I, along with a talent crew of folk, have been creating a short film for about 8 months now. It’s a short piece, made up three parts. One of those parts has been a real beast to create. For about 6 months, I’ve worked with 3 different editors to try to figure out different approaches to how we could make this thing work. And, while there have been small breakthroughs, there hasn’t been a real resolution to the piece. Every time I watch it, it feels wrong.
So, two nights ago, the current editor, Brandon Hopp, and I suddenly decided to do the unthinkable: we cut the piece in about half. After working, reworking, and working again, a section that wasn’t coming together, we just took it out. Now, keep in mind, that section was the climax of the film. But, upon its removal…alas, a functioning film arose. I was floored to realize that we’d spent 6 months forcing something that just needed to go.
This was a reminder: less, often, is more. And, the original vision shouldn’t always be the final – not if you’re paying attention to what is really happening, rather than focusing too hard on what you first had in mind. One of the hardest, but most successful tricks in the creative process (that I’ve discovered, anyway), is the ability to step back and, as they say at Adaptive Path, kill your darlings. Being willing to hack your work up for the sake of experimentation, sometimes, redeems it.
And thank God.
Now, on to the next piece, machete in hand.
