What story are we telling? (The film is in the answer)

Whether in writing, on set, or in the edit, when you ask the question, “What story are we telling?”, you can then move on to the next: “How can we tell it best?”, and follow the narrative’s guiding line.

These are two simple, structuring questions, without being limiting.

What story are we telling?

In editing (remember, I spent many years as a head editor), this first question is essential, foundational. The answer informs the next questions: what deep movement links this scene to the previous and the following ones? Why here, why now? What is the overall flow? What is the rhythm, the drive, the beat? What is the intention?

Once the answer to “What story are we telling?” is clear, the next question is “How can we tell it best?”

In editing, it guides how we watch the rushes, what we look for, what we select, and how we structure it. It helps define the narrative’s line of force, the backbone on which the story rests. The same applies on set—whether for the director, actors, or crew—or during rewriting, where answering “What story are we telling?” followed by “How can we tell it best?” prevents getting lost along the way, allowing you to go precisely where the story is headed and to find and sustain what gives the film its drive, vitality, and accuracy.

It is never about simplifying or over-explaining, but about finding the form that lets the film live in its truth, energy, and tension.

In rewriting, on set, and in editing, this is the key question.

So? What story are we telling? (The film is the answer.)

Déborah Braun / 90pages

Script doctor

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