The Cutting Room Floor

The episode of "The Office" I was in has come and gone. When we filmed it, I had seven or eight lines, as I performed the ceremony that married Jim and Pam. I say seven or eight, as the director wanted me to do some improv lines in addition to the scripted lines. I've been acting for awhile and I know that in the final edit actors sometimes lose a few lines, particularly in television where the length of the show is a definite factor.

What happened was, I didn't just have a few of my lines cut....I had ALL of them cut. While the inside of the chapel in which we shot the scene was a very important part of the episode, the actual wedding ceremony was not shown. In the script Pam and Jim were actually married twice....once by my character, and once by the captain of a tourist boat near Niagara Falls. The actor playing the boat captain also had all of his lines cut, as well. The end result was that Pam and Jim's exchange of wedding vows was shot twice, with neither of the ceremonies making it into the final edit. The producers/directors/editors of any production (film/TV/etc.) have to produce a final product which they feel is the best one possible from the footage which has been shot. While disappointed that my character's lines did not make the final edit, I fully understand and accept that this is what they must do.

By the way, while the phrase "The cutting room floor" is still used in the business, it is a throw back to the old way that films used to be edited. In the past (quite a few years in the past) the actual film which had been shot was run through editing devices whereby the film's editor would physically cut and splice section of the film together until they had the final edit. Pieces of film that the editor had cut from the film fell to the floor of the cutting room, and this is where the phrase came from. Today, all editing is done digitally, and there is no film to fall onto the cutting room floor.

Looking back at my experience on "The Office" I have to say that, other than having my lines cut, it was a wonderful and very beneficial experience. I got to work with a wonderful cast, crew, and director. My appearance in the episode made m SAG eligible. the payday for a non union actor was quite good, and I have a very nice credit to add to my resume. Being SAG eligible means that while I am still technically non union, I am eligible for, and must join SAG the next time I am cast in a SAG production. Becoming SAG eligible in LA is not the easiest thing to do and being in "The Office" cleared a big hurdle for me.

My Hollywood acting coach put it best I think when he said "This is not only your first SAG job, but a credit that ANY actor in LA would covet." Of course, he's right.

So life moves on. Today, I am attending another casting director's workshop at Actor's West. Next Thursday I am flying to Seattle for a few days of R and R, during which my wife and I will attend the Seattle Seahawks/Arizona Cardinals NFL game. After that, it's back to LA to see what the acting life holds in store.

More when I return from Seattle.................