Cutting Quote by Fede Alvarez
“Usually you always see first cut is an extended version, because it's basically everything you shot, and you have that version and then you start cutting stuff out.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Filmmaking Process, Fede Alvarez, 2015
A first cut contains all filmed material; subsequent edits remove excess to shape the story.
In simple terms: The initial edit is the raw footage; later cuts refine it.
Key Takeaway
Embrace the raw version, then edit ruthlessly.
Themes
filmmaking
editing
storytelling
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
instructional
process-oriented
When to use this quote
- film production
- post‑production
- director’s cut
Key Concepts
narrative structure
creative process
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you decide what to cut?
- What criteria guide your editing choices?
A Different Perspective
A first cut may still be too long or unfocused.
![“Comedy is all about the joke. Comedies usually don't do anything fancy with the camera [or] the lighting. It doesn't matter. It should never be fancy.” quote by Fede Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/301/fede-alvarez-12117_cameras_comedy-is-all-about-the-joke-comedies-us_250669.jpg)
![“I really don't like to go for the stereotypes. I try to give you characters that you don't know until you get to know them, and [decide] how you should feel about them.” quote by Fede Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/812/fede-alvarez-12117_character_i-really-don-t-like-to-go-for-the-stereo_461738.jpg)
![“Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and the screenplay of Simon (Beaufoy) and I was reading it, even before the shoot, some kind of sounds came into my mind and I put some stuff [down] and sent it to…” quote by A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/573/a-r-rahman-4481_cutting_since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-o_539.jpg)
![“We have no clear ideas of the agency of [demonic] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but tells us plainly that he is always watching us, and desiring to sift us as wheat. I believe we give him no more than his due, when we charge him with having a…” quote by John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c75/john-newton-6629_abundance_we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of_2907.jpg)
