How to Avoid the Cutting Room Floor

An Editor's Advice for On-Camera Actors

By: Jordan Goldman ACE

Narrated by: Jordan Goldman ACE

Length: 2 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

What steps can an actor take to avoid being cut out of a movie or TV show?

Emmy-winning editor Jordan Goldman, ACE, takes you inside the cutting room and pulls back the curtain on how and why directors, showrunners, and editors decide whether your performance makes it to the screen. He explains the key things actors should do—and shouldn't do—to avoid getting cut out.

Topics include:

• What an editor does
• How editors evaluate your work
• Why actors get cut
• What you can control
• What you can't control

Packed with useful, practical tips, real-life anecdotes, and examples, and illustrated with photos.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2014 Jordan Goldman (P)2022 Jordan Goldman

Critic reviews

"Whether you are just starting to break into the film and television industry, or you're already working and want to refine your on-camera technique, How to Avoid the Cutting Room Floor is a must-read! I wish I’d had a book early in my career that gave me a fraction of the insights and advice that Jordan provides here. Grab this invaluable book by one of the television industry's most talented and respected editors." (Michael Chiklis)

Well Edited

This book is exactly what it claims itself to be—nothing more and nothing less.

A must read

After being an actor for over 30 years I still love these books that covers the basics. Thing most actors should know coming to the business but a great reminder for new things to learn. Easy to read or listen to, undetectable and quite useful. 😎

The one acting book you didn't know you needed

This book, and the audiobook, is a GEM. Every actor, regardless of skill level, should read this. Jordan has been an editor for shows like Homeland and The Shield, so everything he writes is valuable and worth consideration.

I've had some amazing acting teachers, but many of them avoid teaching actors technical concepts because it makes it more difficult to be in the moment of a scene.

The reality is that actors need to be taught how to be in the moment *and* how to deliver a performance that works on-screen. If you are not aware of continuity, eyelines, body position, and so much more, you could be the reason your footage is unusable. It also makes you look green, unprofessional, and potentially un-hirable going forward.

Jordan's book is a course in everything you need to know to shine on screen. It's is a deep dive into the process of making a film or tv show and has all the technical information that we need as actors. Editors have a huge amount of creative control when it comes to the final product we see on screen. Jordan's perspective highlights how actors can best position themselves to be in that final product.

Once you understand this, you'll understand that as actors, we need to do more than deliver a great performance. We have a responsibility to every other person on set who is working to make the final product the best it can be. Read this, apply the principles, and you'll be in the minority of actors who can deliver an incredible result.