Making “The Anniversary” – Cutting Down The Script

I’m keeping a little video journal as a non-filmmaker, of my experience trying to get my first little movie made. A guy who has no bloody idea of what he’s doing. Maybe it’ll give you some inspiration for doing a film yourself (“well if this idiot can make one, so can I” sort of inspiration), or maybe just laugh at how fast I go down in flames. Either way it’s all good. :)

This installment I just talk a couple of minutes about how hard it was to cut 40 pages out of my own script. Ouch!

PAST INSTALLMENTS:

Part #1 – Fear of Rejection

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22 thoughts on “Making “The Anniversary” – Cutting Down The Script

  1. im writing a script right now, half way through it. but if i had to cut 40 pages!! i might die!! it’s brutal, i feel you pain John, but good luck with the project

  2. Yep – its the old writer’s adage – kill your darlings.

    Don’t know if this is the final version of your script John but if you are going to do another pass there’s another rule to bear in mind as well – 2nd draft = 1draft – 10%.

    Good luck and thanks for these video diaries!

  3. I don’t really think 6 months is a long time at all. If anything it’s on the shorter side. You frequently hear of scripts by very experienced writers taking years to complete.

  4. These documentary updates are engaging, although the last ten seconds of this one was just a recap of what was already said, so I would have cut that – ha!

  5. @ Flowergurl

    John can do whatever he wants. His script. But ultimately the money people call the shots. And the money people aren’t going to put up the bucks for a 136 page comedy script. 136 pages = epic.

    If John was self-financing, he could give the middle finger to everyone and make the 136 page movie. Except when it came time for distribution, and he presented his 2 hr 16 minute comedy. That wouldn’t go well.

    Mark

  6. If those cut 40 pages aren’t in the shooting script then they won’t get shot and there will be nothing to add to the director’s cut. What will be in the director’s cut is whatever lands on the editing room floor after he’s shot his 96 pages.

  7. hehehe RAFA1215 lol,

    I always finding where to stop (ie less is more) and how to edit difficult when I’m being creative, good luck John,
    if you can practice what you preach John
    this film will be real funny.

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