How to avoid getting cut from a movie or TV show.
Behind the scenes editors have to make distinct choices about a feature film, movie or TV show. Alongside the producer and the director, the editor must examine several different takes of a single scene and decide which one is the best. In an amazing video essay by “Every Frame a Painting,” editor Tony explains what it's like to work as an editor.
With that being said, The acting industry is super competitive. After getting a movie script, memorizing lines, landing the audition, and then finally working on set, an actor still runs the risk of having their scene cut from a TV show or movie. In fact, this happens all of the time.
It happens for a wide variety of reasons. The script may have last minute rewrites, or sometimes, the character is completely removed from the entire movie. In fact, many A-list actors get cut from major motion pictures including Jena Malone from Batman v. Superman and Michelle Monaghan from Unfaithful, Syriana, and Constantine.
So what can an actor do to prevent themselves from getting edited out of a TV show or movie? Well, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation recently released two panel discussions on YouTube featuring both producers and editors explaining how actors can avoid ending up on the cutting room floor.
In “The Business: Editors on Acting: TV One Hour Drama”, the panel discusses the technical skills an actor must have and why directors, producers and editors decide to cut actors out of a movie. The panel discussion includes some of the biggest producers in Hollywood including: Lisa Bromwell A.C.E., Jill D'Agnenica, Monty DeGraff, Gregory T. Evans, and Jordan Goldman, A.C.E.
Check out the video below:
What about comedy? Comedy is all about comedic timing – knowing the right time to deliver the joke. One of the most talented comedic actors is Danny Glover. The actor once said in an interview that his secret to acting is knowing how to make the joke more effective.
In “The Business: Editors on Acting: TV Half-Hour Comedy” the SAG-AFTRA foundation asked a group of Hollywood's most talented editors how actors can improve their comedic acting skills and how to avoid getting edited out of a TV show.
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