#323 - In Praise of Test Screenings

I've just discovered a really great new book about film editing.

This is exciting to me because:

• a) I like reading books about film editing
• b) Not all books about film editing are actually that good
• c) I love a bargain

I'll end this issue with a fistful of other 'must reads' but right now I want to share some valuable editorial truths about test screenings from Israeli editor Arik Lahav-Leibovich's From Footage to Film: Intimate Insights on Film Editing.

It is a superb book, packed with practical wisdom, hard won in the trenches of the edit suite and illuminated with memorable moments from his own career.

And right now it is only $0.99/£0.99 as an ebook!

Why You Must Use Test Screenings

I don’t screen the film for a test audience in order to get compliments - we’ll hear those, or we won’t, once the film is finished.

At the editing stage, we screen to get criticism. And even if the early exposure unnerves the director, I won’t back down on this matter, even at the cost of a confrontation. I truly believe it is for the good of the film.

We've talked about Test Screenings before on Cut/daily but Arik's insights are detailed, practical and well worth heeding next time you're deep into in the fog of the edit.