You’ve probably heard this saying before: “A film is written three times; first in the screenplay, next in production, and finally, in the edit.”

While this might sound like a simple phrase, it holds the key to understanding how your performance as an actor can truly shine (or get lost) in the final cut of a film. In fact, the edit is where the magic happens. It’s where scenes are rewritten, pacing is perfected, and performances are sculpted into the final story.

In my previous post, I talked about how the camera sees you; with brief examples of how lenses shape your performance on screen and how you should know enough to collaborate with them. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend checking it out. Read it here.

It all comes down to this: making sure your performance stands out so it’s chosen in the edit room.

That’s what I want to emphasize, again and again. Your goal is not to deliver a performance that works on set. It’s to create a performance that’s irresistible in the editing room.

The truth is, the editor is arguably the most powerful person in shaping your on-screen performance. Why? Because they’re the ones piecing together the puzzle of the film. The audience doesn’t read the script, or see what happened on set. They only see what the editor chooses to show them.

Even the most iconic films have been reshaped in the cutting room.

Take Star Wars, for example.

The original rough cut of George Lucas’s film was far from the cultural phenomenon we know today. In fact, it was apparently such a mess that some of Lucas’s closest friends (like Steven Spielberg) doubted it could be saved. But thanks to the genius of editors like Marcia Lucas, Richard Chew, and Paul Hirsch, the film was completely transformed. I highly recommend you watch this video by RocketJump as it summarizes quite well how Star Wars was saved in the edit.

Here’s the deal:

An editor doesn’t know how much time, effort, thought, or money went into a certain shot or take. And frankly, even when they do, it shouldn’t matter.

If it doesn’t serve the final story (the version of the story that evolves beyond the script and the set), or if it doesn’t fit cohesively with the rest of the footage, it won’t make the cut.

Which is often why actors feel powerless. They show up to set, give their all, and deliver a performance based on the script and what’s happening in the moment. They likely even understand that when the story reaches the cutting room, it can transform completely and that’s where their performance can either shine or get lost. So they think that there’s only so much that they can control.

But what if you started thinking like an editor while you’re on set?

Sure, it wouldn’t give you complete control over the outcome as if you were actually the editor, but you would be able to give the editor so much more ammunition to use your takes.

One game-changer you could focus on is reaction shots.
You might be thinking: “Yes, yes, I’ve heard it a hundred times before… ‘acting is listening.’ What’s new?”

I’ll give you the editor’s perspective.

Let’s ignore for now the countless times that an actor is clearly just listening for their cue, because hopefully you’re not that actor. We’ll even skim quickly past the idea that an editor generally isn’t just cutting dialogue back and forth between actors. You probably already know that kind of editing – Actor 1 dialogue → Cut to Actor 2 dialogue → Cut to Actor 1 dialogue – is boring. It doesn’t build rhythm, tension, or engagement. And so you understand that instead, we aim to create moments that feel alive and dynamic, often by focusing on the listener.

Let’s instead go back to the idea of when an editor is rewriting the scene.

One of the most common ways this happens is by cutting down dialogue. Whether it’s for pacing, clarity, or emotional impact, editors often remove lines that slow the scene down or detract from the central focus. But when lines are cut, there needs to be something to cut to. That’s where your reaction shots come in.

Confession time… Many times the camera will roll, everything is set, and then the director decides to give a note to the actor on camera just before he calls action. This is one of my favourite moments to pull from for reaction shots I need. Many actors are way more alive in this moment (because they are actually listening to new information and internalizing it), than they are when listening to their scene partner. It doesn’t matter that your reaction was to something unrelated. If it’s alive, I can cut to it to save the scene.

This leads me to a very important concept that many actors either forget, or don’t realize; the Kuleshov Effect. In the most basic terms, it shows how the meaning of a shot changes based on the shot that follows/precedes it. The audience will attribute emotion based on context.

So the more alive you are in your scenes when you aren’t speaking, regardless of the context, the more I can cut to you to shape the film as needed, knowing the audience will do the rest of the work connecting the dots.

The trench run finale, in Star Wars, is a perfect example of this in action, and how reaction shots can help rewrite a scene and completely transform its emotional stakes.

In the original cut, the Death Star wasn’t about to destroy the Rebel base—it was just sitting there, waiting to be blown up. The stakes were flat, and the sequence lacked urgency. Enter the editors. They used reaction shots (even some from entirely different moments of the film) and inserts to completely manufacture the race-against-time scenario. The rising fear, the ticking clock, the triumph of victory; all of it was built in the cutting room. And it was only possible because the editors had enough footage of “actors reacting” to work with in order to layer dialogue (that wasn’t in the script) overtop and abracadabra; tension was created where it hadn’t originally existed.

As an actor, you want to give the editor that kind of material to work with. Reaction shots that are alive, layered, and dynamic can elevate not only your performance but the entire film. Whether it’s a quiet look, a subtle shift in your face, or an intense internalization, those moments give the editor the tools to shape the story in a way that keeps you on screen—and unforgettable.

At the heart of all this is one simple idea that I’ll reiterate again: your job as an actor isn’t just to deliver a great performance, it’s to deliver a performance that makes the editor’s job easier. If the editor knows they can always cut to you, then at anytime they need to reshape the story, your footage will be one of the first the editor looks through to use. This means you become the actor that an editor is cutting to, not away from. The unfortunate reality is that sometimes the actors I have to cut away from are actually quite good.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. In my Beyond Acting Masterclasses, you’ll learn how to collaborate with the editor, the camera, and the entire filmmaking process to ensure your performance stands out – on set, but especially in the final cut.

I’ll teach you the practical tools within your control to create performances that are dynamic, versatile, and indispensable; ensuring editors have everything they need to keep you front and center in the final story, and avoiding situations where they have to cut away from you.

To celebrate the launch, I’m offering a one-time exclusive 2-for-1 deal. Bring a scene partner, split the investment, and elevate your skills together. Spots are limited, and this offer won’t last. Don’t miss your chance to become an actor editors can’t ignore.