I like to think of myself as a good screenwriter.
But when it comes to editing scenes; I chop half of the stuff out!
I think the process of editing my writing is something I skip, because I like the flow of the dialogue.
But after we’ve shot everything, I realise how unnecessary so much of it is. I tend to have repetitive dialogue (very much on purpose, it makes me laugh), but then after the actors perform it, you realise you’re giving the audience the same information ten times when they only need it once (or twice if they’re stupid).
I tend to do too much on my smaller projects. I write, direct, produce and edit them. The problem with this is, you get too close to the material! It’s harder to see what’s working and what’s not working. You think that what you see in your head the audience also sees on their screens.
I think that’s often why people take so much longer than they should to complete projects, because they just can’t see them clearly.
We shot ‘The Break-Up Book’ last year, in December. Only now am I beginning to see the thing clearly. It was a 10 minute film and now I’ve chopped it down to 7, so much of it was pointless.
