About the Book:

When shooting on set, do you ever wonder what the editor needs to keep you in the show?

Emmy-winning editor Jordan Goldman, A.C.E. takes you inside the cutting room and pulls back the curtain on how and why directors, showrunners, and editors decide whether your performance stays in the show – or gets cut out. He explains the technical skills an actor must have and the key things actors should do – and shouldn't do – to ensure their performance makes it to the screen.

Acting for the camera can be challenging. What steps can an actor take to avoid being cut out of a movie or TV show? Arm yourself with the best tips and advice you can get, from an insider uniquely positioned to be your guide into a process that few actors ever see or understand. Topics include:

How to Avoid The Cutting Room Floor: an editor's advice for on-camera actors is packed with useful, practical tips, real-life anecdotes and examples, and illustrated with black-and-white photos. 

What people say:

"In this informative and entertaining book, Goldman, an Emmy-winning television editor, provides an inside look at his trade. As the editor of shows including The Shield and Homeland, Goldman is responsible for taking the footage shot by directors and piecing it together into three successive versions: the director's, the producers', and finally the network's. Having studied countless hours of how actors-both stars and background players-succeed or fail in front of the camera, Goldman offers step-by-step instructions for actors on maximizing their time on screen in the final cut. Using photos and a script written to demonstrate the process, Goldman clearly explains what directors and editors need from actors in terms of timing, reactions, and technical skills. Examples of good and bad acting from films and TV shows are sprinkled throughout the text, though more would have been welcome. The book is written as an instruction guide for actors on how not to frustrate directors and editors, but Goldman also offers general readers a close look at how a television show is made, with insight into the joys and frustrations of working in a creative industry." — BookLife

"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, Emmy-winning actor

"Jordan's book How To Avoid the Cutting Room Floor is a must-read for any actor who wants to work in television and film. It is filled with invaluable advice that, to my knowledge, has never been written about before. I have all of the actors I teach read it, and have suggested it to many actor friends." — Judy Henderson, award-winning Casting Director

"In the cutting room we see the same mistakes over and over. Jordan's book is full of useful tips to help you make the cut." — Alex Gansa, Homeland showrunner

About the Author:

Jordan Goldman, A.C.E. has worked for nearly 20 years in Hollywood's TV and film industry. A coveted editor for top-notch cable dramas, he has cut over 100 episodes of television, including seasons of Sons of Anarchy, 24: Live Another Day, Terriers and landmarks like the finale of The Shield and the pilot of Homeland. His keen eye for performance and strong sense of story have earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Editing for a Drama Series, and an American Cinema Editors Eddie.