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 Responses to “Making “The Anniversary” - Cutting Down The Script”
  1. rafa1215 says:

    John, I thought you hated shaky cam? :)

  2. rafa1215 says:

    John, Do you think that you’ll make a directors cut of the movie and add back the 40 pages?

  3. Rodney says:

    It’s easy to cut 40 pages out of the script!

    Reduce your font size!!!!

  4. Flowergurl says:

    @ RAFA1215

    I thought the same thing re: adding the lost 40 pages to the director’s cut..

  5. ADOX says:

    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.

  6. geoff says:

    nice one, good luck with the movie John, keep doing these videos.

  7. Mark Davidson says:

    Post the first 10 pages.

  8. Doug Douglas says:

    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.

  9. kc says:

    Just look at it as you now have a 40 page start on the sequel… I mean the Anniversary pretty much implies there’ll be more

  10. Flowergurl says:

    @ doug douglas

    I still don’t understand..

    Can’t John put the 40 pages back in..
    Since it’s his script - his film.. isn’t it his call.. ?

  11. Mark Davidson says:

    @ 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

  12. Bobsyeruncle says:

    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!

  13. Johnny says:

    6 months a long time??? What planet are you living on? Some scripts take up to 2 years to write. IT depends on what you are writing.

  14. Johnny says:

    You should have kept the camera on the whole time you were in the movie as well. At least we would have gotten to see a free movie! LOL!

  15. Johnny says:

    Do we even get to hear what this movie is about? ???

  16. Yamo says:

    hey john how many people look at you carzy. When you was walk down the street with a Camcorder?

  17. HAZMAT_PWNS_ALL says:

    yamo..

    i thought the same but nnaaahh, he coulda been a tourist..

  18. Phil Gee says:

    But its like they say; “kill your babies”. Well done John.

  19. Oliver says:

    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.

  20. Martyn says:

    6 months is not fast realy in another way, you right Oliver

  21. AjaxLou says:

    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!

  22. aaron says:

    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

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