PRODUCT REVIEW: Chat GPT for the Screenwriter

AI is here and its mission is to help screenwriters and democratise movie making / decimate the screenwriting profession (delete as appropriate). There are a number of different writing AIs, also known as LLMs,—Large Language Models—but Chat GPT is the best known. As the head of Open AI, the parent company, is currently wooing Hollywood, […]

Shallow HAL

The Use of AI in Screenwriting Geisler: Ever act?Barton: …Huh? No, I’m—Geisler: We need Indians for a Norman Steele western.Barton: I’m a writer. Ted O—Geisler: Think about it, Fink. Writers come and go; we always need Indians. ‘Barton Fink’ screenplay Ethan & Joel Coen The film and TV industry is scared. Why?The Rise of the […]

What a Feature Film Editor Does

Apart From, y’know, Edit ☛ I’ve written much in the past about the art and craft of narrative editing, so I thought I’d focus for a change on the parts of the job that aren’t putting shots together. What follows applies specifically to drama feature film editors. I’m also assuming that the feature film editor […]

Inspiring Belief

An Editor’s Guide to Working with a Director ☛ Last time I wrote about how directors should approach working with an editor, this time the shoe is on the other foot. A lot is written online about how editors should work with their editing software – hints and tips. Books on editing have much to […]

The Way of the Scissor People

How to Work with an Editor ☛ I wrote some time back encouraging directors to work with editors, rather than cutting their own material. My colleagues in the cutting room report that they are working with an increasing number of directors who are using an editor for the first time. Needless to say these first […]

Better, Good, Best

Can an Editor Really Save a Film? ☛ There’s an old joke that the editor always saves the film… even if they haven’t. But are we really the alchemists we would like to be, turning base metals into gold? How completely can an editor turn your movie around? I’ve worked in the cutting rooms of […]

Fear of Actors

On Directing Actors ☛ Hang around the industry for long enough and you’ll realize a surprising thing about film directors: many of us are crap at directing actors. I’m not just talking about newbie short filmmakers or genre hacks, I’ve seen very experienced directors manhandle performances and heard many an anecdote pointing the finger at […]

Get Someone to Help you with the Scissors, pt.II

Some Thoughts on Working with an Editor ☛ Assuming my last post convinced you that an editor is someone you never realised you couldn’t do without, how do you work with them? The basic unwritten contract between editor and director is this: The editor promises to make whatever changes the director asks of them, to […]

Get Someone to Help You with the Scissors

Why Everyone Needs an Editor ☛ Apple have just announced that they’re lowering the cost of Final Cut Pro editing software to $299 (probably the same in pounds). Given that the new generation of digital cameras bring the basic cost of the hardware necessary to shoot a HD feature film well within a four-figure price […]