How can you determine if a scene needs to be cut or extended for pacing purposes?

Purpose of scene and does it need to be cut? Trust your instincts is my #1 rule. You shot your film and several cuts have been made. You have a few private screenings to get feedback. If you have a scene where no one is FEELING anything, cut it. Film is an emotional medium, not intellectual. What are you feeling? If nothing, cut!

Dear Linkedin's AI, I would suggest working with an experienced, highly trained editor who is paid properly to do what they are brilliant doing... editing

I've discovered to check in w my main character--what's her conflict? Is it being fanned by other characters or the antagonist? With great conflict, maybe there's opp. for extended dialogue so let it run. But if the scene starts to sag, cut.

The only thing you should be asking yourself to make this decision is if it's moving the story forward. That's it. No more, no less.

If you are asking this question, it should be cut down. Then if you're director feels that the material is missing try putting it back in.

Determining if a scene needs cutting or extending involves assessing its duration against the film’s average scene length. It's not just about adhering to a typical one-to-three-minute range but about the scene's role and effectiveness. Does it feel rushed or drawn out? The scene's pace should match its narrative importance and maintain the film's overall rhythm. If it disrupts the flow by being noticeably shorter or longer than surrounding scenes, it may need reworking. Comparing and contrasting it within the film's context is crucial for pacing.

Observe the architecture around the scene. What is the average scene length of the movie? What are your intentions behind either keeping the scene noticeably shorter, or longer? Every single thing on the screen ought to have a direct purpose.

As to the length of a scene -- two things to consider: the length of all of the scenes should be somewhat "organic" to one another -- that is, all of the scenes should have a balanced relationship to one another, rather than a few very long scenes and very short, for example. But most important is not the length but the PURPOSE: is it doing something? Is it doing something in a LESS IS MORE manner? Start LATE, get our EARLY!

Art films are slower ... Action films are faster. Start with the Genre in mind and make sure people have time to understand the message for each scene. If they need more time to comprehend a more intellectual message, give them time. If you want to create a fight scene and you need to cover the "fake" ... cut faster with more elipses

Depends on film and vision of director. For me longer is scene, deeper and more connecting it is with audience as cut is taking away your attention, but sometimes it is what filmmaker is looking for. In Martin Scorsese's Good Fellas/Wolf of Wall Street most of scenes/cuts are quite short and quick, but some narration/voice over related scenes are long as they describe environment around you such as club entry in Goodfellas, which creates perfect harmony to absorb viewer into picture's ground

Assessing a scene's structure is like checking if your sandwich has all its layers. Imagine biting into a sandwich and finding no pickles — it's incomplete! A scene must have its narrative 'pickles' too: the beginning (the bread), the middle (the filling where all the tasty conflict lies), and the end (the bottom slice leading you to the next delicious bite). If your scene is all bread and no filling, it’s time to add some substance. Conversely, if you've got a triple-decker on your hands, it might be time to trim the fillings to avoid overwhelming your audience's narrative appetite. Keep it tight, keep it tasty, and ensure it satisfies from the first bite to the last!

I semi agree with this. Sometimes I feel that the structure of screenwriting is too prescribed. Yes, each aspect of the whole has a beginning, middle and end just as the whole is made up of a beginning, middle and end. Scenes are the popcorn puffs that keep us dipping our hands in the bucket. Every now and then we don't put some in our mouths, these are the scenes that end on cliff-hangers. Other times we completely miss our mouths, those are the scenes that end with a plot twist. Every scene should end an active question NOT a mundane character goal achieved. Where's the drama in that? I've ended one of my act 1 scenes with the save the cat technique, only I've switched it around. My bad guy 'saves the cat'.

Each scene or fragment, depending of the genre, can have 3 parts: a beginning, a middle and an end. Repeated all the time. Beginning is not always mandatory

In case the structure starts boring, people may get distracted. If you think the pace is taking long or shots are of unusual length or the time of film needs a curtailment then add some effects like day to night or clock ticking time etc

Unless you can visualise what your story idea is going to look like as a final product on the screen, or you are a writer director you could find this very difficult to do because not only are you thinking of the story in beats. You also have to be aware of FRAMES when writing action lines. When writing as a writer the concept of 'flow' doesn't exist because you're simply showing a story on paper. Then when it gets into the hands of a director, that's when all the camera angles, shots, cuts etc are added. Though it has to be said, more and more directors and producers would rather work with writers who can write production ready scripts. For example, my first line of action is what will be in my first frame. "A tattered flag hangs..."

Very true, I agree with this. Flow is the driver of mood and the content as well. This helps to engage people and fill them with feelings a director or the writer wants to convey.

Testing scenes without sound uncovers the potency of visual cues and actor expressions, while isolating audio highlights the emotive power of dialogue and sound design. These methods ensure that both visuals and sound independently convey the scene's emotion, enhancing the overall storytelling impact. It's a critical step in editing that refines the sensory layers of a film, ensuring each scene deeply resonates with the audience and creates a more engaging viewing experience. This is a technique I use on every projects to identify not only if a shot works but also if if it’s too long.

Having two version of a scene is a great way to determine which is more effective for the project. Similar to A/B testing with social posts or newsletters, create two separate edits of the scene and compare them both in the project to see which scene hits the mark for this project.

Pacing isn’t just about speed; it’s about the emotional journey of the audience. Analyse the scene to determine its emotional purpose. Asks yourself these questions: What emotion should this scene evoke? Is the scene achieving its emotional goal?

Según mi experiencia el ritmo de la escena esta relacionado al crecimiento o decrecimiento del arco narrativo expresado en el guión; esta se encuentra en función de la secuencia que es un bloque del relato que se quiere contar, por lo tanto el ritmo tiene que estar acorde al momento de esa historia que estamos narrando. He visto proyectos donde el ritmo dado en edición no se condecía con el ritmo propio del relato, y por lo tanto, la historia terminaba perdiendo por tal elección; tambien he trabajado en proyectos donde este ha salvado la escena. El tiempo lo dicta la escena, si no funciona por mas cara que haya sido, hay que eliminarla. Vendemos ilusiones y sensaciones, la emoción o la indiferencia del espectador nos marca el ritmo.

I agree with the above, but trying to get a feedback through questions isn’t always helpful. Test audience may get confused, struggling to answer so specific questions.A generic approach like “what was your best or worst moment?, what is the first thing that comes to your mind, thinking the movie etc”, is more productive. Also a group discussion (of the test audience team) that you watch/listen without participate to, would help you understand what’s their truth opinion about your film.

Every scene is its own short film, purpose , character, moves the story and film along. No scene should just languish even if it’s a new point of view or a tangent. It all ties into the other scenes and allows the viewer whose brains and eyes work faster than we can write to film. They should be able to look back at every scene and understand something new with each viewing. If something doesn’t do that then it’s time to cut or rewrite.

In cinema, delivering entertainment within a two-hour timeframe is vital. In the initial stages, when information hinting at the story's conclusion infiltrates scenes, it's often excised to preserve suspense. However, deliberately engaging the audience by subtly infusing scenes with information without their awareness is also an approach to providing entertainment. Hence, directors and film editors must consistently work with a focus on the overall picture and the ultimate goal of the final product. Maintaining sight of these aspects is crucial. Yet, for beginners, constructing narratives as straightforwardly as possible is advisable. Making your style of telling a story is nice, but 1st, get familiar with how to tell the story.

Filmmaking is a collaborative process, always remember to have trusted feedback no matter what you do. People who are familiar with your vision are great aiders to perfect your vision

This s purely a call in the edit table.. so many times the shot that seems an OMF give the best shots while editing..pace offers a tool for the manage viewers perspective. It helps us to handhold the viewer to what we want them to mark and notice..

Es importante 3 factores generales. 1-La apreciación del tempo en vivo del director con respecto a los actores y su interpretación, cadencia de diálogos y movimientos. 2-El tipo de plano, su composición y mivimiento. 3-el peso narrativo del leguaje audiovisual en el montaje. Aquí, al contrario de lo que muchos creen, se puede manipular el ritmo con muchos trucos y artificios de montaje y trucaje de planos y secuencias. Estos efectismos se aprenden editando y viendo editar a montadores. Y sobre todo tocando otros lenguajes audiovisuales como el videoclip, la TV o lo corporativo en un evento.