Last night I re-opened the short film Her Party project in my video editing software and selected the razor tool… it was finally time to make improvements. As always seems to be the case, it was when I wasn’t thinking about it, and after considerable time had passed since last dealing with the project, that I was able to visualize exactly where and what I needed to cut to improve on the pace of the film.
During pre-production I had planned my shots and shot them accordingly. I had gauged a pace for the film, a pace I felt was necessary to lay out all of the emotion on the table. Turns out – as learning goes – I was wrong.
I recently had a discussion with a colleague about my decision to re-cut Her Party with the intention of shortening it. I explained that, for some reason, people who view it seem to think the fact that the mother’s daughter has passed is supposed to be some sort of surprise reveal, despite the music, pace, shot selection and overall tone from very early on the film clearly illustrating otherwise. I explained I had decided to cut off the fat and get to the meat quicker. My colleague agreed – having seen the film screen in a cinema, he said one thing that convinced me my decision was right:
“You’ve got a strong closing performance that delivers at the end. The sooner you get the audience to that moment, the better…”
I definitely agree. So, with this in mind, as well as the constructive feedback I received from those who took the time to watch and email me or comment, I have started working on a fix for Her Party. This new cut will be the one I send to film festivals and put on DVD for those involved. I will be posting it online as soon as I’m done.
If you’re keen to compare when the new cut goes live, be sure to watch the old version here while you can.
