Making a film or television show is a multi-stage process which has been honed over decades, and with some exceptions follows a standardized process. The film edit is much the same, usually completed in a series of common steps, and generally taking place in the same order from one project to the next.
Production of a film or TV show broadly happens in 5 stages:
- Development – raising money, writing and refining the script, drawing up a budget, and hiring key personnel like the Director and Heads of Department (HoD’s)
- Pre-Production – cast and crew are hired, locations scouted, sets are built and equipment is booked
- Production – the assembled army of cast and crew spend weeks or months shooting in a mix of locations and studios
- Post-Production – the show is edited, music and visual effects elements are created, the sound is designed and mixed, and the picture is colour corrected and graded
- Distribution – selling, promoting and screening the finished work
Generally speaking, the Editor or Editors are involved in the Production and Post-Production stages, with some involvement in Pre-Production once they are on-board and contracted to the project. Occasionally an Editor will be involved at the Development stage if visual material is required to help sell the project or if there is Pre-Viz created. Editors will usually start working full-time on a project as soon as production begins and material starts to make its way from set to the cutting rooms, and we can break down this Offline Edit process into 5 steps too.
5 stages of the Edit
Script – Even though Editors are largely not involved in a production until the shoot starts, it’s important to do your prep work for the edit. Beyond just reading the script, you should be making sure you’re aware of the genre the film is trying to be in order to understand audience expectations, and break the story down so you understand how it’s structured and how effectively the story is being told. You also need to find out what the Director sees in their head – tone, genre, references, things they don’t want it to be. Going more in-depth in your analysis of the script to break down each scene can also be helpful in preparing you for the Assembly.
Assembly – AKA the Script Cut. This usually happens alongside the shoot, with the Editor tackling footage shot a day or two beforehand. As most films are shot out of order, the Editor will be jumping around cutting scenes from different parts of the film, sometimes even without the complete rushes for a scene. Part of the Editor’s job at this stage is to inform the Director of any issues with the material, whether shots need to be redone or other shots added, or if there are any technical issues with picture or sound.
At this point, everything that is in the script should be in to view, with nothing dropped and nothing moved around, all the dialogue in, all the scenes in. Sometimes a Director will want to view scenes as they’re cut (as much to see their work as yours), other times they will prefer to wait until the complete assembly is together. This stage is really all about putting together a moving and talking version of the script that now exists on-screen rather than just on the page. This version almost always feels too long, too slow, and too flat, and rarely fits what the Director intended, but it’s an important step to be able to see everything together for the first time.
Director’s Cut – Now you start to turn the assembly into what the Director envisioned. Some Producers will view the assembly, some won’t, but the Director and Editor will generally be left alone to complete the Director’s Cut in whatever timeframe is alloted before any notes are given. In some instances, the assembly will be a strong starting point with lots of things working and the film will develop from there. Other times the assembly will reveal some fundamental flaws in the film and major rework will commence, or the Director will re-imagine how the film could be put together, not to necessarily fix issues, but because the new version may be stronger than what was scripted.
While the Director has been largely absent from the cutting room during the shoot and assembly, they will start spending a lot more time with the Editor during the Director’s Cut. Some will be in the cutting room all day every day, while others will watch the cut with the Editor, discuss notes, then leave the Editor to work through the changes. Priorities at this stage include fixing major narrative clarity or performance issues, making sure key scenes are working, trimming redundant scenes, and possibly restructuring some areas. This version might take several passes to get it to a point where the Director is comfortable showing it to other people.
Producer’s Cut – Next you start addressing feedback from Producers and Executive Producers (ie. the people who hired you and are paying for the film). Producers and Execs have a broad range of skills and experience, and some are stronger than others at giving notes in the edit. These notes will range from flagging scenes or moments that don’t make sense, or feel cheap or perhaps stupid, to concerns about particular performances, or suggestions about things to try in the cut. Often you will end up in discussions about shooting additional shots, adding voiceover or ADR to fix issues, sometimes going as far as getting cast members back together to shoot new scenes.
You’ll then try to fix any remaining clarity issues, take a look at major pacing problems, and further tighten or remove redundant and/or weak moments. Often you will start to show it to others outside the core team during this stage, either friends and collaborators or private preview screenings for members of the public. It’s also possible that music from the Composer and VFX shots from the VFX vendors will start to be added at this stage, depending on budgets, timescales, and availability.
Fine Cut – The final step of the edit is about polishing the project. You have to ask yourself and the Director whether everything is really working as well as you think, and whether you really need all the scenes/beats you think you need. After weeks and months of fixing, this step is really about moving from fixing to attempting to elevate. Often, you will lose several minutes very rapidly from the running time, as you start to throw out scenes, lines of dialogue and shots which have lived in the cut for weeks and months, until you realise that actually, you probably don’t need them, and cut them.
This is the time to try bold ideas and if you haven’t already, to really step back and look at what you actually have, not just what you think you have. This stage is about looking to turn good into very good.
Picture Lock and Beyond
Once the Director and Editor reach the final weeks of the edit, the terms “Lock” and “Picture Lock” will start being seen and heard frequently. This is the ultimate end of the offline edit, reaching a version that everyone is – within the parameters of the project – happy with, so that the rest of the Post-Production team can begin their full-time work on the project.
It’s common for Editors, especially on features, to be involved in some capacity once the film is locked. Depending on the preferences of the Director, the Producers, and the Editor themselves, the Editor will often be sent versions of the film as it makes its way through Sound and Picture Post, giving feedback to the Director on music and sound choices, and sometimes being involved in the final sound mix, or checks of the completed film with all elements added and completed, either alongside the Director, or in their absence. After all, the Editor has spent weeks and months working with the Director through the edit and will have a strong idea of what does and doesn’t fit with the Director’s vision for the project, and can provide an experienced sounding board as sound and music is crafted into the narrative.