, a big part of my job is to get that film out from the Director’s head and on to the screen.
Essentially, what I’ll be looking for in my conversations with the Director pre-shoot is to find out if I’m on the right path with my conclusions from reading the script, looking to see if the Director has a clear idea of the kind of film they’re looking to make, and to arm myself with any key words and phrases that will help guide me in trying to create a film that comes close to what the Director is picturing. Figuring out what the story is that you’re telling is important, but so is figuring out how you’re going to tell it.
I’ll also ask the Director about reference films, although I do find that this can be misleading unless I ask specifically what it is about these films that interest them. I’ll also ask about the score and any ideas they have for music, or soundtracks they think feels like something they’d want for the music. I ask this for two reasons. One, it’s a good way to start building a temp library of music for the edit, and two, it helps to give me an idea of the tone.
Figuring out the tone the Director is aiming for can be super-important. I find that it’s not always clear from the script the tone a Director wants, even if they wrote the script themselves, but combining how they describe the film, how the film looks, how the performances are, and what music they like for the film gives me a good sense of what they’re looking for.
The final key thing I’ll do in my initial discussions with the Director is to use my list of concerns and potential problems I made when studying the script, and delicately raise them as areas I would like to talk about. Obviously, this is one of the trickier discussions to have with a Director, especially one you’ve not worked with before, but part of why you’ve been hired is for your knowledge and expertise, and your opinion as an Editor should be valued.
Sometimes the moments you have concerns about are easily cleared up when the Director explains how they envisage the scene being played, but often, your freshness as the Editor reading the script for the first time allows you to spot issues which others may have missed (in the same way that later in the process you will be bringing people in for their freshness).
Final Preparation
The final thing I do with the script before the edit starts is to start to look at the film scene-by-scene and start thinking about the job of each scene. I’ll talk in more detail about this in the future, but I have in the past found it useful to put together a simple list that notes the purpose of each scene.
This helps in two ways. First, it flags if there are any scenes that feel like they aren’t really there for any story-motivated reason. And second, it gives me a good starting point for the assembly, so when I start getting chunks of rushes delivered and I’m having to jump around the film cutting scenes in a random order, I have a reference to remind me what each scene is supposed to be doing and what part it plays in the film.
You can find out about the other steps in the Offline Edit process in our article on The 5 Stages of the Edit, or read on for Part 2 – The Assembly.