Screenwriting for Editing | The Story Department

Screenwriting for Editing | The Story Department

"The humbling truth is that the film is made in the editing room".-David Mamet

The screenwriter is the first step in the film making process and the editor, the last. How do you write a script that'll produce an edit-ready film?

• Write visually.
  
  
• Make sure your story is strong and clear.
  
  
• Understand the rhythm of your story and your scenes.
  
  
• Ask yourself:
  
  
  • What tempo would your scene have if put to music? Having a sense of this will help you understand the riffs, trills, arias and dissonances in your movie and its many scenes. And many of the scenes will be put to music during post production.
    
    
  • If they were an instrument or a piece of music, what would each main character be? Intuiting this will help you understand your characters' internal rhythms better and how they flex – or don't – when reacting to situations and other characters.

• Make your transitions clear and fresh.
  
  
• Make your characters thoughts, dreams, and psyches accessible.

• Exercises: To understand editing better, put on a DVD of a great, contemporary movie.
  
  
  1. TURN THE SOUND OFF and watch a few scenes – action, dialogue, and montage. You may want to watch the scenes several times
     
     • Notice each time the picture cuts.   
       
       
     • Notice the different rhythm of each scene.
       
       
       
  2. TURN THE PICTURE OFF and listen to the same scenes.
     
     
     • Hear the different types of sounds: dialogue, sound effects, Foley, music.
       
       
     • Notice the different rhythm of each scene.

Screenwriting for Editing | The Story Department