On Being Blog

Editorial Session: To Script, or To Give Goose Bumps?
Trent Gilliss, Online Editor

Ideas from an interview and approaches to editing it can change during the production cycle of each show. I might hear something that I relished in the “pre-edit listen” that’s lopped off before the first group listen — which we call the cuts and copy — and wonder what happened.

Most of the time, it’s for the better. I hear the value in making some of those tough deletions — the conversation flows better, points are made more clearly, ideas are distilled. But, sometimes I’m disappointed at what is cut; an indescribable essence of the conversation is lost for the sake of understanding or expedience, an incredibly human moment of imperfection that didn’t cut the muster.

Coming out of our pre-edit listen with Robert Coles, all of us were enamored with something Coles said. His words were poignant because he said them in a different time — during his conversation with Krista in 2000. He provided a glimpse back to what things were like only eight years ago; the world seems like such a different place now.

Well, what he said was a challenge because Krista didn’t want to confuse the listener with an outdated reference. His words were cut and Krista had scripted in the notion of what he was saying to bring people into the present. But, to my ears, the moment was lost. So, what you see here is our production staff deliberating this edit, and coming to a resolution.

And, if you haven’t listened yet, check out the produced program with Dr. Coles, and compare the finished product.